Memorial University pharmacy admission requirements: one year of prerequisites, a 70% minimum and an online interview

Memorial says direct admission from high school into the PharmD is not available. You apply to Memorial first, take the prerequisite courses, then apply to the School of Pharmacy. Memorial recommends choosing Bachelor of Science on your first application, because it gives you easy access to the eight required courses.

Memorial's sample first year fits all ten courses into two terms. In fall you take Mathematics 1000, Chemistry 1050, Biology 1001, an English course and an elective. In winter you take Mathematics 1001, Chemistry 1051, Biology 1002, a second English or CRW course and another elective. You must also carry five courses (15 credit hours) in at least one semester.

So a Grade 12 student starting university in fall 2027 could apply in the winter of first year and begin the PharmD in fall 2028. The PharmD itself takes five years, so the full plan is about six years.

For Ontario students, Memorial asks for five Grade 12 subject areas: English (such as ENG4U), a math (MDM4U, MHF4U or MCV4U), a lab science (SBI4U, SCH4U, SES4U or SPH4U), a social studies or language course, and one more 4U or 4M course. You need at least 70% over those five, with a pass in each.

The School of Pharmacy's high school page says no high school biology is required, and it points students to chemistry and math course charts. Since your first university year includes calculus and two chemistry courses, we suggest Grade 12 chemistry and a strong math course. Check your average with our Top 6 average calculator and plan with the high school course planner.

Your academic score depends on where you're from. For Newfoundland and Labrador applicants it is your prerequisite average plus your cumulative average, divided by two. For out of province applicants it is your prerequisite average plus the average of your ten most recent courses taken up to December 31 of the year before, divided by two. A first year student with only ten courses uses those ten.

You need an academic score of at least 70% to be considered. Memorial says successful applicants in recent years generally had averages in the high 70s. It does not publish a cutoff. Your final admission score is 65% academic and 35% interview.

Memorial counts a pass in a prerequisite as complete, but leaves it out of the average. If you get calculus credit from Memorial's Calculus Placement Test, the letter grade is converted: A is 87, B is 75, C is 65 and D is 55. If you then take Math 1000, Memorial uses the higher grade.

Every applicant records an asynchronous online interview after applying. You get an email with instructions sometime in February and about a week to finish it. The questions are usually behavioural, such as telling them about a time you solved a hard problem.

An invitation does not mean you're eligible. Memorial only scores interviews for applicants who meet the academic rules. Memorial does not list Casper or the PCAT for this program.

Memorial says it normally reserves 34 seats for Newfoundland and Labrador residents, one for an Indigenous applicant from the province, and five for applicants from outside the province, including international students. Scores are ranked within each pool.

Five seats is a small number. If you live in Ontario or another province, apply to pharmacy schools in your own province too. Memorial says it gives no preference to people who took the prerequisites at Memorial.

The PharmD application form opens in mid to late October. The deadline is February 1 for September entry that same year, and official transcripts are due February 15. Final grades for winter courses must arrive by May 1. Offers are emailed in mid June. The program page names February 1 as 2026's deadline, and Memorial has not posted dates for 2028 entry yet, so confirm the next cycle.

Spring and summer courses come too late for the same September, so finish all ten courses by the end of winter. For your first step, Memorial's fall priority deadline is March 1. Canadian applicants from outside Memorial pay a $70 general fee plus a $125 pharmacy fee, $195 in total. See our Canadian deadlines page.

Memorial notes that its calendar rules for courses taken at other schools do not match the School of Pharmacy page, and it waived the calendar rule for the 2025-2026 cycle. If you take your prerequisites outside Memorial, follow the School's page and email the School to confirm your courses.

The first four years are mostly classroom based, and year five is practice based. Memorial says its program has 44 weeks of pharmacy practice experience: 12 weeks early to mid program and 32 weeks of advanced rotations in the final year, in community, institutional and other settings.

There is no co-op. The workload is heavy. Course loads run from 5 to 7 courses, or 15 to 20 credit hours, each semester. Memorial reports a 100% employment rate for its pharmacy graduates. After graduating you write the national licensing exam with the Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada.

PharmD tuition is $225 per credit hour plus a clinical fee each semester for domestic students. International students pay $750 per credit hour plus the clinical fee. Memorial's estimate for domestic students at 2026-2027 rates is $69,848 in tuition over five years, or $79,039 with student fees, health and dental plans, books and professional fees.

Your prerequisite year is charged at Memorial's general rate of $225 per credit hour for Canadian students. Our estimate, not a Memorial figure: ten courses of 3 credit hours each is 30 credit hours, or about $6,750 in tuition for that year, before fees and living costs.

Students from Canadian high schools outside Newfoundland and Labrador are automatically considered for the Memorial University Early Scholar Program. For fall 2027 entry, an early admission average of 98% or higher earns $6,000, 95% to 97.9% earns $2,000, and 93% to 94.9% earns $1,000.

The early average uses your best math, science and English grades finished by the end of Grade 11. You must apply to Memorial by March 1 of your graduation year. The award is not renewable.

Pharmacy at Memorial is about six years: one year of set courses, then five years of PharmD. Tuition is lower than many pharmacy schools, but only five seats go to students from outside the province. Build a list that includes schools at home, such as Dalhousie, Waterloo or U of T.

Help your child choose a first year degree they would finish if pharmacy doesn't work out. Our Memorial guide covers campus life in St. John's.