For Applicants

The decision to pursue a Year 1 or Advanced (Year 2) Residency is an important part of your career journey, and CPRB is here to help you every step of the way. Click through the information below to start building your application.

Eligibility

Applicants to Year 1 Residency Programs must be graduating or have graduated from a Canadian Council for Accreditation of Pharmacy Programs - accredited faculty of pharmacy or otherwise be eligible for licensure in a Canadian province.

Applicants wishing to apply to the Université de Montréal Master's in Advanced Pharmacotherapy program should visit Maîtrise en pharmacothérapie avancée - Faculté de pharmacie - Université de Montréal.

Applicants interested in applying to the Université Laval Master's in Advanced Pharmacotherapy should visit Maîtrise en pharmacothérapie avancée | Faculté de pharmacie | ULaval.

Applicants for Advanced (Year 2) Residency Programs should hold a Year 1 Accredited Canadian Pharmacy Resident (ACPR) designation or have completed a PGY1 Residency with an ASHP accredited program, and/or a Doctor of Pharmacy as a second professional degree or Master's Degree in advanced pharmacotherapy prior to starting an Advanced (Year 2) Pharmacy Residency.

Programs may have different policies with regard to eligibility requirements and entrance criteria. The Canadian Pharmacy Residency Board (CPRB) does not review or adjudicate eligibility of individuals applying to specific programs and, therefore, encourages applicants to investigate the requirements of the programs they are interested in applying to.

Program Selection

Each CPRB accredited program and accreditation-pending residency program offers a different mix of experiences and preceptors.

Check out a complete list and description of Year 1 and Year 2 accredited programs and accreditation-pending programs to learn more about individual programs and determine how they align with your goals and interests. Applicants are encouraged to reach out to individual programs.

Application Process for Year 1 Accredited and Accreditation-Pending Residency Programs

Applications to CPRB Year 1 accredited and accreditation-pending residency programs are processed using the Pharmacy Residency Application and Matching Service (PRAMS). PRAMS is a national application and matching service that provides a coordinated process to help applicants obtain positions with programs of their choice and to help residency programs obtain applicants of their choice. CSHP provides this service to streamline applicant information gathering and optimize matching between candidates and residency programs. Residency programs use the information gathered to screen applicants and offer interviews.

Key Dates

PRAMS 2026-2027 Schedule of Dates

Monday, July 21, 2025	PRAMS opens for programs to update/revise online program information, including number of positions available.
Friday, August 15, 2025 - 11:59 AM Eastern Standard Time	Final day for programs to update/revise online program information including number of positions available.
Monday, August 18, 2025	PRAMS opens for applicants to create an account and login to complete application.
Thursday, October 9, 2025 - 12:00 PM Eastern Standard Time (Noon Eastern Standard Time)	Final day for applicants to apply to programs. NO applications or references can be accepted after this date. **The application deadline is firm and will not be modified for any reason. Do not leave your application to the last minute.*
Wednesday, January 7, 2026	Final day for applicants and programs to change ranking order lists online. NO ranking order list changes can be made after this date. Please review your list and ensure that is accurate and a final version saved before the deadline.
Wednesday, January 14, 2026	MATCH RESULTS AVAILABLE TO APPLICANTS AND PROGRAMS ON THE PRAMS WEBSITE BY END OF DAY
Friday, January 23, 2026	Final deadline date for applicants to accept a residency position. Please refer to the direction of the Residency Program Director or Coordinator. Acceptance may be verbal or in writing.
Monday, January 26, 2026	Programs with unfilled positions will contact unmatched applicants to fill open positions.
If any changes to these dates become necessary, updates will be posted on this site.

Fees and Application Requirements

Current Fee

Applicant fee is $275 for up to 5 programs.

Each additional program is $25. There is no limit to the number of programs applicants can apply to.
Applicants applying to to one or more programs in British Columbia are required to pay an additional $50 fee.

Application Requirements

Refer to Sample Application and Sample Reference for the current version of the application and reference forms.

Please note: The Sample Application is only for reference and cannot be used to apply to residency programs. Only applications through the PRAMS website will be accepted.

Documents
The application process requires that you submit the following documents:

Unofficial transcript from your pharmacy program (mandatory) must include student name/ student number/ numerical marks and/or letter grade for each course taken.
Unofficial (i.e. unsealed) transcripts in PDF are acceptable provided they contain all information above

References
During the application process you are expected to obtain three references.

It is a good idea to contact your references in advance to confirm expectations and to confirm their availability to complete the reference form.
Be sure to select referees who know you well and who will comply with the application deadline. If your application does not contain three complete references, it will be considered incomplete and you will be unable to pay the application fee and select programs.
In PRAMS, you will enter the names and email addresses for each of your references. PRAMS will then automatically send an email invitation to each referee for them to complete a reference for you within the PRAMS system.

