Imagine standing among more than 10,000 hopefuls, where your journey to a 10.6% acceptance rate into vet school hinges not just on your 3.48 GPA and 512 hours of veterinary experience, but on how strategically you navigate a landscape where re-applicants are nearly twice as likely to succeed.
Key Takeaways
- In the 2022-2023 application cycle, 10,743 individuals applied to U.S. veterinary medical schools through VMCAS
- Of the 10,743 applicants in 2022-2023, 52.3% identified as female, 46.5% as male, and 1.2% as non-binary or other
- In 2022-2023, 12.4% of vet school applicants were from underrepresented racial/ethnic minorities, including 4.1% Black/African American and 3.8% Hispanic/Latino
- The cumulative GPA for 2022-2023 vet school applicants averaged 3.48 on a 4.0 scale
- Matriculants to U.S. vet schools in 2023 had an average last 30 credits GPA of 3.72
- 2022-2023 applicants' science GPA averaged 3.42, with top 10% exceeding 3.85
- Average GRE General Test score for applicants requiring it was 310 combined Verbal+Quant in 2019 cycle
- By 2022-2023, only 15% of U.S. vet schools required GRE, down from 50% in 2018
- Average GRE Verbal percentile for matriculants: 58th in 2021 for schools requiring it
- Average veterinary experience hours for 2022-2023 applicants: 512 hours
- Animal experience hours averaged 1,248 for matriculants in 2023 cycle
- Research experience: 72% of 2022-2023 applicants reported 500+ hours
- Overall acceptance rate for U.S. vet schools: 10.6% in 2022-2023 (1,152 matriculants from 10,743 apps)
- Multiple acceptances: 42% of matriculants held 2+ offers in 2023 cycle
- In-state preference: 65% of matriculants in-state at public schools 2022
Despite strong competition, vet school applicants are becoming more diverse and qualified.
Academic Performance
- The cumulative GPA for 2022-2023 vet school applicants averaged 3.48 on a 4.0 scale
- Matriculants to U.S. vet schools in 2023 had an average last 30 credits GPA of 3.72
- 2022-2023 applicants' science GPA averaged 3.42, with top 10% exceeding 3.85
- Required prerequisite courses: 85% of applicants completed organic chemistry I/II with labs by 2023 cycle
- Average total credit hours completed by applicants: 142.3 in 2022-2023
- 2021-2022 matriculants science GPA: 3.65, up 0.03 from previous year
- 78% of 2023 applicants had at least one upper-level biology course with GPA >3.5
- Cumulative GPA for rejected applicants averaged 3.32 vs 3.62 for accepted in 2022
- Physics prerequisite met by 92% of 2022-2023 applicants, average grade B+
- Biochemistry GPA for applicants: average 3.51 in 2023 cycle
- 2021 applicants averaged 3.45 overall GPA, with 15% below 3.0
- Top decile matriculants: 3.92 cumulative GPA in 2022-2023
- English composition prerequisite: 98% completion rate, average GPA 3.68 for 2023 applicants
- Math/statistics courses averaged 3.55 GPA among 2022 applicants
- 65% of 2023 applicants had research experience reflected in GPA boosts >0.1
- General chemistry I/II labs: 95% completed with average GPA 3.48 in 2022-2023
- Advanced physiology GPA: 3.62 for matriculants in 2021 cycle
- 22% of applicants had post-bac GPA >3.8 to improve records in 2023
- Microbiology prerequisite: average GPA 3.52, 89% completion in 2022
- Overall GPA trend: increased 0.05 points from 2021 to 2023 cycles to 3.48
- Genetics course GPA averaged 3.49 for 2023 applicants
- 12% of 2022 applicants used grade forgiveness policies effectively raising GPA by 0.15 avg
- Cell biology elective GPA: 3.60 for top applicants in 2023
- 2021 matriculants: 3.70 last 45 credits GPA
Academic Performance Interpretation
The path to becoming a veterinarian is an academic gauntlet where a 3.5 GPA is merely the starting line, your recent science grades are under a microscope, and your fate can hinge on whether you aced organic chemistry or just survived it.
