Waterloo vs U of T pharmacy routes

This is the first thing to know. Waterloo's PharmD needs previous university study. U of T says it does not look at high school grades for PharmD admission at all. So in Grade 12 you are really choosing a first degree, usually in science.

At Waterloo, students usually prepare and send their PharmD application during their second year of university. An application sent in fall 2026 is for January 2028 entry. All the required courses must be done by April 30, 2027 for that intake.

U of T asks for at least 8 full-course equivalents, about two years of study, by the end of the winter term you apply in. You can take them at any university. That means you could study at Waterloo, U of T or somewhere else first, then apply to either PharmD.

Waterloo's Conditional Admission to Pharmacy, or CAP, pre-admits Grade 12 students. It has 40 seats. You need a 90.0% high school average as Waterloo's Faculty of Science works it out. Year 1 CEGEP students need 85.0%.

You send two OUAC applications. One is to a Waterloo science program: Honours Science, Biomedical Sciences or Life Sciences with biology. The other is the CAP status application. Waterloo says Honours Science gives the most room to fit the PharmD courses. The Fall 2027 cycle opened October 5, 2026 and closes February 1, 2027, with documents by February 15, 2027.

CAP students who keep their eligibility for two years, including a good Casper result, get a guaranteed PharmD interview. The program costs $750 a year. If you picked a co-op version of your science degree, Waterloo moves you to the regular stream, because the courses won't fit in two years with co-op.

Waterloo's floor is a 75.0% cumulative university average. U of T's is 70%, which it equates to a B minus. Both are minimums to be considered, not the marks that win an offer.

U of T says it does not share the competitive average or the acceptance rate, since both change with each applicant pool. It admits about 260 students a year and says more qualified people apply than it can take. Waterloo admits about 120 students a year.

Both schools count every attempt at a course. At U of T the result of every attempt goes into your cumulative average. Waterloo includes every university course and every attempt in its average too. It also expects a full course load, about five courses a term, for most of your studies. Plan your first two years so you take your required courses seriously the first time.

Waterloo lists specific courses. You need cell biology, genetics and microbiology, two general chemistry courses, biochemistry and organic chemistry, three labs, calculus, statistics and an English course. You can take them at any accredited post-secondary school.

U of T sets credit totals instead. You need 1.0 biology, 1.5 chemistry, 1.0 math with at least half in calculus, and 1.0 humanities or social science. Statistics can't count as the math. Biochemistry and environmental chemistry can't count as the chemistry, and anatomy or physiology can't count as the biology.

So one course plan can meet both, but you have to plan it. Take calculus and a statistics course, enough general and organic chemistry for U of T, and biochemistry for Waterloo. Add a writing-heavy English course and one more humanities or social science course. U of T's courses must be from fall 2017 or later for August 2027 entry.

Both schools use Casper, an online situational judgment test. Waterloo lets you take it once a year, in the cycle you apply. U of T's last valid Casper date for August 2027 is January 21, 2027.

Waterloo adds forms about your academic history, your required courses and your activities. Competitive applicants usually report 200 or more hours of pharmacy-related experience. You also name a regulated health professional as a reference, ideally a pharmacist, and never a relative. Selected applicants join a live panel interview on Kira Talent with pharmacists and students.

U of T keeps it shorter. You fill in two supplemental forms by January 19, 2027 and pay a $331.50 fee. Selected applicants take an online assessment on March 25, 2027, with timed video answers and multiple-choice questions. U of T does not use personal statements or reference letters, and it does not require pharmacy work experience.

Waterloo's live interview weekend for January 2028 entry runs April 30 to May 2, 2027 on Kira Talent. The dates are fixed, with no exceptions. Your required courses must also be finished by April 30, 2027.

U of T sends eligibility notices in early March 2027 and holds its online assessment on March 25, 2027. Its first round of offers goes out in May 2027. Final transcripts are due May 31, 2027, and final decisions come in mid-June 2027.

Both schools take students from outside Ontario. U of T says there is no limit on qualified non-Ontario and international students within its class of about 260. Waterloo runs a PharmD Indigenous Admissions Pathway, and CAP has its own Indigenous admissions pathway as well.

Waterloo calls its PharmD Canada's only pharmacy co-op program. It runs just over three years: two years of classes, one year of paid co-op and six months of experiential learning. Waterloo says students typically earn $15,000 to $25,000 per work term, across three paid co-op terms.

U of T calls its program the only three-year PharmD in Canada. It builds in more than 40 weeks of placements. That is 160 hours in a community pharmacy in Year 1, 160 hours in a hospital or other institution in Year 2, and 36 weeks of advanced practice in Year 3.

Waterloo's school is at its Health Sciences Campus in downtown Kitchener, about five kilometres from the main campus. U of T's faculty is in downtown Toronto. Your co-op jobs at Waterloo can take you to other cities for a term at a time.

Waterloo's fall 2026 fee schedule lists PharmD tuition at $8,685.00 per term for Ontario students, plus $1,048.01 in incidental fees for full-time study. Co-op terms add a co-op fee from the 2A term on.

U of T says students who started in August 2026 paid $18,420 for the 2026-27 year as Ontario residents. Students from other provinces paid $22,590. Incidental fees are extra. Both are 2026-27 rates, not prices for a later intake.

Comparing these numbers is tricky because one is per term and the other is per year. Waterloo's co-op income can also offset part of the cost. Ask each school for a full-program estimate once you are close to applying. The Waterloo fees and U of T fees pages cover the first degree.

U of T suggests Grade 12 courses that make the university prerequisites easier: English, physics, biology, chemistry, Calculus and Vectors and Advanced Functions. Those also suit Waterloo's science programs.

If your average is 90% or higher, apply to CAP alongside a Waterloo science program by February 1, 2027. Add other science programs too, including U of T if you like it. Whatever first degree you start, build your timetable around both pharmacy course lists.

Read the detailed guides for each school: Waterloo Pharmacy requirements and U of T Pharmacy requirements. The school hubs cover first-year housing: Waterloo and U of T.