Vet School Acceptance Rate

When enrolling in any educational program, a student’s main concern is whether they’ll get accepted.

And applying to a veterinary college is not a simple procedure.

It’s known that the majority of applicants will be denied.

It makes many worried if they’ll ever have a future in veterinary practice.

In the end, all those who have already applied know that it’s been a long journey just to get to this point.

It’s Very Competitive

Much like medical schools, admission to vet colleges is very competitive.

The acceptance rate is typically between 10% and 15%.

That’s why aspiring vet practitioners should be well prepared for the stress of waiting for the status of their applications.

—Whether it gets approved or denied.

According to statistics, 50% of accepted applicants reside in the same state as the vet college.

A few schools even accept more than 80% of their applicants.

In other words, you can take this as your advantage over others if this is the case.

But why is this happening?

There Are Not Enough Vet Colleges

You may not be aware, but there are states that don’t have a vet college.

Of the 50 states, only 27 house vet colleges.

Of these 27, only Alabama, Tennessee, and California have more than one vet college.

And throughout the U.S., only 33 vet colleges have been accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association.

In such a case, some applicants would have to apply in states far from their homes.

It’s also one of the reasons why students apply to multiple schools more than once.

If they don’t get accepted, they may opt to apply outside the U.S., like Canada or in Europe.

Unfortunately, this alternative is more expensive, something that a few may not be able to afford.

Can’t Keep Up With the Demand

We need to emphasize that this issue of application denials stems from limited availability.

To give you a picture, the number of vet colleges in the U.S. is less than that of med schools.

But the number of aspiring vet practitioners each year rises—a direct effect of the positive job outlook for those in the field of animal care.

That’s why it causes stronger disappointments when these applicants get denied by the vet college.

So, is there a way to raise your chances of getting accepted and earning your slot?

As a matter of fact, there is.

Making The School Application Attractive

In order to be more attractive applicants, they tend to improve their application by going beyond general education.

They acquire real-world experience in veterinary practice.

In this competitive environment, you should take initiative and get at least hundreds of hours of work experience.

Get down and dirty through:

• Volunteering at animal shelters and vet clinics
• Shadowing a professional vet practitioner

Also, good grades aren’t enough to gain admission—these are just a part of the qualifications.

What’s also important is your character and your passion for this field.

Final Words

Getting into the vet college of your choice isn’t going to be easy.

You have a lot of competition for such a highly demanded job.

In fact, many have decided to go overseas despite the higher living expenses and tuition just to be able to study.

But stating your experiences with any relative field of vet practice may increase the likelihood of approval.

It may be just your ticket toward your future in this field.