Pharmacy

Many Canadians wish to fulfill their career goals after getting married, having kids, or both! We’ve had plenty of students who have taken their partner and/or children with them.

If you want to take your partner or family with you, you’ll need to add them as a secondary applicant or dependents to your student visa application. Even if you don’t plan on taking them with you, we suggest you add them to your application anyway because it can be complex, expensive, and time-consuming to add them afterwards. You’ll then need to provide additional documentation to support your claims of a relationship or your children’s dependency status.

In addition to looking after the visa, you’ll also need to ensure they’re included on your Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC), you have appropriate accommodation, and if you’re bringing children, you’ll need to enroll them in school.

Visit our Health Insurance page for more information.

We recommend you begin your OzTREKK application about a year before your program would start. Most programs in Australia start between January and March, so that means you would start your OzTREKK application between January and March the year prior.

Here’s how the typical “cycle” works if your program starts January – March:

March – May: You gather all required documents like passport photo page, transcripts, résumé, personal statement, and send them to our office. Don’t worry, we’ll tell you exactly what we need!

June – August: Interviews (if your program requires one)

September – December: Offer time! If you get an offer, we’ll walk you through the acceptance (or decline) process and give you all the help you need to get ready to go.

January – March: Time to head Down Under!

Scholarship options in Australia are usually limited for international students as they tend to be reserved for those undertaking postgraduate research degrees; however, we can advise you where to look and whether specific programs have a history of offering scholarships.

Occasionally, scholarships are granted to high achievers—those with very high marks. In previous years, we have seen $5000- to $10,000-scholarships given to OzTREKK students.

Check out OzTREKK’s Financing page to learn more about scholarships and paying for your degree.

Before sending us outlines, check to see if we’ve already got them. We can save you a lot of time and ensure we’re submitting good outlines on your behalf. Outlines must be within 2 years of the time you took the course (as listed on your transcript).

To meet the prerequisite subjects, you need to have been granted the credit (passed); the grade isn’t considered in the prerequisite assessment.

Rolling admissions means the university assesses applications as they are received, or on a “first come, first served” basis. As soon as they’ve met the quota and the program is filled, they close the applications. So, for a program that has rolling admissions, the earlier you apply the better!

The majority of Canadians applying to full-degree programs in Australia (i.e., not study abroad courses, which usually only last a semester or two) apply through OzTREKK. They’re studying medicine, dentistry, law, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, etc.

Since they’re using OzTREKK’s services, this gives us a good idea of the starting point of a competitive application each year, allowing us to help you determine which universities/programs are most likely to present you with a letter of offer!

You can get started on determining your chances by reviewing the admissions requirements on each program page. Then, visit our GPA Conversions and Eligibility pages for details and suggestions to help you get into the program of your dreams. Of course, OzTREKK is always here to help if you have questions.

Unlike in Canada, GPAs in Australia are simple. They are standardized, so they mean the same thing to everyone.

In Australia, a 5.0 / 7.0 would roughly translate to a 2.7 / 4.0 or approximately 70% – 72%, but keep in mind all universities assess slightly differently.

Learn more on our GPA Conversions page where we list the most common Canadian GPA scales to their corresponding Australian GPA grade.

Prerequisite courses vary by university and by program. We’ve listed university- and program-specific requirements on each program’s page under “Admissions Requirements.”

Calculations differ by university, but most use cumulative (all units within a program) or weighted GPA (typically last 2 or 3 years of study). See GPA Calculations for more information.

Currently, our Australian universities require original transcripts to assess your application—certified by OzTREKK, which means we have to put our stamp on paper. Literally.

Usually, students order transcripts from their high school, college and/or university and have them mailed to our office. Alternatively, you can pick up your transcripts and mail them to OzTREKK, as long as they remain in their original, sealed envelopes.

You will need to submit final transcripts (showing your degree/diploma is completed) from every institution you have attended. We only require one copy of each transcript, even if you apply to multiple universities or programs.

OzTREKK educational services
301-1 Sherbrooke St. E.
Perth, ON K7H 1A1 CANADA

Alternatively, your high school, college and/or university can email them to transcripts@oztrekk.com.

