Can You Transfer In The Middle Of Pharmacy School?


can i transfer pharmacy schools

One of the challenging tasks for students is to research and find the best pharmacy schools. The rise in pharmacy schools created so much confusion about which school to apply to and get going on admissions. Many people don’t do proper research and make the mistake of getting admission to the wrong pharmacy school. The main reason majority of students wanting to transfer pharmacy school is the wrong school selection. You may have your personal reasons for pharmacy school transfer. There always can be extraordinary circumstances.

Now, the question is, can you transfer pharmacy schools?

Colleges do accept transfer students from other pharmacy schools. However, the transfer process will differ from one pharmacy school to another. If you want to transfer to a particular pharmacy school, they will thoroughly evaluate your application.

The pharmacy school may ask you for a legitimate reason why you are seeking a transfer. First of all, you need to meet all the general requirements of the pharmacy school you want to get enrolled. Depending on the pharmacy schools, the general requirements could consist of special circumstances for the transfer, official transcripts from all the schools, letters of recommendation from a faculty member of the currency school of pharmacy, and other additional documents.

Is it possible to transfer pharmacy schools?

It is possible to transfer pharmacy schools but is very uncommon. It is advisable to get into the right pharmacy school in the first go, because changing the pharmacy school, later on, will be very problematic and you will lose ground when it comes to learning and credits.

Transfer of pharmacy school is something most students avoid. It should be done only done during extreme circumstances. For some reason, if you have to move to another state, then there is a way for it. You will find many colleges in your state accepting transfer students.

First of all, you need to check out which pharmacy school is accepting transfer students. Then, you need to contact the school, know the requirements, and submit them to the school.

Transfer Between Pharmacy Schools

If you are in any pharmacy school and planning to transfer to any other pharmacy school, it is advisable to avoid the transfer. If you have got any strong reason for the transfer, then only you should do it (Moving, Family Reasons, Spouse Reasons, Etc.)

First of all, depending on the pharmacy school you want to get transfer to, you need to meet all the requirements. Each pharmacy school has its own curriculum for the Doctor of Pharmacy program, hence it can get quite difficult.

For transferring the pharmacy school, first of all, you need to prepare the list of colleges you are interested in. As we have seen, the transfer criteria are different from one pharmacy school to another. You need to contact the school and check out whether it accepts transfers or you have to start the course over again.

Usually the later years from year 4 and on can actually be easier to get accepted as schools probably will have had dropouts making room for yourself.

How Difficult is it to apply for another pharmacy school as a transfer?

Applying for another pharmacy school as a transfer student is quite difficult. Although it is possible to transfer to school, however, it is very uncommon. All the applicants find the school they are interested in and comfortable in and get admission there so that they do not have to do transfers in the future.

The Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program structure is different for almost every school, hence, the requirements for transfer will also differ from one pharmacy school to another. Here are some steps you need to follow to:

  • First of all, you need to prepare the list of pharmacy schools you are interested in.
  • Now, you need to contact the pharmacy school and explain about your situation.
  • You need to be honest and explain the reasons why you want to transfer the pharmacy school.
  • The pharmacy school will let you know the process or recommendations for transfer.
  • A lot of the times it will just be going all the way back through the application process just as if you are re-starting completely at the school

That’s it. If the school you are interested to transfer into is open for transferring students, it will ask you to fulfill some requirements. Different schools have different requirements for transfer students. It could be a form consisting of the special circumstances for the transfer, official transcripts from all the schools, letters of recommendation from a faculty member of the currency school of pharmacy, and other additional documents.

Here we can see that pharmacy school transfers are quite difficult. The new PharmD school will have quite a different program than your previous one. Hence, it is advisable to avoid school transfers.

Transferring Pharmacy Schools (Real Student Opinions)

We have curated information from other forums that will help you determine what you can make happen and so you don’t have to take our word for it.

All answers and opinions remain the same besides grammar and spelling errors being corrected where needed.

