Course Exemptions (Transfer Credit)
For students in the 3-Year Program:
Course exemptions are not granted in the 3-Year program due to the integrative nature of its curriculum. Content is delivered through thematic blocks longitudinally integrated into courses. Therefore, it is not possible to assess prior learning or external coursework as equivalent to contents and format of individual courses.
For current students in the 4-Year program:
As per the Governing Council at the University of Toronto, acceptance of transfer credits shall be based on the recognition that, while learning experiences may differ in a variety of ways, their substance may be essentially equivalent in terms of their content and rigour.
The Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) program at the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy is a professional program uniquely tailored to graduate pharmacy students who will maximize the contributions of pharmacists and generate new solutions to meet the increasingly complex demands of patients and health systems. With this in mind, a select list of courses eligible for exemption is provided below.
Students granted course exemptions must maintain full-time status, meaning you must remain registered in at least 4.0 full-credit equivalents per academic year. Therefore, it may be necessary to forfeit exemption(s) if the exemption(s) would result in a course load of fewer than 4.0 full-credit equivalents.
Exemption may be considered for:
- PHM240H1 The Science of Pharmacotherapy is equivalent to University of Toronto PHC420H1. Students from a Pharmaceutical Chemistry program at other universities may also be considered on a case-by-case basis.
- PHM340H1 Introductory Toxicology is equivalent only to the University of Toronto course PCL362H1.Due to the focus of the course and the method of assessment, other Toxicology courses will not be considered.
- PM242H1 Microbiology of Infectious Diseases: This course is a unique blend of drug, disease and microbiology information. Only those who have taken a Medical Microbiology course as part of another professional health professions program (such as Medicine, Nursing or another Pharmacy program) may be considered for exemption. Consideration will be made on a case-by-case basis. Note that Medical Microbiology taken as part of a non-professional program will not be considered.
Exemptions Process:
Course exemptions will be processed automatically after confirmation of acceptance to the PharmD program. Courses for which exemption have been granted will be dropped automatically from your course enrolment on the U of T student record system. If a course, for which you believe you are eligible for exemption, remains on your timetable after the first week of classes you must follow the process below to request applicable course exemption.
1) Complete the Course Exemption Request form and collect relevant course syllabi.
2) Submit the completed form and relevant course syllabi to the Admissions Office, via e-mail to adm.phm@utoronto.ca
Final deadlines for submission:
- September 15, 2025 for courses beginning in September 2025
- January 16, 2026 for courses beginning in January 2026.
We recommend that requests be submitted in advance of these deadlines where possible to allow time for decisions to be confirmed as early as possible.
3) Course outlines/syllabi, for courses for which a previous assessment has not been completed, are forwarded to the course coordinator/instructor for review. In most cases detailed outlines/syllabi are routinely required before any assessment is made.
4) Applicable courses and grades will be verified against the student transcript.
5) Where exemption is granted, the course will be removed from the student’s course enrolment on U of T’s student records system in the applicable year.
Students who wish to forfeit an exemption, and have a course re-added to their course enrolment must notify the Admissions Office at adm.phm@utoronto.ca no later than the applicable course add deadline for the term in which the course takes place.
Exemptions Policy:
(a) The minimum grade requirement for course exemption is 70% (i.e., equivalent to B- at the University of Toronto).
(b) Students from CCAPP or ACPE accredited Pharmacy programs may be considered for exemption in the courses listed above as well as various other courses on a case-by-case basis.
(c) A maximum of 9.0 full-credit equivalent course exemptions may be granted.
(d) Only overall final course grade(s) in relevant courses will be considered for exemption purposes.
(e) Exemption will not be considered for any experiential components of the program.
(f) Exemption will not be considered for any elective course requirements.
(g) Students granted course exemptions must maintain full-time status, meaning they must remain registered in at least 4.0 full-credit equivalents per academic year. Therefore, it may be necessary to forfeit exemption(s) if the exemption(s) would result in a course load of fewer than 4.0 full-credit equivalents.
(h) Students granted course exemptions will not be eligible for awards based on the overall grade point average.
(i) Course exemption shall be based on an assessment of the student’s competence in a specific course or combination of courses of suitable content. If there is doubt about course content no decision will be made until more details have been received, in writing, and reviewed. The course must cover sufficient breadth and depth and the student must have achieved similar learning objectives. In borderline cases an oral or written exam may be given at the instructor’s discretion. It should be borne in mind that Pharmacy has an integrated curriculum where material from certain courses forms the cornerstone of advanced learning in subsequent courses.
(j) Since the assessment methods used in the Pharmacy course may differ than those used in similar courses completed through other Faculties, the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy reserves the right to deny exemption where assessment methods are substantially different.
(k) Courses completed more than 10 years ago, as of the year in which the course is required, are not considered for exemption purposes. However, as some courses may be more time-sensitive the maximum allowable timeframe may be fewer than 10 years in some cases; this will be at the discretion of the course coordinator. Course coordinators must ensure material is current and must be cognizant of item ‘i’ above.
(l) A half-credit course may be used for only one half-credit (0.5) course exemption. The same half-credit course may not be used toward more than one exemption request.
(m) Students denied exemption must provide further details in writing before any re-assessment is undertaken. Students must direct all inquiries regarding denials to the Admissions Office. Any additional information provided will be reviewed by the course coordinator. Notification of final decisions, including decisions on re-assessments, will be communicated by the office to the student. Normally, instructors must not inform students of decisions.
(n) Students are responsible for all course work until exemption is confirmed.
(o) If a student subsequently decides to forfeit a course exemption, a later claim for exemption (if made past the course drop date) will not be considered and the course will be included in the student’s regular course load and annual grade point average.
(p) Although exemption eligibility is usually determined upon admission, exemptions are granted on a yearly basis. Decisions may be overturned based on changes in minimum grade requirements, re-assessment of the course content or evidence of insufficient preparation regarding comprehension of material in other pharmacy courses.
(q) Students proceeding toward another degree, while simultaneously pursuing the PharmD degree, must be registered as a full-time student in Pharmacy and only part-time in the other degree program.
(r) The tuition fee for the PharmD program is a program fee. There is no reduction in the fees payable for students granted course exemptions.