Admissions Requirements

For all admissions related inquiries email pharmacy-admissions@csu.edu

Apply Today Transfer Guide (all) Transfer Guide (CSU-COP)  Request More Information

 

Application deadline for Fall 2026 is June 1, 2026.

Click here to apply.

 

Supplemental Application: Not required

Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT): NOT Required

The School of Pharmacy works on a rolling admissions cycle with review of applications from August through July. 

The Chicago State University School of Pharmacy (CSU-SOP) considers for admission those prospective students who possess the academic and professional promise necessary to become outstanding members of the pharmacy profession. To select these students, the college uses a rolling selection process within a competitive admissions framework.

Holistic Admissions

Within its competitive admissions framework, the CSU-SOP uses multiple criteria to select the most qualified candidates from an applicant pool that exceeds the number of seats available.

Admission Requirements

To be considered for admission to the CSU-SOP a prospective student must do the following:

• Complete, or be in the process of completing, a minimum of 60 semester hours of non-remedial, prerequisite course work from a regionally accredited US college or university. It is preferred that all pre-pharmacy course work requirements be completed in the spring semester prior to matriculation. The student must earn a grade of C- or better in each prerequisite course.  

• Two (2) letters of recommendation:

  • One letter must be from a science professor that has taught the student or a pre-health advisor.

  • It is preferred the second letter be from a pharmacist. However, any one of the following recommendations is also acceptable: science professor, another licensed health care professional, employer/supervisor or mentor.

Pre-Pharmacy Requirements

• All required (prerequisite) courses must be completed with a letter grade of C- or better prior to entrance into the professional pharmacy program. AP (Advanced Placement) or CLEP credit is accepted but must appear on previous transcripts.
• Achieve a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.50 (on a 4.00 scale), a minimum pre-requisite science and math GPA of 2.50 (on a 4.00 scale) in the required science and math pre-pharmacy course curriculum;
  • Grades from all attempts of repeated coursework will be included when calculating the cumulative and pre-requisite science and math coursework grade point average. It is preferred that science and math prerequisite coursework be completed within the last 5 years. Prerequisite coursework older than 10 years will be considered on a case by case basis. Only pre-requisite courses required by CSU-SOP will be included in science and math pre-requisite GPA calculations.
• Reflect a people/service orientation through community service or extracurricular activities;
• Reflect proper motivation for and commitment to the pharmacy profession as demonstrated by previous work, volunteer, or other life experiences;
• Possess the oral and written communication skills necessary to interact with patients and colleagues;
• Complete CSU-SOP's interview process (by invitation only).
• Students can opt to submit a PCAT score, although it is not required for application review

Course(s)	Cr.Hrs
English (composition or writing intensive)	6
Biology (must include General Biology w/ laboratory and may include General Biology 2 or other higher level biology excluding microbiology)	8
Human Anatomy + Physiology (human or mammalian)	6
General Chemistry (with laboratory)	8
Organic Chemistry (with laboratory)	8
Physics (can be for business or life sciences)	3
Calculus (may include business or life sciences)	3
Oral Communication (speech)	3
Statistics	3
Other General Education Coursework to reach 60 credits (recommended courses to include economics and a social science (psychology, sociology, anthropology or political science))	12-14
Total Credit Hours	60