How Costly is it to Apply to Pharmacy Schools?

I have been asked by many about the total amount that I have spent when I was applying to pharmacy schools. The answers to this questions will depend on many factors such as the total number of schools you are applying to, how far you have to travel to those schools for interviews, and whether those schools have secondary fee waivers.

Overall, those are the categories that you should consider when are applying to pharmacy schools:

1. PCAT studying material cost

2. PharmCAS application fee

3. Secondary or supplemental application fee

4. Transportation (Uber/ Rental Car/ fuel/ airplane fee if necessary)

5. Hotel Cost

6. Food

7. Deposit if accepted

As you can see, I spent a total of $3530.53 to apply to five in state California pharmacy schools. The cost can vary a lot depending on where the schools you applied are located located in. About 28% of the $3500 spent was the deposit fee for USC. If I take out the deposit fee, then the total cost would have decreased significantly. However, remember it is an investment and it is definitely worth it at the end. My suggestion is to put down your deposit if you are accepted. It is better to be safe than sorry. I know that some of the schools have applications where you can apply a fee waiver for their secondary application. Check the school's website for more information.