Entrance Requirements for Veterinary School

Veterinarians prevent, diagnose and treat illness and disease in animals, including household pets, livestock and zoo animals. Some veterinarians use their expertise to protect humans from the dangerous diseases animals can carry. Other vets set animal fractures, treat wounds, dispense medication, perform major and minor surgery and assist owners with breeding. Becoming a veterinarian requires a four-year tenure at an accredited veterinary school, culminating in a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree (DVM). Individuals must fulfill several prerequisites before attending veterinary college.

  1. High School Diploma or GED Equivalent

    • Preparation for a career in veterinary medicine begins in high school. Veterinary school candidates are required to have a high school diploma or GED equivalent. Individuals should take classes in sciences and mathematics including biology, physics, chemistry, algebra, trigonometry and pre-calculus. Students are advised to maintain a high GPA and earn high scores on standardized achievement tests such as the ACT or SAT for college admission.

    Undergraduate Degree Program

    • Many veterinary colleges do not require applicants to have a bachelor's degree for admission although they do require applicants to have a considerable number of college credits, ranging from 45 to 90. Veterinary college admission is competitive; students fare better if they have a bachelor's degree before applying. Popular majors include molecular biology, zoology, chemistry, biochemistry, animal science and agricultural economics. Regardless of whether a student earns a bachelor's degree before applying to a veterinary program, they are required to take certain prerequisite courses while attending a bachelor's degree program. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, mandatory undergraduate classes include chemistry (organic and inorganic), biochemistry, physics, general biology, animal nutrition, animal biology, genetics, vertebrate embryology, cellular biology, zoology, microbiology and systemic physiology. Some veterinary programs require students to have taken courses in mathematics, including statistics, calculus, college algebra and trigonometry. Students should also have some liberal arts training in English, literature, humanities and social science.

    Standardized Tests

    • Applicants to a veterinary college program will be required to take one of three standardized tests. Students will need to provide scores from either the GRE (Graduate Record Examination), the VCAT (Veterinary College Admission Test) or the MCAT (Medical College Admission Test). There are 28 veterinary colleges accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association in the United States; currently 22 require students to submit GRE scores, four require VCAT scores and two require MCAT scores.

    Additional Requirements

    • In addition to education and test scores, veterinary colleges also consider a student's experience with animals. Applicants are advised to gain experience working at a veterinarian's office, an animal shelter or a zoo. A letter of recommendation from a licensed veterinarian may also help.