Admissions Information and Applicant Requirements

The CPP offers enrollment to only a select group of students annually. Students interested in applying, whether high school or transitional, should do so with the knowledge that they will be required to return to UTPA and the Rio Grande Valley for the third and fourth years of the professional pharmacy curriculum. Students with an interest in completing the entire professional pharmacy curriculum in Austin should apply directly to the UTA CoP.

High School Applicants 

High school seniors with a high aptitude for science, and a strong desire to pursue pharmacy as a career are encouraged to apply.  To be eligible for admittance from high school, students must have completed the following high school courses:

• English - 4 years
• Mathematics - 4 years (including pre-calculus)
• Foreign language - 2 years
• Science - 3 years (including biology and chemistry)
• Social Studies - 3 years

In addition to the above, in order to be competitive high school applicants should meet or exceed the following academic criteria:

• An overall grade point of 85% or a 3.4 on a 4.0 scale in the core courses noted above;
• SAT or ACT essay writing score above 6;
• Either a minimum combined critical reading and mathematics SAT score of 1100 or minimum composite ACT score of 21.

Lastly, high school applicants should provide in the application, resume or personal statement documentation of the following:

• Leadership abilities and experiences
• Participation in community service or other volunteer activities

Transitional Applicants

Transitional applicants are students who have completed their pharmacy pre-requisites at UTPA, and are ready to begin their pharmacy education.  Transitional applicants should be ready to matriculate directly to the UTA CoP of the fall directly following the admissions cycle.  Similar to high school applicants, transitional students will be required to return to UTPA and the Rio Grande Valley for the third and fourth professional years of the pharmacy curriculum. 

The transitional application process is as follows.  Transitional applicants must apply to the CPP, UT Austin (via Texas Common Application), and the UT College of Pharmacy.  There will be three (3) applications and fees.  Admissions requirements for transitional applicants are identical to those required by the UTA CoP. 

Admissions interviews for transitional applicants will be held on the UTPA campus.  By applying through the transitional pathway, all applicants are agreeing that the sole interview for the UTA CoP be the one undertaken locally on the UTPA campus. 

To be eligible for admittance, transitional applicants must have:

• Completed all pharmacy pre-requisites as required by UTA CoP by the spring semester of the matriculation year (i.e. spring 2009 for a start date at UTA CoP of fall 2009)

To be competitive, transitional applicants should meet or exceed the following academic criteria:

• Minimum GPA of 3.2 in all math, science, and English pharmacy pre-requisites
• Minimum overall GPA of 3.0
• Must have taken the Pharmacy College Admissions Test (PCAT) within the past two years and attained the minimum requirements set forth by the UTA CoP. 

Lastly, transitional applicants should provide in the application, resume or personal statement documentation of the following:

• Leadership abilities and experiences
• Participation in community service or other volunteer activities