Real Student Testimonials

1. Vitamin K “Depends on how far along you are” – It depends on how far along you are in the program and how similar the 2 programs are. I wanted to transfer after my 2nd year, but couldn’t make it work because there were too many differences in the class descriptions. There’s no regulation that makes one “therapeutics” class the same as another “therapeutics” class, so they don’t know what you’ve covered and what you haven’t. Call the school you want to transfer to and ask them!

2. Hels2007 “Different curriculum’s tough to transfer” – Not really… transferring between professional programs (pharmacy, law, medicine) is nearly impossible due to differences in the way curriculum is structured. However, there is always an option of receiving advanced standing in the new pharmacy school (if admitted), i.e. you could get credit for classes you have already completed. I know someone who did just that.

The best suggestion is to speak to your school, and to the school where you would like to transfer – and see what they tell you. With a solid reason like illness in close family members, they should be willing to come up with a plan that wouldn’t cost you too much time.

Best of luck to you, and I wish your parents a complete and speedy recovery from whatever ails them.

3. BananaFace “Possible, but unlikely and uncommon” – Possible, but unlikely and uncommon.

You’ll need to contact each school you are interested in to inquire whether or not they take transfers and under what circumstances. If they do, your transfer would be space dependent and you’d need to be in good academic standing. Sometimes you also need a letter from your current dean. You can’t count on being placed in the same year fo the program due to curriculum differences.

4. Ucrx “Depends on the reason” – I would say the OP has a chance because there is a valid reason. Schools might be willing to work with a student in a situation like that. It does depend on the curriculum of both schools and prior grades. I suggest contacting all of the schools that you would consider transferring to and explain the situation and see what they say. It has happened a couple times in the past, so it is possible.

For someone who is dismissed from one school, I would say it is impossible.

5. BidingMyTime “Only if room at new school” – Yes, its possible, but extremely unlikely. Schools will only take transfers students to replace students who have dropped out/failed out. So there are very few openings in any class. I would recommend talking to the school you are interested in transferring into and see what their requirements/recommendations are for transfer students.

6. ThunderThighs “Call the school” – I think it’s plausible. I once emailed another pharmacy school explaining my situation (no special circumstances, just wanted to move to that area) and they told me to fill out an application like everybody else. I didn’t end up applying but I think I could’ve had a shot.

7. BidingMyTime “Usually more room in upper years because of dropouts” – Schools generally only take transfers into upper years, if they have had someone drop out/get kicked out for that year (and never for P4) With P2, its possible you could transfer in, you would have to find a school that has a P2 opening….in other words, if you are able to transfer, you are going to have little choice in which school you transfer into, and very well could be jumping out of the frying pan into the fire.

8. HomeSlice “Possible but you will likely lose credits” – It is possible (though not likely) that you can transfer, but you will almost certainly have to start over as a first year student. Because pretty much every pharmacy school has a different sequence of classes that students must take in a set order, you will likely have to start over as to be able to take them and still stay on schedule to graduate.

 

Final Thoughts

Before applying for admission into any pharmacy school, it is so important to consider different factors. As we have seen, transferring from one pharmacy school to another is a tedious task, it is important to pick the right pharmacy school in the one go. This way, you can avoid transfer in the future.

If you are doing it because of extreme circumstance, don’t worry, it is possible to transfer in the middle of pharmacy school. All you need to do is contact the pharmacy school you are interested in transferring into, explain your situation, provide legitimate reasons why you want to transfer, and the school will provide you procedure or recommendation, depending on your situation.

As we stated it can be easier in the later years as students do dropout leaving the school the option to replace that student that has dropped out. This isn’t a guarantee of course, but leaves the odds more in your favor.

Danielle Winner

Hello my name is Danielle Winner. Welcome to my site on Pharmacy School and tips and tricks to hopefully help you get in. It's not easy but hopefully you can learn to not make mistakes that students (myself included) make. Good luck on your journey. I graduated from Albany School of Pharmacy in May 2010 and have had a few different jobs across the east coast of the U.S.

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