Transfer Applicants Our admissions decisions are based upon a comprehensive review of each completed application. The number of students we can admit is determined by the number of spaces available at each school or college and the quality of the total applicant pool. These change from year to year and vary from college to college within the university. Preference is given to students whose applications, fees or fee waivers, and all required transcripts, test scores, and other supporting documents are submitted by the priority application date.
General Procedures We place primary emphasis on each applicant's academic promise as demonstrated by:
- strength of academic program
- grade trends
- cumulative GPA
- number of credits completed
- English Proficiency Examination results
We also consider such qualitative factors as:
- community, volunteer, or U.S. military service
- extracurricular activities
- honors and awards
- employment
- special talents
- personal statements
Transfer students are expected to have completed specific required entrance subjects; if necessary, previous college courses may be used to satisfy high school course requirements.
Mason Gross School of the Arts For the Mason Gross School of the Arts, significant emphasis is placed upon a formal talent assessment.
Professional Schools For our professional schools, the direct relevance of previous college courses to the intended professional program is also strongly considered.
Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy Admission to the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy is extremely competitive. We welcome your application but would like you to know it’s really tough to get in. Each year the school receives approximately 700 transfer applications for fewer than 30 seats: only 3 to 5 percent of applicants are offered admission from among a typically excellent applicant pool. Here’s how it works.
- Successful transfer candidates are expected to place into the third year of the Pharm.D. curriculum. That means successful candidates have completed a minimum 60 college credits and all prerequisite mathematics, science, social science and English composition courses within a liberal arts and sciences context.
- From among that group (who have completed all of the prerequisite courses for placement into year three), we interview the most competitive (as determined by overall grades and demonstrated ability to perform well in the context of a full time semester of 16 to 18 credits). In recent years, all successful candidates have presented competitive scores on the Pharmacy College Admissions Test (PCAT), which is strongly recommended.
- The entering class is chosen based on the candidates’ interview results, academic record and overall experience. For a complete listing of the pharmacy curriculum including prerequisites for third-year entry, visit the Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy web site. Additional information about the prepharmacy curriculum can be found in our undergraduate catalog. You will find that these prerequisites are available at most accredited colleges and universities in the United States.
Please keep in mind the following:
- If your college does not offer a specific "Systems Physiology" course, we will consider two semesters of "Anatomy & Physiology" or one semester of either human or mammalian physiology. Comparative or Cell Physiology are not appropriate.
- The physics course offered by Rutgers is a specially-designed, one-semester course. To satisfy this requirement at other universities, we recommend two semesters of General Physics.
- English composition courses must be completed at a college or university in the United States. English proficiency exams and English as a Second Language (ESL) courses do not satisfy the English writing requirement.
- Technical pharmacy programs in the USA and pharmacy programs in other countries generally do not include the required liberal arts and science prerequisites for the Rutgers Pharm.D. program. Graduates of these programs are encouraged to complete the pre-professional prerequisites before applying.
- AP and IB examination results may be used for a maximum of two courses.
- CLEP and other examinations are not eligible for credit.