Academic Policies and Procedures

Undergraduate Preparation

Students intending to apply for admission to the College of Veterinary Medicine should plan to complete a bachelor's degree. However, outstanding students may be admitted after only three years of preprofessional course work.

Sequencing of pre-professional course work should be planned carefully, preferably under the guidance of pre-professional advisers. The Office for Students and Instruction in this college welcomes inquiries of a general nature but semester-by-semester course scheduling should be monitored by the college offering the bachelor's degree.

Pre-veterinary students may major in a program offered by any department or college but must complete the pre-professional requirements listed below. Applicants to the professional curriculum must present a minimum of 80 semester hours of college-level course work, exclusive of physical education and military training courses.

Credit for Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) programs is acceptable at the level identified in the Academic Advising section. Please note, however, that credit for CLEP may not be used to fulfill general education requirements.

Admission

Selection for admission to the College of Veterinary Medicine will be made by the dean based on recommendation of the faculty committee on admissions using the following criteria as the basis for selection:

• Residency - Highest priority is given to residents of Florida. Consideration will be given, however, to a limited number of non-Florida residents with exceptional qualifications. Application is limited to permanent residents of the United States.
• Academic Performance - Evidence of superior scholastic achievement.
• GRE Scores - Graduate Record Examination.
• Background and Experience - Knowledge of the veterinary medical profession. Some type of animal care experience is considered desirable.
• Letters of Reference - Evaluation of character and potential of applicant as a future veterinarian.
• Extracurricular Activities - Achievements, leadership abilities and participation in community activities.
• Communication Skills - A statement from the applicant elaborating on the reasons for seeking admission.
• Personal interview.
• Competitiveness - In the case of repeated applications, there is no guarantee that an applicant who interviews one year will interview the next, or that pursuit of recommended experience and course work will guarantee success. The competitive quality of the applicant pool each year shapes the list of interviewees and successful candidates.

When To Apply

Who May Apply

Application to the College of Veterinary Medicine is limited to citizens and permanent residents of the United States and will be accepted only from those applicants who have completed the preprofessional requirements, or who will complete them by the end of the spring term of the calendar year in which admission is sought.

Admission is granted only for the first semester of each school year and only on a full-time basis. A prescribed number of spaces is available for each class, and a formal application with supporting credentials is required for each applicant.

Further information relative to the admissions process is contained in the brochure Information for Applicants to the College of Veterinary Medicine. This may be obtained from the Office of the Dean for Students and Instruction, College of Veterinary Medicine, PO Box 100125 University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610-0125.