Additional Required Documents
Some programs require additional information to assess applications. The program(s) you select will have the additional program requirements listed to upload in PRAMS. The additional required documents you upload will be attached to that program only.

Time
The application process requires careful consideration and the uploading of documents. Be sure to set aside enough time to complete the application process. Do not leave the application to the last minute.

How to Apply

Create an account with PRAMS (on or after August 18, 2025). The PRAMS application performs best in a current Chrome browser.
- Please note: PRAMS applications are not saved from one year to the next.
Complete the online application and upload transcripts in PDF format.
- Please note: Some programs may request additional documentation, such as a cover letter/letter of intent and/or CV. Programs requiring additional documentation are noted in PRAMS. If a program requests additional documentation, it should be uploaded on the program page after applying to that program. Only the program that you upload the document(s) to will be able to see it/them.
Request three references. Please be sure to send the request for references well in advance of the application deadline to give them time to complete their references. References must be completed before applicants can move on to the next steps (i.e., pay the required fees and select programs).
Select the programs you wish to have access to your application. Only programs to which you have applied will have access to your application. When you select your first program, you will be prompted to pay the application fee.
Pay the registration fee.
- Please note: Refunds are not available for registration fees.
Ensure your application is complete by the deadline, including completion of three references and any additional required documents.
- If needed, you may cancel a reference request and select a new referee.
- Incomplete applications at the deadline will not be forwarded to programs and there are no exceptions.
Once your application is compliant, your PRAMS dashboard notice will turn green. There is not submit button. Your selected programs will receive your application after the application deadline.
Residency programs review applicants and offer interviews. Programs will contact applicants directly to offer interviews via the email address provided in the PRAMS application.
Residency programs rank applicants and applicants rank programs.
The Match to match programs and applicants is run in PRAMS in early January.
Residency programs will contact their matched applicants to extend official offers for residency.

Rules of Participation

All participating programs and applicants must abide by the PRAMS 2026-2027 Schedule of Dates.

Year 1 Accredited and Accreditation Pending Programs must offer all residency positions through PRAMS.

Applicants wishing to apply to the Université de Montréal or Université Laval Master's in Advanced Pharmacotherapy programs must apply directly to the university.

Programs may not make any commitments or offers to, or require any commitments from, any applicant prior to the release of the match results. Programs may rank on their rank order lists only those applicants registered in the matching service. Programs may not disclose ranking information to applicants prior to the matching process.

Similarly, applicants may not make any commitments to, or require any commitments from, any participating program prior to the release of the match results. Applicants may rank on their rank order lists only those programs participating in the matching service. The identity of all programs to which a given candidate has applied will not be disclosed to those programs. Only programs to which a given candidate has applied will have access to that information and the candidate’s application.

Programs may not require that any applicant state how any program will be ranked on the applicant's rank order list. Similarly, applicants may not demand information on how any participating program intends to rank any applicant. The rank order lists submitted by each program and applicant are the sole determinants of their respective order of preferences for the match.

The match results constitute a binding commitment from which neither the applicant nor the program can withdraw without mutual written agreement. A program must offer an appointment to each applicant with whom it is matched, and the applicant must accept the offer from the program, unless both parties agree to release each other from the match result. A program may not offer a position to any applicant who was matched elsewhere and subsequently not released from the match.

Violations of the policies of the residency matching service will be reported to the CPRB. The CPRB may decide to impose a penalty on those who violate the policies, up to and including loss of program accreditation.

Ranking and The Match

The Ranking

Rank programs in your true order of preference. Rankings are confidential so programs and applicants never see each other's lists.
Only rank programs you would be prepared to accept. Only programs to which you have applied will have access to your application.
For the best chance of a successful match, rank all acceptable programs, not just your #1 choice.

The Match

The match prioritizes your preferences first, then programs, to give the best possible outcome.
Sometimes vacant positions will remain after the match, and some applicants will be left unmatched. Applicants will be asked in the PRAMS application if they would like their application provided to programs with unmatched positions. Following the match, programs may contact these unmatched applicants to fill available positions.
If, for some reason, the match is undesirable for either the candidate or the program, then both parties should meet to discuss. There is no obligation to accept the residency program or the applicant; however, the decision to decline a residency applicant or position should be made only for exceptional circumstances and must be carefully considered.

Competition

The following table shows the summary data about the number of applicants, residency programs, and the success of applicant-program matches.

	2021/22 residency year	2022/23 residency year	2023/24 residency year	2024/25 residency year	2025/26 residency year	2026/27 residency year
Accredited programs	28	28	31	35	36	40
Non-accredited programs	2	1	2	3	5	4
Available positions	117	130	135	150	155	121
Applicants	411	347	313	264	288	270
Filled positions	116	128	134	149	138	120
Unmatched Applicants	295	217	176	106	133	146