Admissions Outcomes
- Overall acceptance rate for U.S. vet schools: 10.6% in 2022-2023 (1,152 matriculants from 10,743 apps)
- Multiple acceptances: 42% of matriculants held 2+ offers in 2023 cycle
- In-state preference: 65% of matriculants in-state at public schools 2022
- Interview offer rate: 28% of applicants interviewed in 2022-2023
- Yield rate (accepted who matriculate): 78% average across schools 2023
- Cornell University vet school acceptance rate: ~8% in 2022 cycle
- UC Davis: 1,200 apps, 92 matriculants (7.7%) in 2023 entering class
- Texas A&M CVM: 1,100 apps, 140 seats (12.7%) in-state heavy 2022
- Ohio State: Acceptance rate 12% for 2023 class of 175 from ~1,450 apps
- Average applications per matriculant: 9.3 schools in 2022-2023
- Waitlist utilization: 15% of class filled from waitlists in 2023
- Private schools avg acceptance 15.2% vs public 9.8% in 2022
- Re-applicant success rate: 22% vs 11% first-timers in 2023
- Colorado State: 10.5% acceptance, class of 138 from 1,310 apps 2022
- NC State CVM: 9% rate, 100 seats from 1,100+ apps 2023
- 2022-2023: 32 U.S. schools enrolled 3,454 total DVM students
- Early decision programs: 4% acceptance rate higher than regular in 2022
- Tufts Cummings: 12.4% acceptance from 900 apps for 112 seats 2023
- International applicants acceptance: 5.2% in 2023 vs 11% domestic
- Post-interview acceptance: avg 38% conversion rate 2022-2023
- Purdue CVM: 11% rate for 80 seats from 720 apps 2022
- UMN CVM: 8.9% acceptance, 128 matriculants from 1,440 apps 2023
- Trend: Acceptance rates stable 10-12% since 2019 despite applicant rise
- Virginia-Maryland CAR: 10.2% rate, 48 MD/40 VA seats 2022
- 68% of 2023 matriculants ranked their school #1 choice
Admissions Outcomes Interpretation
To become a veterinarian you must survive a gauntlet where roughly nine out of ten hopefuls are turned away, and even those who triumph often face the bittersweet dilemma of choosing between multiple hard-won offers.
Applicant Demographics
- In the 2022-2023 application cycle, 10,743 individuals applied to U.S. veterinary medical schools through VMCAS
- Of the 10,743 applicants in 2022-2023, 52.3% identified as female, 46.5% as male, and 1.2% as non-binary or other
- In 2022-2023, 12.4% of vet school applicants were from underrepresented racial/ethnic minorities, including 4.1% Black/African American and 3.8% Hispanic/Latino
- The average age of 2022-2023 vet school applicants was 24.7 years, with 68% under 25 and 8% over 30
- In 2022-2023, 41% of applicants held bachelor's degrees in animal science or related fields, 15% in biology
- 2021-2022 cycle saw 10,506 applicants, with 53.1% female, marking a 2% increase in female applicants from prior year
- 11.8% of 2021-2022 applicants were first-generation college students
- In 2020-2021, 9,845 applicants, 51.5% from public universities, 48.5% private
- 2022-2023 data shows 22% of applicants from Southern U.S. states, highest regional concentration
- 3.2% of 2022-2023 applicants identified as LGBTQ+, up from 2.8% in 2021-2022
- In 2023 cycle, 7.5% of applicants had military/veteran status or dependents
- 18.6% of 2022 applicants re-applied after previous cycles
- 2022-2023 applicants: 14% international or from U.S. territories
- Average household income self-reported by 2022-2023 applicants was $75,000-$100,000 for 32%
- 25.4% of 2021 applicants had advanced degrees (MS/PhD) prior to applying
- In 2023, 62% of applicants were White/Caucasian, 12.4% underrepresented minorities
- 2020 cycle: 35% of applicants from top 10 feeder undergrad schools like Texas A&M, Ohio State
- Female applicants increased 3.5% from 2019 to 2022 cycles, reaching 52.3%
- 4.1% Black/African American applicants in 2022-2023, consistent with 4.0% prior year
- 28% of 2023 applicants reported rural upbringing
- Asian/Pacific Islander applicants: 9.7% in 2022-2023 cycle
- 1.5% Native American/Alaska Native applicants in 2021-2022
- 45% of 2022 applicants from Midwest region
- Re-applicants averaged 26.2 years old vs 24.5 for first-timers in 2023
- 19.2% of 2020 applicants had non-traditional career backgrounds pre-vet
- 2023: 8.3% economically disadvantaged self-identified applicants
- Undergrad major: Biology 22%, Animal Science 19% in 2022 cycle
- 6.4% Hispanic/Latino applicants in 2023, up 0.6% from 2022
- 2021: 55% applicants from out-of-state for target schools
Applicant Demographics Interpretation
While the veterinary field is steadily diversifying beyond its traditional demographic of young, animal-science-focused undergraduates, the journey to the clinic remains a fiercely competitive marathon largely run by persistent, slightly older re-applicants who are statistically likely to be a woman from the South with an average family income, proving that passion, not pedigree, fuels the pack.
