School of Pharmacy

Explore this Section

• Undergraduate
  • Head of School's Welcome
  • What is Pharmacy
  • MPharm programme at Keele
  • WelcomeWeb
    • Welcome
    • Admissions
    • Occupational Health
    • CRB Check
    • KAPS
    • Recommended Reading
    • Into Your Future
    • Your First Week
    • First Year
    • Second Year
    • Referencing and Plagiarism
    • FAQs
    • Glossary
    • Timeline
    • Give Us Your Feedback
    • Contact Us
  • Open Day
• Postgraduate
• Medicines Management
• NPC Plus
• Virtual Patient
• Staff & Research Interests
• Contact Us
• IT Support

• Faculty of Health > 
• School of Pharmacy > 
• Undergraduate > 
• WelcomeWeb > 
• Admissions

Explore…Admissions

UCAS Application

The admissions procedure at Keele is made up of a number of stages.   The first stage, which you will probably be familiar with, is the submission of a UCAS application.   This is processed by UCAS and then passed onto the relevant university.  

Your Grades

Once we receive your application for Pharmacy (B230), or for the Health Foundation Year leading to Pharmacy (B231), we will screen the form according to our entry criteria.   This includes academic criteria as well as consideration of your Personal Statement and Reference.  

We welcome applications from students with a variety of qualifications and further information about this can be found in our profile on the UCAS website or by contacting the Admissions Tutor.

Your Personal Statement

In addition to looking at your predicted/obtained grades we will look at the work experience you have gained and your personal statement.   We recommend that you obtain pharmacy related work experience to ensure that you have a good idea about what your future career in pharmacy might involve. However, any work experience that you have can be useful.   You should outline in your personal statement what you think you may have gained from your work experiences. 

You can also think about the other types of skills you have learned throughout your school life and social life.   This might include team working skills, the ability to communicate, the ability to take on leadership roles, experience of caring for others or learning how to relax outside of study time.   We’ll also look at your reference to see how your perception of your own abilities coincides with that of others.

Your Interview

If we are happy with your application we will then let you know that we intend to invite you for an interview.   We will contact you to confirm your availability for a given time and date.   We will then send you an e-mail outlining what will happen on the day of the interview.   We usually offer an afternoon interview session which starts at 2 p.m. and lasts 2-3 hours.   You can bring one or two friends or family with you for support if you wish although they will not be allowed into the interview with you.

Upon arrival there will be a presentation outlining the structure of the course and how the course differs from others.   Following on from the talk you will be asked to complete a twenty minute exercise which forms part of the interview.   This is not a pass/fail test.   It is more like a comprehension exercise and will involve some basic mathematics.   You do not need to prepare or revise for the exercise and it is not something that should concern you.   The exercise is discussed during your interview and, in the event that you obtain an answer different from that the interviewer expects, you will be given the chance to explain your reasoning and working.   This helps us to understand how you approach your work.   

The interview itself is very informal - but not causal!   In addition to discussing your exercise the interviewers will ask some questions.   These are not trick questions designed to catch you out.   They are questions designed to allow us to get to know a little more about you as a person.   You should always answer as truthfully as possible and feel able to give us as much detail as you see fit.   You should also feel free to ask any questions that you have.   

You will also have the opportunity to tour the facilities and to meet and talk with some of the members of staff and current students.   

Your next steps

Once the interview is over you are free to leave the School of Pharmacy and either view the rest of the campus or go home.   We will inform you of our decision by letter within 2-3 days, depending on the postal service!   This will be followed up by notification through UCAS.  

Once you have received your offers it is up to you to decide which you wish to accept and which you wish to decline.   We will receive notification of your decision direct from UCAS.   If you accept an offer from us you can expect to receive further information from Keele University and from the School of Pharmacy as the start date for your course approaches.   If, in the meantime, you have any queries then please contact us.

If you do not receive an offer from us and would like feedback you can contact us to request this.   We cannot give this information over the telephone but we will be pleased to write a private letter to you at your home address.

Please note that we will not offer a second interview to candidates who have been unsuccessful at interview on a prior occasion.