Pharmacy School Waitlist Letter and Second Interview

Pharmacy School Waitlist Letter and Second Interview

On a PharmD waitlist, your strongest update is the PharmCAS spring Academic Update, open April 15 to June 30, 2027; send a short waitlist letter after you submit it, pointing to the new grades. PharmCAS's own eligibility rule says applicants "on a wait list" should complete the spring update, and Pitt says to wait until it asks.

For pharmacy, the strongest update is the grade record, because PharmCAS verifies the new courses and "sends this information to your programs." The letter's job is to say the update is in, add anything PharmCAS cannot hold, and restate a true level of interest. This page covers how rolling admission shapes the wait, what the PharmCAS rule says (and the line that qualifies it), what to write and when, and what to do if a program calls you back. If you are drafting now, the letter of intent and interest rubric reads this kind of letter.

Every PharmCAS and program page quoted below was checked on November 7, 2026.

How rolling admission shapes pharmacy waitlists

Some PharmD programs admit while they are still interviewing. Pitt's PharmD application process page (no year stated) says so:

• "Pitt Pharmacy admits open pool applicants on a rolling basis beginning in October."
• "Interviews are held from September through March and are by invitation only."
• "The PharmD Admissions Committee will review applications within two weeks of interviews."

Touro University California's PharmD page says "Interviews typically take place from September through May."

The PharmCAS calendar is long. From the PharmCAS cycle dates page:

Two things follow. At a rolling school, a waitlist decision in December can still turn into an offer months later, because the program keeps interviewing and admitting into spring. And the cycle stays open into summer, so the spring term's grades can still reach a waitlisted file.

Our view: at a rolling-admission program, the waitlist is a list the committee keeps returning to as admitted applicants decline, not a single decision. That makes timed, factual updates more useful than an early, emotional letter.

Unknown: how many waitlisted applicants any program admits, and when. Neither page we checked publishes it.

The spring Academic Update is for you

The PharmCAS Academic Update page sets the rule in its eligibility section:

"You are eligible for the spring Academic Update window if you have been accepted to one or more PharmCAS schools by June 30, 2027. Additionally, applicants that are under review, on a wait list, or have been asked by a program directly should complete the spring Academic Update."

The same page qualifies it lower down:

"Only accepted applicants will receive a notification within PharmCAS when the Academic Update period opens. If a program would like an applicant who is under review or on a wait list to also complete the Spring Academic Update, it will communicate this requirement to applicants directly."

And Pitt says: "Applicants to Pitt Pharmacy are not required to complete the Spring Academic Update unless advised to do so by the Admissions Committee."

So the published requirement depends on the school. Read it this way:

The mechanics that catch people:

• You get no reminder. Only accepted applicants are notified when the window opens.
• Verification takes time. After you submit, transcripts go "directly to PharmCAS", and "Verifications occur in chronological order and can take up to 10 business days to complete."
• There is a hard stop. If you miss the June 30 window, "PharmCAS cannot update your GPA calculations."
• Summer is different. "Applicants (including accepted applicants) must arrange for Summer 2027 transcripts to be sent directly to the pharmacy school (and not to PharmCAS)."

Our view: if you are waitlisted and the program has not told you to wait until it asks, complete the spring update as soon as spring grades post. The basis is PharmCAS's eligibility line, which names waitlisted applicants, and the fact that new verified grades are the one update the program does not have to take your word for.

The countercase: a weak spring term. An update is not required where the program has not asked for it, and a new grade that lowers your GPA helps no one. If the program asked, do it anyway.

What to write, and when

Send the letter after you submit the spring Academic Update, not before. Our recommendation is 150 to 250 words:

1. You remain interested and want to stay on the list.
2. The update: which courses, the grades, and the date you submitted the Academic Update.
3. Anything PharmCAS cannot hold: a new pharmacy technician role, a certification, a finished project. The PharmCAS help center says "If you have updates for other sections of your application, submit these updates directly to your programs."
4. One specific reason for this program.
5. A commitment line only if true. "I will enroll if offered a seat" goes to one program only.

If you were waitlisted in the winter and have a fall grade or a new role to report, one earlier letter is fine. Then wait for the spring update. One letter per real change; no letter on a schedule. The update letter vs letter of intent guide for PT, OT and pharmacy explains which letter carries which promise.

