Conditional Admission to Pharmacy (CAP) | School of Pharmacy, Waterloo Science

The Conditional Admission to Pharmacy (CAP) program is an exciting opportunity for outstanding high school students to be pre-admitted to the University of Waterloo School of Pharmacy. With this program, students are provided with a clear path toward achieving their goal of becoming a pharmacist.

Normally, applications to the Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy (BScPhm) degree program are considered from university students who have completed at least two years of undergraduate science. With the CAP program, high school students can receive a conditional offer of admission to the School of Pharmacy, to begin the BScPhm program in their third year of university studies. Specific criteria must be met in order to maintain CAP status. Students who satisfy these requirements will have their place assured in the BScPhm program at Waterloo.

With CAP status, students will be able to participate in some social and educational activities organized by the School and the Society of Pharmacy Students (SOPhS). This will enable students in the CAP program to learn more about the degree program and the profession of Pharmacy. With the connections and friendships they will establish, CAP students will have a smooth transition into the Pharmacy program. In addition, School of Pharmacy staff will act as resources to CAP students, to guide them toward successful admission into the BScPhm program.

Are you eligible?

Here is a checklist of items that will allow you to self-assess whether you are eligible, or likely to be eligible, for admission to the CAP program:

≥ 90.0% high school admission average (grade 12 final grades), as calculated for the Faculty of Science at Waterloo. This average is based on the student’s top six grades, including required courses for admission to the Faculty of Science.
Have completed, or are registered to take this academic year, the courses required for admission to the Faculty of Science: any Grade 12 U English, Grade 12 U Advanced Functions, Grade 12 U Calculus and Vectors, and any 2 of: Biology, Chemistry, Earth and Space Science, Mathematics of Data Management, Physics; and any other Grade 12 U or M course.
Demonstrated leadership
Community involvement through volunteering and other efforts
Work experience
Interest in the profession of Pharmacy – you will need to write about this interest in a short personal statement that is part of the CAP application process (a section within the CAP Admission Information Form, or AIF)
Willing to provide two letters of reference: one academic (teacher, principal, guidance counselor); one from employer or volunteer agency
Have already achieved, or are willing to pursue, 200 hours of pharmacy-related work or volunteer experience by the middle of second year of undergraduate studies at Waterloo

How to apply for the CAP program

Applying for CAP status is a two-step process:

Apply for admission to Waterloo through the Ontario Universities’ Application Centre (OUAC) website, for a science degree program that will allow you to meet the Pharmacy academic admission requirements within two years. Waterloo undergraduate science degree programs which allow students to meet this condition are: Life Sciences – with Biology as the Subject of Major Interest; Life Sciences – with Biomedical Sciences as the Subject of Major Interest; or Honours Science.
Apply for Conditional Admission to Pharmacy through a separate application process, and pay the required fee. A link to the online CAP application is provided in the CAP Application Timeline section below.
[Note: achieving CAP status is a separate decision from admission to the Waterloo Faculty of Science for your chosen undergraduate degree program]

An interview

After screening of applicants using the academic and supplementary information, a select group will be invited for an interview in Kitchener with representative(s) of the School of Pharmacy.

CAP Application Timeline

NOTE: CAP interviews will be offered on a rolling basis, so it is in a candidate's best interest to apply early.

October 7, 2011 – Applications for conditional admission to the Pharmacy program beginning in Jan 2015 opened on this date and are now closed.
January 31, 2012 – Deadline for CAP application and fee payment
March 9, 2012 – Deadline for submission of supporting documents (CAP Admission Information Form, Reference Letters, English language test scores if applicable, transcripts for out-of-province high school students)
April 19, 2012 – Final CAP interview decisions will be communicated to all applicants
May 11–13, 2012 – FINAL CAP Interviews in Kitchener–Waterloo
May 24, 2012 - Final CAP admission decisions will be communicated to all applicants
June 5, 2012 - Deadline to accept CAP Offer of Admission

NOTE: Students who use popular email services like hotmail, yahoo, gmail, etc. are strongly advised to check their junk/spam mail folders regularly if they do not seem to be receiving the expected correspondence from the university. Past experience has shown that certain email filters will route bulk emails from the university into those folders, so please check them before contacting us for any messages that appear to be missing.

After acceptance into the CAP program

All students who are admitted into the CAP program must take their first two years of science studies at Waterloo, and complete the academic requirements for admission to Pharmacy by the end of the Winter term of their second academic year. Students are responsible for ensuring that, when selecting electives from within these degree programs, they take all of the courses required for admission to Pharmacy by the end of Year Two. Academic advisors will provide guidance and support in this regard.

Further information

Please check out the “Frequently Asked Questions” section of our website, under the tab “Conditional Admission Program”, for further information about CAP. If you require additional information beyond what the website provides, you are invited to send an email message to cap@uwaterloo.ca or call 519-888-4416.