Admissions


Apply As A Transfer Student

Applying as a transfer student

The next chapter in your academic journey awaits at ACPHS!

We want to make transferring as easy as possible for you. Explore your opportunities in one of our undergraduate programs or the Doctor of  Pharmacy program. If you want to learn more, we encourage you to schedule a visit and see what it’s like to live as a Panther.

Continuing your education is easy at ACPHS and we’ll help you every step of the way.

You can apply two ways:

ACPHS Application

Common Application

 

Kara O standing on stairwell in student center
Transfer Student Testimonial

"I came to ACPHS because I wanted to be part of a campus community. Since transferring, I've been involved in clubs on campus, played for the Women's soccer team, and worked part-time in a hospital. I became a transfer peer mentor because I hope to support other students in finding their home at ACPHS like I did."

- Kara O., 2nd Year Transfer Student

How To Apply

If you plan to transfer, please apply by November 15 for spring-semester entry and by May 1 for fall-semester entry to allow adequate time for the transfer process. We'll still consider applications after these dates if there's space available.

Step 1: Use our ACPHS Transfer Application or the Common Application
Step 2: Choose a program and indicate if you want to start in the spring or fall 
Step 3: If you've studied in an English-speaking environment for less than four years, you need to send us your scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). You need a minimum score of 84 on the TOEFL or 6.5 on the IELTS for us to consider your application.
Step 4: If you're not a U.S. citizen, you need to send us a copy of your visa or permanent resident card.

  • If you're applying using the Common Application, you'll need to pay a $75 non-refundable fee to Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. There is no fee for the ACPHS Transfer Application.
  • You must submit an official transcript from your high school and all colleges you have attended. 
  • One letter of recommendation is required.  
  • If your application is approved, you may need to attend an interview for admission. 
  • If you're applying to the first professional year of the Doctor of Pharmacy program, you must apply online through the Pharmacy College Application Service (PharmCAS). 
  • Once accepted, you need to pay a $100 non-refundable deposit and submit a signed Enrollment Confirmation form to reserve your place in the class, if space is still available. 

International students must also meet the following requirements:

  • Scores from the TOEFL or the IELTS, if the applicant has studied for fewer than four years where English is the language of instruction.

  • Completed course-by-course Foreign Education Credentials Evaluation form from the World Education Service (WES) for post-secondary education completed outside of the U.S.

  • Upon approval of your application, we will send you a letter of acceptance and a Declaration & Certification of Finances form. Please promptly return this form to the College along with a non-refundable tuition deposit. Additionally, international students from outside the United States must pay a $200 SEVIS fee directly to the government. Once the enrollment deposit is paid and supporting financial documents are submitted, we will provide you with the Certificate of Eligibility form I-20A for your visa application. International applicants are not eligible for need-based federal and state financial aid.

Discover which credits you've earned can be applied to your degree at ACPHS using the Transfer Credits Database. You can easily search for your school, save your work, and email the results. This tool includes transfer credit data for 130+ institutions and is regularly updated with new schools to give you the necessary information. If you have any questions, schedule a personalized advising session.

Transfer Credit Database

Undergraduate Program Transfer Policies
  • You can transfer up to 68 credits from another school. 
  • Some programs recommend taking all the required core or program-specific courses at ACPHS. Some courses must be taken at ACPHS, regardless of when you start.
  • If a required course isn't offered at ACPHS during a term, you can take it at another school with approval from the Program Director or a designee from your program. 
  • At other institutions, you can take a maximum of 10 semester hours of required coursework, but there's no limit on remedial courses or elective credits. 
  • You can take summer courses if they meet the General Academic Requirements and Course Repeat policies. 
  • Grades from joint degree programs will count towards your GPA at ACPHS.
Joint Degree Program Student Policies

Required ACPHS courses for joint degree program students (by joint health professions program)** 

BS/MD ACPHS- Upstate Medical Accelerated Scholars Program

  • General Bio I & II
  • General Chemistry I & II
  • Organic Chemistry I
  • Biochemistry
  • College Physics I and II
  • Statistics*
  • English Elective*
  • Composition*

BS/DO ACPHS- NYITCOM Pre Med / Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine Program 

  • General Bio I & II 
  • General Chemistry I & II 
  • Organic Chemistry I 
  • College Physics I and II 
  • Biochemistry 
  • English Elective* 
  • Composition* 
  • Strongly Recommended: 
  • Calculus, Anatomy, Genetics, Physiology, Biochemistry, Behavioral Sciences*

