Rutgers Pharmacy School Interview: Format, Dates, Questions
What happens at the Rutgers pharmacy school interview, how transfer and degree-holder applicants get one, and how the high school route works.
Rutgers invites its most promising transfer and degree-holder PharmD applicants to an on-site interview. In the Pharmacy Building you complete a writing assessment and an interview of about 30 minutes. Interviews start in November and run until the class is full, usually into June, and are online only if the campus is closed.
Key facts (2027 entry)
- Format
- A writing assessment and an individual interview of about 30 minutes, with one interviewer or more.
- Online or in person
- In person at the Pharmacy Building. Online only if the campus is closed to visitors.
- When
- From November until the class is full, generally ending in June. Times are set around your and the interviewers' availability.
- Who is interviewed
- The most promising transfer and degree-holder applicants. Rutgers' pages describe no interview for high school applicants to the six-year program.
- How to apply
- Through Rutgers Undergraduate Admissions, not PharmCAS. Transfer and degree-holder deadline: February 1, 2027.
- Tests
- No standardized test is considered.
- Class size
- 203 students started the last first professional year.
What happens on the interview day
Rutgers holds its interviews on site in the Pharmacy Building. There are two parts, and both happen the same day.
- A writing assessment. You write while you are on site. Rutgers does not publish the prompt or the time limit.
- About 30 minutes. The interview is one to one or with two or more interviewers.
- Faculty and a student. Rutgers' admissions catalog, dated 2020, describes general interviews with a faculty member and a student in the professional years.
- In person. An online interview is offered only if the campus is closed to visitors.
Questions are not published. Rutgers does not list what it asks. Expect to explain why pharmacy, why Rutgers and how you handle a heavy course load.
How offers are decided
Interviews continue until the class is full. Rutgers' 2020 catalog says the class is chosen on interview results, academic record and overall experience.
- Reply by May 1. Rutgers' candidate reply date is May 1, and replying guarantees your seat.
- A $150 fee. You enroll by paying the $150 acceptance fee on the Rutgers status screen. It is not refundable.
- Classes start September 1, 2027. The White Coat Ceremony and a required orientation take place the week before.
How you get an interview
Transfer students and degree holders apply through Rutgers Undergraduate Admissions and are reviewed the same way. The most promising applicants are invited to interview.
- Finish the prerequisites. Transfers enter the four-year professional program only after all preprofessional coursework, which is 66 to 73 credits depending on your record.
- GPA of 3.5 or above. Rutgers says GPAs should be 3.5 or higher. The stated minimum is 2.8, but most successful applicants are well above it.
- Full course loads. Semesters of 16 to 18 credits are expected. The review also weighs grade trend, the strength of your program and credits completed.
- Beyond grades. Activities, community, volunteer or military service, honors, letters and personal statements all count.
- At least 12 credits. You can apply from a two- or four-year college once you have 12 credits of college-level work.
Spaces are limited. How many transfers Rutgers admits depends on open spaces, the number of applicants and the quality of the pool.
Dates and other routes
Rutgers' PharmD is a six-year program that students can enter straight from high school. The interview route on this page is for students who join later.
Dates for fall 2027 entry
- November 1. Early action deadline for high school seniors applying to the six-year program.
- December 1, 2026. Deadline for high school applicants to the six-year program.
- February 1, 2027. Deadline for transfer students and degree holders. The application fee is $70.
- November to June. Interview season for transfer and degree-holder applicants.
Entering from high school
High school seniors apply to the 0-6 program and are judged on coursework, class rank, activities and service. After two preprofessional years they move into the four professional years.
Rutgers' 2020 admissions catalog says moving into the professional years takes an interview and a writing assessment, with on-track students guaranteed an interview in the spring of their second year. Rutgers' current web pages do not describe this step.
Other routes
A seven-year BS/PharmD runs with Montclair State, Saint Peter's and Stockton universities, and you apply to the partner school. Current or past Rutgers students use the school-to-school transfer or re-enrollment process.
How to prepare
Rutgers tests both your writing and your speaking on the same day. Practice each one on its own before you combine them.
- Practice timed writing. Write a short, organized response to an ethics or health care prompt in 20 to 30 minutes, then check it for clarity.
- Explain your path. As a transfer or career changer, have a clear, short story of why pharmacy and why now.
- Know the setting. Rutgers highlights New Jersey's pharmaceutical industry and its research. Know which parts of the program you would use.
- Show you can carry a load. Rutgers expects 16 to 18 credits a semester. Be ready to show how you manage work, school and other duties.
Practice questions
Questions in the style of a Individual interview and writing assessment (in person) station, written for applicants to Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD). They are practice questions, not the school's own. Open one for what a strong answer does.
Why do you want to become a pharmacist?
Start with one real moment, then show what you did to test the interest.
You've worked in a research lab. Why become a pharmacist instead of a scientist who develops new medicines?
Value the research, then explain why direct patient impact matters more to you.
A patient brings in a new prescription for a cholesterol medication, pulls out their phone, and shows you a viral video claiming the drug causes permanent dementia. They say they are too scared to take it. How do you approach this?
Take the fear seriously, explain the evidence in plain words, and involve the pharmacist and prescriber.
During a busy shift as a pharmacy technician, you notice the automated counting machine has been filling 10 mg tablets into a cell labeled 20 mg, and several prescriptions have already been bagged and picked up. What steps do you take?
Stop the machine, tell the pharmacist at once, and help trace every patient who may be affected.
You notice the senior pharmacy technician skipping the barcode scanning step while filling prescriptions, saying the scanner is too slow and they've never made a mistake in 20 years. What do you do?
Respect their experience but put patient safety first, raise it directly, and involve the pharmacist if needed.
A patient recovering from dental surgery asks if they can get more of their hydrocodone three days early because the pain is keeping them awake. You notice they are also buying an over-the-counter sleep aid and a bottle of wine. How do you handle this?
Show care for the pain, explain the danger of mixing these, and involve the pharmacist and prescriber.
Frequently asked questions
Does Rutgers pharmacy use PharmCAS?
No. Rutgers is not a PharmCAS school. High school, transfer and degree-holder applicants all apply through Rutgers Undergraduate Admissions.
Is the Rutgers pharmacy interview online?
No. Interviews are on site in the Pharmacy Building, and an online option is offered only if the campus is closed to visitors.
What is on the Rutgers PharmD interview day?
A writing assessment and an interview of about 30 minutes, with one interviewer or more.
When are Rutgers pharmacy interviews?
From November until the class is full, generally ending in June. The transfer and degree-holder deadline is February 1, 2027.
What GPA do I need to transfer into Rutgers pharmacy?
Rutgers says GPAs should be 3.5 or above. Its stated minimum is 2.8, but most successful applicants are well above that.
Sources
Official pages only, read on the date shown. Schools change their process every year, so check the school's own page before you apply.
- Rutgers Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy: Prospective Students · read October 25, 2026
- Rutgers Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy: Apply · read October 25, 2026
- Rutgers Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy: PharmD Preprofessional Requirements · read October 25, 2026
- Rutgers Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy: Admissions Catalog (PDF, dated 2020) · read October 25, 2026
- PharmCAS: Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey directory profile (2027 entering class) · read October 25, 2026