Experiential Requirements
- Average veterinary experience hours for 2022-2023 applicants: 512 hours
- Animal experience hours averaged 1,248 for matriculants in 2023 cycle
- Research experience: 72% of 2022-2023 applicants reported 500+ hours
- Leadership roles: 85% of accepted applicants had 2+ positions in 2022
- Average employment hours outside vet/animal: 1,856 for 2023 applicants
- Volunteer hours non-vet: avg 678 for matriculants 2022-2023
- 91% of 2023 applicants had veterinary shadowing >100 hours
- Equine experience minimum recommended 100 hours by 65% schools, avg 245 hours applicants 2022
- Publications/presentations: 18% applicants had 1+, avg 1.2 for top 2023
- Farm/rural experience: 42% applicants >500 hours in 2022 cycle
- Extracurricular clubs: avg 4.1 memberships for accepted 2023
- Veterinary tech work counted as 68% of total vet hours for 2022 applicants
- International animal experience: 12% applicants, avg 156 hours in 2023
- Teaching/tutoring hours: avg 342 for matriculants 2021-2022
- Shelter/volunteer animal work: 1,056 avg hours for 2023 applicants
- Awards/honors: 76% applicants listed 3+
- 2022: Small animal vet hours avg 412, large animal 156
- Community service hours: min 100 recommended, avg 512 achieved 2023
- Lab animal research hours: 28% applicants >200 hours in 2022
- Diversity experience (e.g., underserved): 35% reported in 2023 apps
- Average letters of recommendation: 3.2 vet-specific for 2022 matriculants
- Wildlife/exotic experience: avg 89 hours for 41% applicants 2023
- 2021: Total experience hours >4000 for top 5% applicants
- Personal statement revisions avg 4.5 drafts per applicant in 2023
Experiential Requirements Interpretation
The modern veterinary candidate is less a hopeful animal lover and more a seasoned CEO of a demanding startup called 'My Application,' having logged enough diverse hours to qualify for several careers, all while perfecting a single, crucial document through endless drafts.
Standardized Testing
- Average GRE General Test score for applicants requiring it was 310 combined Verbal+Quant in 2019 cycle
- By 2022-2023, only 15% of U.S. vet schools required GRE, down from 50% in 2018
- Average GRE Verbal percentile for matriculants: 58th in 2021 for schools requiring it
- GRE Analytical Writing average 4.1 for accepted applicants in 2020 cycle
- 65% of 2023 applicants submitted no standardized test scores due to test-optional policies
- For GRE submitters in 2022, Quant average 154 (53rd percentile)
- CASPer test adopted by 20 schools in 2023, average situational judgment score 75th percentile for matriculants
- MCAT scores for dual MD/DVM applicants averaged 510 in 2022
- GRE subject test rarely required; <1% applicants submitted biology GRE in 2021
- 2023: Average GRE Verbal 153 (55th percentile) for top schools like Cornell requiring it
- Test-optional applicants had 12% higher acceptance rate in 2022-2023 vs GRE submitters
- Average GRE for UC Davis applicants (optional): 312 total for interviewed in 2022
- 8 schools still required GRE in 2023, applicants averaged 308 combined score
- GRE Quant for STEM-heavy applicants: 156 avg (65th percentile) in 2021
- 2020 pandemic led to 40% drop in GRE submissions from 2019 levels
- Matriculants GRE average at Texas A&M: Verbal 154, Quant 155 in 2022
- 75% of GRE submitters scored above 300 total in 2023 cycle
- Some schools like Ross University accept MCAT >500 for vet entry, avg 505 in 2022
- GRE fee reductions claimed by 22% of low-income applicants in 2021
- Average CASPer quartile for accepted: 3rd or 4th in 12 adopting schools 2023
- Ohio State (GRE optional) matriculants avg GRE 314 if submitted in 2022
- 2019 baseline: 45% schools GRE required, applicant avg 309 total score
- 2022 Colorado State GRE avg for class: Verbal 157, Quant 158
- 28% of applicants with GRE >320 received multiple interviews in 2021
Standardized Testing Interpretation
The veterinary school admissions landscape has shifted dramatically away from the GRE as a gatekeeper, revealing a process that now values situational judgment and holistic potential more than a single standardized test score, though high scores can still open doors for those who choose to submit them.
Sources & References
- Reference 1AAVMCaavmc.orgVisit source
- Reference 2VETvet.cornell.eduVisit source
- Reference 3VETMEDvetmed.ucdavis.eduVisit source
- Reference 4VETMEDvetmed.tamu.eduVisit source
- Reference 5VETERINARYveterinary.rossu.eduVisit source
- Reference 6VETvet.osu.eduVisit source
- Reference 7VETMEDBIOSCIvetmedbiosci.colostate.eduVisit source
- Reference 8CVMcvm.ncsu.eduVisit source
- Reference 9VETvet.tufts.eduVisit source
- Reference 10VETvet.purdue.eduVisit source
- Reference 11VETMEDvetmed.umn.eduVisit source
- Reference 12VETMEDvetmed.vt.eduVisit source