BS/DO ACPHS- LECOM Early Assurance Program (7 and 8 years) 

  • General Bio I & II 
  • General Chem I & II 
  • Organic Chem I & II 
  • College Physics I 
  • Biochemistry 
  • Genetics 
  • Behavioral Sciences (6 credits)* 
  • English (6 credits)*

BS/DO ACPHS – LECOM Dental Medicine Early Assurance Program 

  • General Bio I & II 
  • General Chemistry I & II 
  • Organic Chemistry I & II 
  • Biochemistry 
  • English (6 credits, including Composition)* 
  • Strongly Recommended: 
  • Anatomy and Physiology I & II, Genetics, Immunology, Histology, Cell Biology, Microbiology, College Physics*

BS/MS ACPHS- AMC CPAS Joint Degree Program 

  • General Bio I & II 
  • General Chemistry I & II 
  • Organic Chemistry I or Biochemistry 
  • Anatomy & Physiology I & II 
  • Microbiology 
  • Statistics 
  • Psychology* 
  • English Composition*

*Courses that the Health Professions program will accept from a non-ACPHS institution; however, the ACPHS program may require students to take these courses at ACPHS.

**Academic programs at ACPHS may require strongly recommended courses to be taken at ACPHS and/or the courses that the health professions program will accept from another institution may be required by ACPHS.

Course Equivalencies for College and AP Credit

For first-year applicants and second-year transfer applicants (special restrictions enumerated above apply to pre-pharmacy students).

Course Area 

Credit Accepted 

  

Calculus 

AP or College Credit 

A 3-credit college-level course in calculus or a score of 4 or higher on the AP Calculus exam is accepted as transfer credit.

Elementary Statistics 

AP or College Credit 

A 3-credit college level course in Statistics or a score of 4 or higher on the AP Statistics exam is accepted as transfer credit.

General Biology I and II 

AP or College Credit 

A 4-credit college course in general chemistry appropriate for a science or engineering major and including lab receives credit for General Chemistry I. An 8-credit sequence of college courses in general chemistry appropriate for a science or engineering major and including lab receives credit for General Chemistry I and II.

General Chemistry I and II 

AP or College Credit 

A 4-credit college course in General Chemistry appropriate for a science or engineering major and including lab receives credit for General Chemistry I. An 8-credit sequence of college courses in General Chemistry appropriate for a science or engineering major and including lab receives credit for General Chemistry I and II. 

General Electives 

AP or College Credit 

Any AP course or college course from an accredited institution not applied to fulfill another curricular requirement may be accepted as transfer credit for a general elective.

College Physics I and II 

AP or College Credit 

AP Physics 1 and AP Physics 2 receive credit for College Physics I and II. AP Physics 1 or AP Physics 2 taken alone do not receive credit. Credits beyond what is required for the student’s program will be counted toward general electives. AP Physics C: Mechanics transfers four credits of general elective credit. AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism transfers four credits of general elective credit. An 8-credit sequence of college credits in physics appropriate for a science or engineering major and including lab receives credit for College Physics I and II. A shorter sequence of college credits in Physics doesn’t receive credit.

Liberal Arts Electives 

AP or College Credit 

Any AP or college courses from accredited institutions in the following disciplines/subjects may be applied as liberal arts elective credit: anthropology, archaeology, area studies, art, art history, communication, composition, economics, English, ethics, gender studies, geography, government, history, languages, law, liberal studies, medieval studies, music, political sciences, public health, performing arts, philosophy, psychology, religious studies, social studies, sociology, women’s studies. 

Organic Chemistry I and II 

College Credit 

A 4-credit college course in organic chemistry appropriate for a science or engineering major and including lab receives credit for Organic Chemistry I. An 8-credit sequence of college courses in organic chemistry appropriate for a science or engineering major and including lab receives credit for Organic Chemistry I and II.

Microbiology 

College Credit 

A 4-credit course appropriate for a science or engineering major and including lab. 

Principles of Communication 

AP or College Credit 

A single 3-credit college level course in composition/writing will be accepted as transfer credit for Principles of Communication. A score of 4 or higher on the AP English Language and Composition exam will also be accepted as transfer credit for POC.

