About the Program
The Summer Enrichment Program (SEP) began over 30 years ago and has welcomed students from around the world. It is designed to provide disadvantaged students with activities that will enhance their veterinary school applications.
The Summer Enrichment Program is a life-changing experience for undergraduate students.
—Mark Stetter, Dean
About a quarter of SEP graduates go on to attend the UC Davis veterinary school, while others pursue their veterinary training at other schools across the nation.
Summer 2026 planning begins in January 2026. The Program Overview, along with dates and deadlines, will be updated once planning is complete.
Summer 2026 Program Overview
This program is intended to be offered on campus this summer.
Program dates:
- June 24-July 24, 2026 (on campus)
Schedule
The program runs for the entire four weeks, Monday through Friday, from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm (except July 4). Each day follows the same schedule, with morning clinical rotations and afternoon trips, lectures, presentations, and workshops.
Funding
Full funding is available at this time and will cover travel to/from Davis, lodging, food, and some transportation for the duration of the program. Applicants receive assistance in identifying lodging from current veterinary students. Each SEP student will receive a stipend of $750, disbursed in one payment in the first week of the program. Students who decide to bring a vehicle will be responsible for parking, which is $4.50 per day.
Eligibility
Students must be from a disadvantaged background* and, at the time of application:
- Be at least 18 years old
- Have a minimum of one year of undergraduate biology and/or chemistry courses completed. Courses must have been completed; courses "in progress" do not meet this requirement
- Have a minimum 3.0 GPA in all sciences and cumulative coursework
- Have some veterinary and/or animal-related experience
- Be able to provide up to date vaccination records for COVID-19, tetanus, and Rabies Vaccine or Waiver by May 15. Proof of vaccination status must be submitted prior to arriving on campus.
SEP is open to all students, regardless of residency status, including international. Students who are or were previously enrolled in an international veterinary medicine program are not eligible.
*Includes, but is not limited to, educational, economic, social, or disability barriers. Please note: Attending a university without a pre-vet program is not considered a disadvantage and will not qualify applicants for this program.
Applying
All application materials, including transcripts and letters of recommendation, must be received by the application deadline. Application for summer 2026 will open January 12 - March 6, 5:00pm PDT.
It is recommended that you refer to the PDF before beginning the online application, as it is difficult to save and come back to the actual application. This application cannot be saved while in progress. If you are not able to complete the application in one sitting, either restart from the beginning or put an “X” in the remaining fields to be completed at a later time and hit submit so that you do not lose the responses to the questions you completed. You can then return to the application and continue filling in your responses or edit. You can edit or update your application until the due date, but you will not have access to your application after the due date.
Because all application materials, including transcripts and letters of recommendation, need to be in by the application deadline, we suggest starting with these two steps once the application opens:
1. Order official electronic transcripts (with all college coursework completed and in progress).
2. Request two letters of recommendation and have them emailed directly to the program coordinator.
Send transcripts and letters of recommendation to [email protected].
Questions? Please contact the Office of Admissions and Student Programs at [email protected].
