Pharmacy School GPA — Overall & Science,
all attempts counted.

No — Math is its own separate GPA category in PharmCAS, distinct from Science GPA. Calculus, Statistics, Biostatistics, and Algebra go into the Math GPA, not the Science GPA. This matters when you're calculating your Science GPA estimate: don't include your math courses in the "Science" bucket. Tag them as "Other" in this calculator to get an accurate Science GPA estimate that matches PharmCAS's method. Source: PharmCAS Course Subjects.

Yes — both attempts count. PharmCAS explicitly states that repeated courses and failed courses are included in GPAs "even if they are later repeated for a higher grade or excluded from the GPA on the transcript." If you retook Organic Chemistry and improved from a C to an A, both grades go into your PharmCAS GPA. The A adds 4.0 quality points per credit, which helps your GPA — but the C's damage doesn't disappear. Enter both attempts in this calculator to model your true PharmCAS GPA. Source: PharmCAS Verification & GPAs.

Other Science is a catch-all category for science-adjacent subjects that don't fit neatly into Biology, Chemistry, Physics, or Microbiology — courses like Nutrition, Kinesiology, Environmental Science, and Toxicology. These courses count toward your Science GPA, not your Non-Science GPA. When entering courses in the real PharmCAS application, you select the subject category for each course; PharmCAS uses its own taxonomy to verify classifications during the verification process.

As of 2024, many pharmacy programs have dropped or made PCAT scores optional. Whether a given program requires the PCAT varies program by program. When applying through PharmCAS, check the specific requirements for each program in the PharmCAS school directory — don't assume PCAT is required or not required across the board. If a program does require it, the PCAT score is reviewed alongside your GPA in the initial screening process.

Science GPA signals whether you can handle the heavy science curriculum of a PharmD program — Pharmacology, Pharmacokinetics, Pharmaceutical Chemistry, and Biochemistry all require strong science foundations. Admissions committees look at Science GPA alongside Overall GPA: a candidate with a high Overall but a low Science GPA (common when strong humanities grades mask weak science performance) is viewed more cautiously than the numbers suggest. Both need to be competitive for the programs you're targeting.

Yes. Post-baccalaureate courses are undergraduate courses, and PharmCAS includes all undergraduate coursework in GPA calculations regardless of when it was taken. If you completed additional science prerequisite courses after your bachelor's degree and earned strong grades, those credits go into your PharmCAS GPA. An upward GPA trend across your college career — especially in science — carries weight with admissions committees and is noticed in the application review.

Most pharmacy programs expect significant pharmacy work or observation experience — commonly 100–300 hours. This typically means time working as a pharmacy technician, completing structured observation at a community or hospital pharmacy, or both. Experience in clinical or hospital pharmacy settings (rather than just retail) is valued at programs with a clinical focus. Check each program's published criteria, as expectations vary considerably from program to program.

PharmCAS calculates GPAs separately for different academic levels — undergraduate vs. graduate. Graduate coursework goes into a separate graduate GPA calculation, not your cumulative undergraduate GPA. This is the same approach used by AMCAS for medical school. If you've completed any graduate-level coursework, PharmCAS will compute and report your graduate GPA separately. The programs you apply to receive both undergraduate and graduate GPAs.

PharmCAS automatically converts quarter credit hours to semester hours for GPA calculations. Quarter credits are multiplied by 2/3 (the standard conversion). This means a 5-unit quarter course becomes approximately 3.33 semester credit hours in the PharmCAS GPA calculation. If your undergraduate institution used quarters, your GPA is calculated on the converted semester-equivalent credits — which can slightly change the weight of each course relative to semester-based institutions.

If your GPA is below the minimum for most programs (typically around 2.5–2.75 overall), it's worth strengthening your record before applying — either through additional prerequisite coursework or a post-bacc program. If you're at 3.0–3.2, a strategic application is viable: focus on programs with lower published medians, supplement with strong PCAT scores (where required), relevant pharmacy work experience, and a compelling personal statement. Applying to 15–20 schools through PharmCAS gives you options without excessive cost, since most programs share the same verified application.

Nearly universal prerequisites: General Chemistry I & II (with lab), Organic Chemistry I & II (with lab), General Biology I & II, Microbiology, Anatomy and/or Physiology, and Calculus or Statistics. Biochemistry is increasingly required. Some programs require Physics. These are also the courses most heavily weighted in your Science GPA — strong performance here is the single best investment in your pharmacy school application. Check each program's specific prerequisite list through PharmCAS, as requirements vary.