As you prepare to apply to veterinary school, it’s important to become familiar with the application process and timeline to ensure you submit high-quality application materials on time.
To start, you need to know some basic information about how the veterinary school application process works.
There are two centralized application services for U.S. veterinary schools.
VMCAS (Veterinary Medical College Application Service) is used by almost all American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) accredited programs and can be found here: https://www.aavmc.org/becoming-a-veterinarian/how-to-apply/
TMDSAS (Texas Medical and Dental Schools Application Service) is used for the two public veterinary schools in Texas and can be found here: https://www.tmdsas.com/
Here is a timeline for the 2023-2024 Veterinary school admissions cycle to help you with your planning:
January 2023
- Become familiar with the application process and veterinary schools. Good sources of information are the Veterinary Medical School Admissions Requirements (VMSAR) database, available for free here: https://applytovetschool.org/ as well as school websites, and your pre-health advisor.
- Check to make sure that you are on track to complete the prerequisite courses for veterinary school.
- Continue to gain veterinary, animal, community service and/or research experience throughout the year.
- VMCAS becomes available online in mid-January. Although you can start filling out the application immediately, you cannot select and submit applications to programs until mid-May.
February – March 2023
- Consider who you’ll request letters of recommendation from. Requirements vary by school, but many vet schools require three letters, with at least one letter being from a veterinarian and one from a professor (sometimes specifically a science professor). For faculty letters, it’s a good idea to request the letter before the end of the academic year.
April – May 2023
- Prepare for and take GRE if you plan to take it in the spring. Note that many veterinary schools no longer require the GRE for admission, so check the requirements for the schools on your list to see if you need to take this exam.
- TMDSAS opens on May 1.
- Mid-May – Programs available for selection on VMCAS. Fill out program-specific supplemental questions. Application can be submitted at this time, but most veterinary schools do not have rolling admissions, so it can be beneficial to wait until after summer veterinary, animal, and research experiences and/or summer school have been completed to include those on the application.
June – August 2023
- Complete summer veterinary, animal, research, or other experiences.
- Prepare for and take GRE if not already done.
- Take Casper if required by any schools on your list. Casper is a situational judgement exam. Register through Acuity Insights (formerly Altus Assessments) at https://takealtus.com.
- Submit VMCAS application. Submit the application at least two weeks before the deadline.
September 2023
- September 15 – VMCAS and TMDSAS deadline.
October 2023 – February 2024
- Interviews begin as early as October at some schools and then continue until February, although some schools may interview into early spring.
- Stay in contact with schools you are waitlisted at to update them about your activities and accomplishments per individual school policies.
March – June 2024
- Remain in contact with schools you are waitlist at per school policies.
- Prepare to begin vet school.
August 2024
- Begin vet school!