Mailing address:
Office of the Dean for Student Programs and Admissions
School of Veterinary Medicine
University of California
One Shields Avenue
Davis, CA 95616
Veterinary students use their laptops to access information in Floyd Commons in Gladys Valley Hall at the University of California School of Veterinary Medicine in Davis California.
Admissions
Applicants are evaluated based on their academic performance, their understanding of the veterinary medical profession, their achievements, and their professional potential. While admission to UC Davis is competitive, our admission committees support equal opportunity and seek to enroll a diverse class of highly motivated students. What they're looking for is intellectual potential to undertake a rigorous four years of study, values that are consistent with being a veterinarian, and demonstrated knowledge of the veterinary profession. There are many more qualified applicants than spaces available so it's important to be prepared.
Academic Preparation:
Admission to the School of Veterinary Medicine requires completion of specific prerequisite courses taken at a college or university accredited by an agency approved by the U.S. Department of Education. School of Veterinary Medicine does not accept credits for military experience, CLEP exams, or DSST exams. Transferable coursework must be comparable to courses offered within the UC system. You can use the UC Davis General Catalog to compare descriptions of courses offered at your college. Students may apply to veterinary school after 75 percent of the science prerequisites have been completed. Remaining prerequisites must be completed by the end of the spring term prior to matriculation.
Potential applicants should enroll at undergraduate institutions offering the prerequisite courses as part of an accredited baccalaureate program. Students may select majors and schools on the basis of interest and aptitude as long as prerequisites are fulfilled. Required preveterinary courses listed as Upper Division must be completed at a four-year college.
Criteria for Admission:
- Grade Point Averages
Overall science GPA
GPA of last two years of graded undergraduate/graduate work - (minimum of 68 quarter units or 45 semester units)
A minimum grade point average of 2.50 (on a 4-point scale, A=4) is required for all completed science courses and cumulative college coursework at time of application.
- GRE Quantitative Scores
All applicants are required to take the General Test of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) which includes the verbal, quantitative and analytical writing sections. The GRE must be taken no later than September 1 of the year the application is submitted. Examinations taken after this deadline will not be accepted for consideration in the year the application is filed. The GRE must be taken within a five-year period, (Sept 1, 2008 - Sept 1, 2013) prior to applying to veterinary school. When the GRE has been taken more than once, the highest score in every section will be used. All GRE score reports must be sent to us directly from ETS and received in our office by October 2. The UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine GRE Code is 4804.
- PPI Evaluations
Three Letters of Recommendation (ETS PPI Web-Based Evaluations). At least one (2 preferred) evaluations should be from veterinarians with whom you have worked and who can evaluate your potential as a veterinary professional. Other letters may be written by veterinarians, professors, college instructors, research supervisors, or your academic adviser. Only three evaluations will be accepted. If more than three are submitted, we will randomly select three to be used in your application evaluation. Only evaluators designated on the PPI report will be considered. A minimum of one letter from a veterinarian is required for consideration of admission.
NOTE: Three VMCAS Letters of Recommendation are required as part of the VMCAS application; however, they cannot be used in lieu of PPI letters, even if they are from the same evaluator.
- MMI Interview
Interviews will be conducted using the Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) technique. The MMI is a series of short, structured interviews used to assess personal traits/qualities. Each mini interview provides a candidate with a few minutes to read a question/scenario and mentally prepare before entering the interview room. Upon entering, the candidate has several minutes of dialogue with one interviewer/assessor (or, in some cases, a third party as the interviewer/assessor observes). At the conclusion of the interview, the interviewer/assessor has a few minutes to evaluate while the candidate moves to the next scenario. This pattern is repeated through a circuit of up to 8 stations. The MMI was derived from the well-know OSCE (objective structured clinical examination) used by many medical programs to assess a student's application of clinical skills and knowledge. However, the MMI does not test knowledge of veterinary medicine but rather personal attributes such as communication skills and ability to work as part of a team, ethical and critical decision-making abilities, and behaviors important to being a veterinarian such as empathy, honesty and reliability.
Online Application:
All applicants for the entering class Fall 2014 must apply through the online Veterinary Medical Application Service (VMCAS) at www.aavmc.org. The deadline for submission of the application is Tuesday, October 2, at 10:00 a.m. PST. Paper applications are not available. Transcripts must be sent directly to VMCAS and postmarked by September 1, 2013.
The UC Davis SVM supplemental application will be available online in mid-October and is due Friday, November 1, 2013 at 5:00 p.m. PST via the applicant portal. No fee required.
International Applicants:
Submit all transcripts from international institutions through a translation service such as WES (www.wes.org) or Josef Silney and Associates (www.jsilny.com). Canadian institutions are considered international. All transcripts and translation(s) must be mailed directly to VMCAS. Take the ib-TOEFL test if English is not your native language or you do not have a degree from a U.S. institution. Visit www.ets.org/toefl for information about the test. Our TOEFL code is 4804. If admitted, international students must provide evidence of verification of the first year of living and tuition expenses before an I-20 is granted. International students can expect to pay approximately $46,000 per year in tuition and registration fees for the duration of the program (4 years). This amount does not include housing and living expenses. Please visit our financial aid information for financing your education.