P.S. Try sending your documents via FedEx and Purolator, especially when you need your documents to arrive at our office ASAP. If you use Canada Post’s courier Xpresspost, please don’t request a signature, as this can add unexpected delays!

As soon as your transcript arrives, we’ll let you know!

Canadians who graduate from an Australian Bachelor of Pharmacy / Bachelor of Pharmacy Honours program are eligible to continue the steps to practice in Australia; however, it is imperative to understand the visa process that is associated with continuing to live and work in Australia. Please visit Practicing pharmacy in Australia for more information.

A course outline includes all the necessary information about a university course. It will include the course title, the year, the learning goals, the professor’s contact information, reading materials and most important, a weekly learning schedule. This will help the universities to see what you studied on a week-to-week basis and assess if you have covered the material they expect you to know.

• Year and semester date
• Faculty contact information
• Course description
• Hours of study
• Textbook information
• Detailed list of topics that are covered in the course; usually found in a detailed lecture schedule or list of chapter readings

Please note, one-paragraph course descriptions will not suffice. The university would like to see course outlines like those handed out at the beginning of the semester, which outline all topics covered within the course. If you do not have copies of these on hand, contact the faculty from which you undertook these courses, as they usually have copies on file.

These course outlines must be attached to the email in PDF (do not send PDF links) and labelled in the following manner:

CAPS 391 Human Anatomy I UBC F2015 (COURSE CODE)(Name of Course)(University)(Semester & Year)

When you do this, it helps us be more efficient and move your application(s) at lightning speed.

If your documents are not in English, you must provide full translation of each document, either prepared by your university or by a registered translator. You must not translate the documents yourself.

Please note OzTREKK must receive the official translation directly from the university or translator in order to certify the document. Please read How Do I Send My Transcripts for more information.

No. The Pharmacy College Admission Test (PCAT) is generally only a requirement in North America, and is not common in Australia. OzTREKK’s pharmacy schools assess applications based on GPA and prerequisites.

Prerequisites vary by university; however, common prerequisites for pharmacy programs include chemistry, biology, higher-level math (calculus and advanced functions) and English. OzTREKK will outline which prerequisites are required for each program.

Australia does not have a Doctor of Pharmacy program. Canadians wishing to study pharmacy in Australia are encouraged to take a 4-year undergraduate program, which at this time is an equivalent format to Canada’s PharmD.

Graduate qualifications in pharmacy from Australian universities are recognized internationally. In order to gain licensing through the Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada (PEBC), there is a minimum education requirement of 4 years from an accredited pharmacy program. A master’s program format alone will not meet this requirement (as they are fewer than 4 years in length). OzTREKK recommends students take a 4-year undergraduate program (which currently is an equivalent format to Canada’s PharmD). Please visit the Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada website for accreditation and certification information.

OzTREKK has had several students graduate with a Bachelor of Pharmacy from an Australian university and successfully become accredited in Canada; however, every student is assessed on an individual basis.  Upon their return to Canada, graduates must also apply for certification through the provincial regulatory body in the province in which they wish to work.

Please note the above accreditation information is via former OzTREKK students’ experiences. We cannot know what the PEBC will require in 4 or 5 years from now or if the requirements will change, so if you are considering studying anywhere internationally, please stay in touch with the PEBC to ensure you will meet the requirements.

Steps for practicing in Canada

1. Visit Pharmacists’ Gateway Canada for information on licensure in Canada
2. Enroll in Pharmacists’ Gateway Canada
3. Apply to the Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada for Document Evaluation and the Evaluating Examination

Please visit Practicing pharmacy in Australia for more information, or feel free to contact us at pharmacy@oztrekk.com.

Some programs will ask that you submit your application for credit at the same time as your general application, while others will require candidates to first have an offer. Check with your admissions officer which protocol you should follow based on the programs to which you’re applying.

To apply for credit, the universities require detailed course outlines for all the courses for which you wish to receive credit. These outlines should include information about the course, the lectures, the professor’s contact information, and the weekly topics covered. Most universities also have a form that must be completed.

For pharmacy, all universities accept applications for credit except Monash University, which offers graduate-entry instead of single credits.