New program provides South Alabama students with path to Auburn’s pharmacy school

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Students from the University of South Alabama wishing to pursue a degree with the Auburn University Harrison School of Pharmacy will have a new path thanks to a program announced Tuesday.

The new Early Assurance Program, or EAP, creates a clear path for prospective and current University of South Alabama students to receive conditional admission to Auburn’s pharmacy program.

“Since welcoming our first students on the Mobile campus in 2007, the Harrison School of Pharmacy has been committed to preparing practice-ready pharmacists through transformative research, instruction and outreach to serve those in Mobile and the entire Gulf Coast region,” said Dean Richard Hansen. “This exciting partnership is a great opportunity for outstanding students to further their educational career and make a difference in the lives of people in this community.”

EAP will allow qualified freshmen and undergraduate students at South Alabama to receive early conditional admissions into pharmacy school. Auburn will then hold positions in future Pharm.D. classes for these students, provided that they meet specific standards as undergraduates.

“Today’s announcement is a natural step forward for our pharmacy partnership,” said Dr. David Johnson, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at South Alabama. “USA’s curriculum matches up extremely well with Auburn’s pharmacy prerequisites, and the early acceptance program should further interest students who desire a doctor of pharmacy degree.”

Since Auburn and South Alabama collaborated in 2007 to provide a pharmacy campus in Mobile, more than 200 students have received the doctor of pharmacy degree from the Mobile campus.

“The partnership between Auburn and USA symbolizes a shared commitment to advancing pharmaceutical care and increasing the number of pharmacy professionals in our state,” said Bill Hardgrave, Auburn University provost and senior vice president for academic affairs. “We look forward to creating a pathway that connects exceptional students with our world-class faculty and innovative educational, research and clinical programs.”

Under the terms of the new EAP, high school seniors would be required to apply to USA, receive an offer of admission to USA and then apply for the EAP through South’s JagSPOT scholarship portal by Feb. 15 of each year. If the student meets the eligibility criteria, their application would be sent to Auburn pharmacy for review, with selected applicants invited to submit an EAP application via PharmDirect, an application service provided by the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. Interviews for selected applicants would take place in March, after which a decision would be made for each applicant.

High school seniors admitted to USA must have a minimum high school grade point average of 3.5 and a minimum ACT Composite and STEM scores of 26 (or comparable SAT scores) to be eligible for the EAP.

For South Alabama undergraduate students, the deadline to apply for the EAP is Sept. 15. If the USA student meets the eligibility criteria, their application will be sent to Auburn pharmacy for review with selected applicants invited to submit an EAP application. Interviews for selected applicants would take place in March.

Undergraduate USA students must meet the following criteria to be eligible for the EAP:

  • Completed two semesters at USA

  • A minimum grade point average of 3.5 on all undergraduate prerequisite coursework attempted at USA

  • No grades of less than ‘C’

  • Completion of at least 15 prerequisite math/science hours at USA

High school students interested in learning more should contact USA’s Office of New Student Recruitment at 251-460-7834 or recruitment@southalabama.edu. Current USA students wanting additional information should contact the Harrison School of Pharmacy at USA at 251-445-9300 or email pharmd@auburn.edu.

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Auburn University's Harrison College of Pharmacy is ranked among the top 20 percent of all pharmacy schools in the United States, according to U.S. News & World Report. Fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), the School offers doctoral degrees in pharmacy (Pharm.D.) and pharmaceutical sciences (Ph.D.) while also offering a master's in pharmaceutical sciences. For more information about the School, please call 334.844.8348 or visit the Harrison College of Pharmacy website.