Pre-Veterinary Medicine

Students have the responsibility to check entrance requirements for schools to which they intend to apply and should regularly review the Veterinary Medical School Admission Requirements.

Veterinary Medicine programs may change course prerequisites at any time and may have additional requirements, preferences, or policies that are not reflected in this prerequisite course list or on the Summary of Course Prerequisites Chart. Programs may also allow applicants to substitute courses or choose different prerequisites. Applicants should review the program-specific details and contact programs directly to determine whether a particular course will fulfill a prerequisite.

Some programs strongly recommend or require a 2-course sequence in Biochemistry and/or Physics; therefore, students should carefully review the Chemistry and Physics requirements at the individual Veterinary Medicine schools to which they intend to apply (eg. Cornell).

A minimum grade of C or higher is typically required in each prerequisite course, however grades of B or higher are recommended for competitive applications (strong applications include a prerequisite and overall GPA greater than 3.5). Students are responsible for understanding how Veterinary Medicine Programs treat course repeats in GPA calculations.

In addition to strong academic performance, programs are seeking applicants that are well-rounded in educational and life experience and can articulate an understanding of the career and vision for themselves in the profession through having acquired robust clinical experience across a variety of animal care settings, including small & large animal clinics, animal research, exotics/zoos, farms, and shelters/rescues.

Because the number of qualified applicants to Veterinary Medicine Programs greatly exceeds the number of openings, satisfactory completion of the prerequisite courses & animal care experience does not guarantee acceptance to Vet School.

• Students should regularly review the Veterinary Medical School Admission Requirements
• Applicants are evaluated on:
  • letters of evaluation
  • leadership skills (on and off campus)
  • GPA (Prerequisite and overall)
  • animal care and veterinary experience
    • Animal care and veterinary experience varies in both quantity and type
    • students will need a minimum of 250 veterinary hours (ranging from clinical vet hours to research and involving a variety of animals).

• Application to veterinary school is made through the centralized application VMCAS
• Students should review the Quick Facts about applying to veterinary school through VMCAS and statistics of admitted students.
• The VMCAS Annual Application Cycle opens in Mid-January for programs starting the following calendar year.
  • Vet Program Selection begins in early May
  • Completed Application Submission begins in early May
  • VMCAS Application Submission deadline is early- September.
    • Supplemental applications are typically competed by October
  • Post-Application submission timeline
    • Application verification ends at the beginning of October
    • Interviews are typically held October – March
    • Initial Admissions Decisions typically occur in January – March
    • Final admissions decisions due in mid-April

• Some Veterinary Medicine Programs require the GRE General Test.
  • ETS offers free and paid test prep options
  • SUNY Oneonta offers discounted GRE Test Prep
• Some Veterinary Medicine Programs will accept the MCAT Exam

• Students generally request three to six letters of evaluation to be submitted on their behalf for veterinary medical school applications.
• Appropriate evaluators include science faculty, other course instructors, animal care professionals, current or former employers, and professional references.