Transfer or Advanced Standing Policy

The University of Southern California School of Pharmacy PharmD program accepts students seeking transfer on a case-by-case basis.  Students in an accredited Doctor of Pharmacy program at another institution who are interested in seeking ‘advanced standing’ in USC Mann must submit the following materials to the Office of Enrollment and Student Affairs.

Please inform the Office of Enrollment and Student Affairs of your interest in transferring to the USC Mann School.  Email pharmadm@usc.edu prior to beginning the application process.

Application requirements

• Application:  https://usc.liaisoncas.com/applicant-ux/#/login. 
• Official transcripts with undergraduate degree posted and official transcripts from current/previous pharmacy school mailed to the Office of Enrollment and Student Affairs.  (Address to mail transcripts are provided in the application)
• Two letters of recommendation.  Letters of recommendation should come directly from the recommender and be emailed to pharmadm@usc.edu.
• Letter from the Dean or Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs of your current/previous pharmacy school indicating good standing at that institution.
• Personal statement with reason for transfer.
• Resume or CV
• A 3.0 cumulative GPA at the current institution.
• Completion of an undergraduate degree with a 3.0 cumulative GPA. 

Application deadlines

• For fall semester, the deadline is July 1^st
• For spring semester, the deadline is November 15^th

Transfer of credits

Didactic or experiential coursework from other ACPE-accredited Doctor of Pharmacy programs will be considered on a case-by-case basis by program faculty. USC Mann will award no more than 34 transferable credit hours per student within the first semester the student is enrolled in the program. To assure similar curricular standards, students wishing to transfer credit will provide:

• Name of the course from the original institution to be considered for transfer. Please note that any coursework considered for transfer credit must be completed no more than 3 years from the anticipated start date at USC.

• Course syllabus and course description. It is in the student’s best interest, and is their responsibility, to provide as much documentation of course content as possible.
  • Either:
    • Proof of a letter grade of C (73%) or higher (does NOT include C minus), OR
    • Proof of a passing grade if the course was graded on a pass/fail basis. The student is responsible for submitting paperwork confirming that the passing grade is equivalent to a letter grade of C (73%) or higher (does NOT include C minus).

Interview

After initial screening of the prospective transfer student, and once all materials are submitted, the applicant will be invited to an interview with the faculty and the Associate Dean for Academic and Student Affairs during one of the interview weeks in the following months:

Fall Semester:

• March
• May
• July

Spring Semester:

• October
• November
• December (early)

After an interview with the faculty, an admission decision will be made soon after.  That decision will be reported to the admission office who will notify the student.

At this point the student should be preparing to secure the following as they wait for their admission decision:

• Housing
• Parking
• Ensure USC School of Pharmacy has their FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)

Admitted

Once a student has been admitted, here are the next steps:

• Secure housing
• Secure parking
• Finalize financial aid
• 2 to 3 days after the student is admitted, they should receive an email from graduate admission to submit their intent to enroll and deposit. 

• 2 to 3 days after the student submits their intent to enroll and deposit, the student should be able to activate their USC NetID (https://netid.usc.edu/account_services/activate_account) and receive a USC email address.
• Also, 2 to 3 days after the student submits their intent to enroll and deposit, the student should be able to log in to their myUSC account.
• After the student has submitted their intent to enroll and deposit and is confirmed to enroll at USC Mann, the student should then submit the following to the Office of Enrollment and Students Affairs:
  • Provide how you would like your name listed on your name badge
  • Provide how you would like your name listed on your stethoscope
  • Provide the size for your white coat

After confirmation, next steps:

Once the student has completed all the above steps, the student will connect directly with the Director of Student Success and Engagement to complete the following steps:

• Send an email to pharmdsa@usc.edu using your USC email to confirm access to your account and to make an appointment
• Prior to the appointment, the student will receive the following instructions:
  • How to register for classes and how to navigate their myUSC account
  • Information related to the start of their first semester 
  • Trainings required of new students by the university (e.g., health and safety guidelines)
  • Updating Intern license application
• During the meeting, the student will review the following: 
  • Degree requirements
  • Their individual curriculum plan and determine how many units may be transferred in from their previous courses. Exact number of transfer units will require final approval from the SoP and the USC Registrar Office. 
  • Academic support and student resources available to students, including mentorship programs
  • Student life, including student organizations. The student will also be connected with a current student to learn more about being a USC student.
  • Other questions the student may have about starting the program