Veterinarians play a major role in the health care of pets and livestock, as well as zoo, sporting, and laboratory animals. Some veterinarians use their skills to protect humans against diseases carried by animals and conduct clinical research on human and animal health problems. The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) recognizes a variety of specialties: shelter medicine, reptiles & amphibian, exotic, canine & feline, equine, fish, food animal, dairy, swine, avian, and beef cattle. Others work in basic research, broadening the scope of fundamental theoretical knowledge and in applied research.

Veterinarians earn a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (D.V.M. or V.M.D.) degree from a four-year program at an accredited college of veterinary medicine and must obtain a license to practice. Most students admitted to professional veterinary schools have completed a bachelor’s degree. 

Required courses for veterinary programs are not standardized. Therefore, students must carefully research programs and make a list of courses required at each school of veterinary medicine that interests them. 

Sample Pre-Veterinary Medicine Four-Year Academic Plan

https://vetmed.iastate.edu/future-dvm-students/still-exploring/pre-veterinary-requirements/foundational-course-requirements/

At ISU all required coursework must be completed with a grade of C or higher.
A grade of C- or lower is not acceptable. 

Year 1:

Year 2:

Year 3:

Year 4:

Notes

^* If needed based on placement.
^** Calculus is not required for all veterinary medicine programs but is required for most science majors. Your degree-granting major will determine which math class is taken beyond trigonometry or pre-calculus.
^*** Organic Chemistry II and Physics II are not required by all veterinary medicine programs (e.g., Iowa State University) but are requirements for most science majors. If the veterinary medicine programs you’re interested in require one semester of Organic Chemistry + Lab, community college options should be investigated.
^**** Students have the option of BIOL:3343 Animal Physiology, HHP:1100 Human Anatomy, HHP:1300 Fundamentals of Human Physiology, or HHP:3500 Human Physiology to satisfy this requirement at ISU.

Guidelines

Academic Guidelines
Each school provides admission information on the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges page: www.applytovetschool.org. Be sure to research the required courses to apply, required experiences to be competitive, average GPAs, and average science GPAs at each vet school under consideration.

Non-Academic Guidelines
Veterinary medical colleges consider a candidate’s veterinary and animal experience. Experiences give applicants an understanding of the various aspects of the veterinary profession. ISU notes that an “applicant should have a goal of at least 200 hours of quality experience (veterinary/animal/research) to meet the expectations of the Admissions Committee.” The level of responsibility, diversity and duration of the experience is considered. In addition, the applicant should have letters of recommendation including one from a practicing veterinarian that speak to their experiences. Experience may be voluntary or paid.

Animal experience may include working with livestock, breeding or showing various species, working at a zoo, aquarium or pet shop, or volunteering at an animal shelter. Experience does not include pet ownership or educational coursework. Veterinary experience may include companion animals, equine, production animals, pocket pets or zoological animals.  Veterinary experience must be completed under the supervision of a DVM or VMD. 

Research Experience can be gained in any field of study and is NOT limited to animal research. It is expected to be under the supervision of a person with a DVM, MS or PhD. Valid research experience is considered to be more than general maintenance (washing glassware, feeding animals, cleaning cages, collecting specimens, etc.) and should include activities that support an understanding of scientific method, evidence of problem solving and observational skills, data entry and analysis for the purpose of reflection/study and other related experiences that exhibit a significant contribution to a research project. Listed below are examples of research experience:

• Research experience gained while applicant is pursuing a graduate degree (MS or PhD)
• Collaborator status on another student or faculty member’s research.
• Responsibility for a portion of a research project (including conducting a portion of the project, responsibility for observations, data entry, development of protocol)
• Presenting the research project data at a professional meeting – either oral or poster format.
• 1st, 2nd or 3rd authorship on peer reviewed papers.

Additional Considerations
Most admissions committees do a holistic review of qualified applicants considering their life experiences, work experiences, professional goals, geographical backgrounds, and cultural backgrounds. Read the selection criteria for all schools of interest. 

Application Process

All applicants apply through the Veterinary Medical College Application Service (VMCAS) (www.vmcas.org). The site also has a FAQ and detailed instructions on filling out the online application.  Students can learn about the application process by reading “Applying to Veterinary School (VMCAS)” found at www.aavmc.org. 

Most of the participating VMCAS colleges also require a supplemental application. Each school has its own policy on the handling of supplemental materials; applicants should thoroughly read through the individual school’s web page for specific information, linked through www.aavmc.org. The 2023 VMCAS and ISU application cycle opened on May 12; applications close on September 15.  Each year acceptance decisions are made in mid-February. Students are advised to apply early in the application cycle.

Entrance Examination Requirement
Carefully research each veterinary school under consideration. Some schools require the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Others like ISU require CASPer, a situational judgement test that assesses behavioral tendencies in tough situations to measure professionalism. 

Letters of Evaluation/Recommendation
Most schools require letters to be submitted through the VMCAS ELOR system and will not accept letters submitted directly to the school. Letter writers should know candidates well enough to speak to personal characteristics and attributes. Most schools, including ISU, require at least one letter writer be a veterinarian. Letter writers should be able to address the candidate’s commitment, maturity, work ethic, leadership, and communication skills.

Interviews
Most schools require on-campus interviews. Applicants can prepare for these through support programs available through the UI Career Center in C310 Pomerantz Center. Please note ISU no longer requires a personal interview as part of their admissions process. Instead, applicants may attend a Preview Day at ISU.

Criminal Background Checks
Applicants should be prepared to disclose and explain any felony or misdemeanor convictions. They may be required to provide signed consent for conducting an External Criminal Background Investigation. Applicants should be aware that some clinical education sites will require drug screening for students performing clinical rotations.

Citizenship/International Students
Students who are not citizens of the U.S. may apply to most veterinary schools. However, international students must be able to document their ability to fund four years of veterinary medical education (costs range from $200,000-400,000+).

Link to Entering Class Profiles
https://www.aavmc.org/becoming-a-veterinarian/what-to-know-before-you-apply/admitted-student-statistics/

Iowa State College of Veterinary Medicine Admission Profile, Entering Class of Fall 2023

• Class size: 162 
• Total applicants: 2,113
  • Resident applicants: 189
  • Non-resident applicants: 1,924
• Age Range: 20-49 years
• Mean cumulative GPA: 3.6
• Mean science GPA: 3.6

Iowa State CVM: vetmed.iastate.edu
Iowa State CVM email: CVMadmissions@iastate.edu

Resources

Assoc of American Vet Med Colleges: www.aavmc.org
American Vet Med Assoc: www.avma.org
Vet Med College App Service:www.vmcas.org
General Info for US Vet Schools: www.vetschoolbound.org
Scholarship info: www.avmf.org