Skip to main content
Students coming to campus

Application Updates

Attention Pharmacy Applicants

Freshman Admission to the College of Pharmacy

Due to the large number of applications we receive for a limited number of spaces, admission to URI’s College of Pharmacy is highly selective.  The Admission Office received over 1,100 applications for the fall of 2008 for just 100 seats in the entering Pharm.D. class.  The average SAT score (combined Critical Reading and Math) of students offered admission was a 1330, the average ACT score was a 30 (composite score), and the average high school grade point average (computed at the completion of the junior year) was a 4.1 on a weighted scale of a 4.0.

The Admission Office carefully evaluates each candidate’s strength in the following areas:

  • High School Transcript, including the rigor of the high school curriculum and academic performance
  • Standardized Test Scores (we review only SAT or ACT results)
  • Personal Essay (including an additional paragraph required of all Pharmacy applicants – details are available on the application)
  • Letters of Recommendation (we require a minimum of two letters: one from a science or math teacher and one from a guidance counselor or a teacher from another subject area)
  • Extracurricular Activities (including employment experiences) and unique talents

We strongly encourage Pharmacy applicants to submit all of their application materials by the December 15, 2008, Early Action deadline.  The Admission Committee makes every effort to notify pharmacy applicants of their admission status by January 31.


Attention Nursing Applicants

Due to the enrollment limits for the Nursing program, we encourage applicants to apply by the December 15, 2008, Early Action deadline.


Mid-year Grade Requests

If you have sent us your mid-year grades at our request (you will see this request by checking your status online using the instructions that were mailed to you when we received your application), please understand that it can take more than two weeks for us to place those mid-year grades in your application file. This is due to the very high volume of application materials arriving daily in our office. When we receive your grades, your application status will say “complete.” Your admission decision will be posted by mid-April, and a letter will be mailed to your home soon after the decision is available online. We appreciate your continued patience as we complete the careful review of each application.  


When will I hear from URI?

You can expect to receive an admission decision by the end of March. However, please continue to check your status online (you will be able to do this after you receive instructions in the mail), as hundreds of decisions are being made daily. In some cases, we will be unable to make a decision regarding your admissibility at this time and will request your mid-year grades. You will see this request when you check your status online. Students applying to our more selective programs, such as pharmacy, are often admitted to a second choice major. We appreciate your continued patience as we complete the careful review of each application.  

It may be several weeks before the admission staff has the opportunity to review your file from the time we receive it. Please make every effort to send all of your supporting application materials in one envelope, as we cannot review files until they are complete.

We encourage you to frequently check the status of your application on line.  Please expect that your application may remain in the “not reviewed” status for several weeks after it arrives. There is no reason for you to be concerned.


Merit Scholarship for Outstanding Freshmen

The Centennial Scholarship is a merit award for outstanding freshman applicants.

To be considered for the Centennial Scholarship, apply by the Early Action deadline:
December 15, 2008.

Most Early Action applicants receive their admission decision by the end of January.  Early Action is non-binding.

Please realize that URI’s Early Action process is designed to identify those students who will receive Centennial Scholarships for the coming academic year.  We also offer admission to many students who are well qualified but who may not meet the criteria for a Centennial Scholarship.

We usually receive approximately 8,000 applications by December 15.  Some students who apply by the Early Action deadline may not receive a decision until the end of March.


Minimum criteria for Centennial Scholarship consideration (for students applying for fall 2009):
  1. SAT:      Combined Critical Reading and Math Score of 1200 or
    ACT:      Composite Score of 26, and
  2. Rank:    Top 25% of graduating class

Centennial Scholarships are four-year awards, renewable each semester as long as you maintain continuous full-time enrollment (12 credits per semester) and a minimum GPA of 3.0.


Stay Informed

Please realize that URI’s Early Action process is designed to identify those students who will receive Centennial Scholarships for the coming academic year.  We also offer admission to many students who are well qualified but who may not meet the criteria for a Centennial Scholarship.Some students who apply by the Early Action deadline may not receive a decision until the end of March.

We usually receive approximately 8,000 applications by December 15.  

Please continue to check your status as we may request additional information such as your mid-year grades.  You may fax these grades to us at (401) 874-5523 once they are available. You will then receive an admission decision by the end of March.

View Our Fall Tour Schedule

Along with our student-led tours (approximately 90 minutes), you will see listings for Information Sessions (45 minutes), which are hosted by a member of the Admission staff. Information Sessions are followed immediately by a full tour of campus. We are unable to offer individual interviews.

If you are interested in our Pharm.D. program, special Information Sessions are held in Fogarty Hall (Room 107) on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 11am. These will be posted in early September.