Is Vet School Right For You?
Vet school, of course, is for people who want to become veterinarians! See this page about careers in veterinary medicine for more information.
application Requirements: |
Once you've decided to become a veterinarian, what do you need to apply to vet school? Each school is different in their requirements, but many look at the following:
- Prerequisite coursework completed
- GPA
- GRE scores (check individual requirements for this, lots of schools have removed this requirement since the pandemic)
- Extracurricular activities (these don't have to be related to vet medicine, in fact, many schools like to learn about your other interests)
- Animal/Veterinary experiences (check individual requirements for minimum hours required)
- Essay responses
Prerequisite Coursework
Knowing just what classes to take to get into vet school can be tricky, especially when you're trying to meet requirements for your major at the same time. Hopefully, the following images, passages, and links can help guide you on your way. The most important thing to note about veterinary schools is that there is no set list of pre-reqs that work at every school. Your goal as a pre-veterinary student should be to appear well rounded and well learned. Look at the pre-reqs for your top handful of schools (found on each individual institution's website), and work from there. The AAVMC did a lot of the heavy lifting where pre-reqs are concerned. They compiled a list of most of the accredited schools and their pre-reqs, putting them together in a neat PDF. They update their information every year, and it serves as an excellent guide. Follow the link below to take you to the full page, where information about individuals schools is summarized. Be sure to double check each school's updated requirements - Colorado State University now requires Cell Biology for applications in Fall 2023
GRE Information
Some schools require GRE testing, but many don't. Check the websites of the schools you are interested in to check if they require testing, and if they do, which tests. |
Choosing schools
Applicants to vet school should apply to more than one school to maximize the chances of acceptance. In fact, most students apply to at least 4. Choosing which schools these should be can be daunting, but ultimately it is up to you and your priorities. Consider costs, location, any specialty you're interested in, application requirements, etc. Below are some helpful links.