Constructed example: PharmD waitlist letter after the spring update

Constructed example, written by us, not a real applicant statement. Context (invented): Callum Ashby interviewed at a PharmD program in February 2027, was waitlisted in March, holds no other seat, and submitted his spring grades through the PharmCAS spring Academic Update on May 24.

Subject: Waitlist update, Callum Ashby, PharmCAS ID 0000000

Dear Admissions Committee,

Thank you for keeping me on the waitlist for the class entering in fall 2027. If a seat opens, I would take it.

My spring grades are final. I earned an A in Organic Chemistry II and a B+ in Microbiology, and I submitted them through the PharmCAS spring Academic Update on May 24. My official transcript has been sent to PharmCAS.

Since my interview I have also been promoted to lead technician at the community pharmacy where I work. Last month I set up a refill-reminder call list, after two patients ran out of their blood pressure medication in the same week. That problem is why [the program's ambulatory care or community practice experience, named on its website] is the part of your curriculum I most want to learn.

Thank you for your continued consideration.

Sincerely, Callum Ashby

The letter is 136 words from "Thank you for keeping" to "consideration." Why each part is there:

• The grades and the date let the program find the verified record instead of trusting the letter.
• The role change is something PharmCAS cannot hold, so it belongs in the letter.
• One problem he saw and one action he took, in place of adjectives about patients.
• A bracketed program feature. Replace it with something real from the program's pages.
• "If a seat opens, I would take it" is conditional, so it can go to each program that waitlisted him.

Second interviews and waitlist calls

None of the program pages we checked describes a second interview for waitlisted applicants, so we make no claim about how common they are. If a program invites you to one, or calls to ask whether you are still interested:

• Answer within the time the program gives. If it gives none, the same day.
• Have your update ready to say in two sentences: new grades, new role.
• Prepare for the same format as the first interview. At Pitt that was "A 30-minute individual interview with two faculty members"; at Touro, "a panel will evaluate your verbal, non-verbal, and written communication skills", with an essay and "a short, five-question calculations assessment." Pitt notes that "Schools of pharmacy are required to assess written communication skills in a standardized manner as part of the PharmD admission process as part of accreditation standards", so expect writing again. The pharmacy school interview questions and pharmacy interview writing sample and math test guides cover both.
• Be ready to answer "will you accept?" Know your answer before you pick up.

Questions about pharmacy school waitlists

Do I have to do the PharmCAS spring Academic Update if I am waitlisted?

PharmCAS says waitlisted applicants "should complete" it, and also that a program "will communicate this requirement to applicants directly." Follow the program's instruction first; if it gives none, complete it.

Where do summer grades go?

To the pharmacy school, not PharmCAS. The cycle closes June 30, 2027, before summer transcripts exist.

Is PharmCAS still open if I have not applied yet?

The PharmCAS cycle closes June 30, 2027, and PharmCAS points applicants to its participating-programs list for each program's own deadline. At a rolling program, seats fill as the year goes on, so apply as early as the program allows.

Can I send a letter of intent to two pharmacy schools?

No. A letter of intent says you will enroll, and you can enroll at one. If the waitlist does not move, the PharmCAS reapplicant essay page covers what copies forward next cycle.

The PharmCAS AI policy and code of conduct cover what you tell programs in writing.

Get a free review of your letter of interest

Once the spring update is in, get a free Quick Review of your letter of interest against GradPilot's letter of intent and interest rubric, the nearest match for a PharmD waitlist letter (it was built for MD and DO letters). It reads whether the program feature you name explains why you want to attend, and whether your commitment line promises only what the letter supports. A letter that only reports grades fits the update letter rubric; if you reapply, the PharmCAS personal statement rubric reads your essay.

More pharmacy guides:

• PharmCAS personal statement examples: constructed examples and revision notes for next cycle's essay.
• PT, OT and pharmacy interview thank-you email: the courtesy note after your interview.
• The medical school essays hub has the other PharmD guides.

Sources

Retrieved November 7, 2026, except where noted.

• Liaison, PharmCAS Academic Update (2026–27 cycle): spring eligibility, notification rule, verification time, summer transcripts, updates to programs.
• Liaison, PharmCAS application cycle dates (2026–27 cycle): cycle, Academic Update and closing dates.
• University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy, PharmD application process (no year stated): rolling admission, interview format, two-week review, spring update only if advised, writing assessment.
• Touro University California, PharmD admissions (no year stated): interview months, panel, essay and calculations assessment.