 

Course Equivalencies for IB Credit

For Bachelor of Science first-year applicants and second-year transfer applicants and pre-pharmacy first-year applicants and second-year transfer applicants.  

International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IB): SL denotes standard level; HL denotes higher level. 

Course or Course Area 

Notes 

Academic Reading and Writing (ARW) 

Students scoring a grade of 4 or higher on any of the following courses place out of Academic Reading and Writing: 

SL IB English A 

HL IB English A 

SL IB English B 

HL IB English B 

Calculus I 

Students scoring a grade of 5 or higher on HL IB Mathematics 

receive credit for Calculus I (4 credits). 

College Physics I 

Students scoring a grade of 5 or higher on HL IB Physics receive credit for College Physics I and II (8 credits). 

General Biology I and II 

Students scoring a grade of 5 or higher on HL IB Biology receive credit for General Biology I (4 credits). 

General Chemistry I and II 

Students scoring a grade of 5 or higher on HL IB Chemistry receive credit for General Chemistry I and II (8 credits). 

General Electives 

Students scoring a grade of 5 or higher on any Higher Level (HL) International Baccalaureate (IB) course may receive 6 general elective credits per course. Students scoring a grade of 5 or higher on any Standard Level (SL) IB course may receive 3 general elective credits per course. IB transfer credit should be applied in the following order of priority: (1) specific course credit; (2) liberal arts elective credit; and (3) general elective credit. 

General Psychology 

Students earning a score of 5 or higher on the SL IB Psychology exam may receive transfer credit for PSY 101: General Psychology. Students earning a score of 5 or higher on the HL IB Psychology exam may receive transfer credit for General Psychology and 3 liberal arts elective credits. 

Introduction to Economics 

Students earning a score of 5 or higher on the SL IB Economics exam may receive transfer credit for ECN 101: Introduction to Economics. 

  

Liberal Arts Electives 

Students scoring a grade of 5 or higher on any of the following HL IB courses will receive 3 credits of Liberal Arts electives per course: 

Classical Languages 

Dance 

Film 

History of the Islamic World 

Music 

Philosophy 

Social and Cultural Anthropology 

Theater 

Visual Arts 

Students earning a grade of 5 or higher on any of the following SL IB exams may receive 3 credits of liberal arts elective credit per course completed: Geography, Global Politics, Social and Cultural Anthropology; History of the Americas; World Religions; Philosophy; Foreign Language Courses 

Principles of Communications 

Students scoring a grade of 6 or higher on the HL IB of English A receive 3 credits for Principles of Communication.

 

Transfer Policies for the Humanities for the Health Sciences Sequence

Any credits (College, AP or IB) within the humanities, as defined below, will be accepted as transfer credit for courses in the humanities for the Health Sciences Sequence. Transfer credit within the Humanities will be applied in the following order regardless of the specific discipline of the credit:

  • Humanities electives 
  • Humanities Methods and Approaches Selective 
  • Science and Health through the Humanities Lenses selective 
  • Voice and Identity 
  • Free electives

For this policy, courses within the fields of area studies, art, art history, English, ethics, gender studies, history, literature, music, performing arts, philosophy, race studies, religious studies, and women’s studies will be considered Humanities courses.

This policy should not be construed as impacting the humanities transfer policies for students directly entering the PharmD program as P1, P2, P3, or P4 students.  Additionally, students in any program bringing in 45 or more transfer credits to the College are exempt from this policy.

Prerequisites and Transfer of College Course Credit for PharmD Students

Before starting the PharmD program, students must complete all required prerequisite coursework. In most cases, this coursework should be finished by May 31 before starting the program. In some cases, students may be allowed to take specific courses over the summer before starting the program with permission from the Pharmacy Admissions Committee.

New students in the PharmD program are required to take all the necessary courses at the College. However, students who have completed biochemistry, molecular biology or immunology courses at other accredited institutions may apply to transfer credits for these courses if they meet certain criteria.

To transfer credits, students need to submit a written request to the Office of Admissions along with the course description and syllabus from the institution where the credit was earned. The office will review the request and may forward it to the faculty for evaluation. If approved, the student will receive credit for the course. The Office of Admissions will notify the student in writing about the decision.

Students seeking transfer with advanced standing from another professional program will be reviewed case-by-case by the Pharmacy Admissions Committee, program directors, department chairs and Dean of Pharmacy.

Graduate Level Course Transfer

You may transfer up to nine credit hours of graduate-level coursework from other accredited academic institutions to ACPHS if the program director and the respective dean approve. To qualify for transfer credit, the courses must have been completed within the past seven years and you must have earned a grade of B (83)or higher in each course (B- is not accepted). Courses graded on a pass/fail basis will not be accepted for transfer credit. To request transfer credit, you must submit an official transcript of the coursework to Admissions at least one month before starting the graduate program at ACPHS. The program director and faculty will review your request and then make a recommendation to the respective dean. The dean will make the final decision and inform you, the program director, and the Registrar’s Office.

Academic Credits for Military Education and Experience

ACPHS employs the American Council on Education (ACE) guidelines to assess transfer credits for military education and experience in all programs, including BS, MS and PharmD. The Registrar's Office collaborates with faculty subject-matter experts to review military transcripts following ACE guidelines and makes recommendations for course equivalences. Transferred credits are applied to General Electives.

Course Repeat and Remediation

Students may need to redo part of a course for various reasons. This can happen while the course is ongoing or after it has finished.

Course coordinators can decide whether students can redo parts of a course if they didn't do well. The plan must be included in the course outline if a course allows it. This plan must list what parts of the course can be redone, how they can be redone, what grades students can redo (like grades below a certain level) and how the final grade is worked out with the redone parts.

During and after the course, repeat coursework must be done within two weeks of final grades being sent to the Registrar. Fall classes must be done one week before the spring term. After a student redoes the work, the course coordinator can ask to change a student's grade for that course. The old grade won't show on the student's record or be counted in the GPA.

If work is redone after the course ends, the final grade from the course term must be sent to the Registrar when the term closes. Incomplete grades won't be accepted. The Academic Standards Committee will review all grades and give advice based on the new grade. If redoing work changes a student's academic standing, the committee will review new grades and might change advice to the dean. 

Doctor of Pharmacy Program: Repeating Deficient Professional Coursework

If you need to repeat a course in the PharmD program, you may do so at ACPHS or another accredited professional-level school, with approval from the course coordinator and department chair. If you repeat a course at another institution, you must earn a grade of C or better. Both the original and repeated course grades will appear on your transcript. If both courses are completed at ACPHS, the higher grade will be used for your GPA. If the repeated course is completed elsewhere with a grade of C or better, neither the original nor the repeated grade will affect your GPA. Your cumulative GPA will be updated when the course is repeated. Repeating a required course may delay your progression through the program.

Summer Session Courses

ACPHS students can take summer courses if they meet the general academic requirements, course repeat and transfer policies. Students can take a maximum of 10 semester hours of coursework at other institutions during the summer.

Policy for Internal Program Transfer

Students at ACPHS can apply to transfer to a different academic program by obtaining the application form from the program director, or the Registrar's Office. The decision to approve the transfer is based on academic status, record and the feasibility of enrolling in required courses. Transfer requests are reviewed at the end of an academic term, and approved changes are effective for the next academic term. If transferring into the Doctor of Pharmacy program professional years (P1 or P2), students should apply through PharmCAS.

A student sits outside on bench on a sunny fall day
Academic Agreements & Joint Degree Programs
Academic Agreements

Our agreements make it easy for you to join one of our respected undergraduate, graduate, or doctorate programs after studying for two or three years at one of our partner schools. You can also use your ACPHS degree to help you get into competitive professional schools such as medical, physician assistant, dental, law, and business programs.

Academic Agreements

Joint Degree Programs

Through a combined undergraduate and graduate program, you can earn two degrees in less time and cost than it would take to pursue them separately. The College offers the following programs that can be completed in just five years.

Joint Degree Programs

Community College Agreements - Seamless Policy Transfer

Students who have completed an Associate’s Degree in Science (AS) or an Associate’s Degree in Art (AA) with a 3.0 GPA from a regionally accredited Community College will be accepted into ACPHS. Students with GPAs between 2.0-2.9 can apply to be considered for admission. Additionally, for all accepted students with an Associate’s degree, all general education requirements will be considered satisfied provided that all general education courses have a grade of C or better.

Note: Some ACPHS programs may designate one or more required/elective courses be taken at ACPHS.

 

Questions?

Office of Admissions 
106 New Scotland Ave. 
Albany, NY 12208 
admissions@colleensflowercellar.com 
518-694-7221