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DVM Program Admission Requirements



DVM Admissions Overview

Thank you for your interest in the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) program at the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine.

Admission to the DVM program is open to citizens and permanent residents of the United States and Canada. The college also welcomes applications from international applicants. However, please be advised that strong preference is given to those applicants who have completed their pre-veterinary course requirements at an accredited institution located in the United States or Canada.

The competitive applicant at our college in recent years has had:

  • An average cumulative GPA of 3.5
  • A competitive GRE general aptitude score
  • A wide variety of experience with both large and small animals
  • Experience working for a veterinarian for 400-600 hours
  • Experience working in a research laboratory or in commercial or industrial settings related to veterinary medicine

Starting with the 2012 entering class, 120 students will be accepted to the professional program leading to the DVM degree. The residency of incoming students per class is:

  • 50 Virginia residents
  • 30 Maryland residents
  • 40 at-large applicants (up to 6 reserved for West Virginia residents)

The VMRCVM has exciting plans for the future of the professional program which include the expansion of teaching facilities and an increase in the DVM program class size in the near future.

The information below is provided to assist prospective program applicants with preparing a competitive application.

 

Steps to Apply

All applicants must complete the following to be considered for admission to the DVM program.

  • VMCAS application - deadline is October 2, 2012 at 1:00 pm ET
  • Three personal evaluations submitted to VMCAS electronically. Learn more about the electronic evaluation (eLOR).
  • VMRCVM non-refundable supplemental application - deadline is October 2, 2012

    Please review the sequence of steps required to access the supplemental application.
    1. Go to the supplemental application account creation page. Submit your VMCAS ID number and the email address used on your VMCAS application.
    2. Enter payment information for the non-refundable $50 processing fee. Please note: the processing fee must be paid with a credit card online. Payments via email, fax or phone cannot be accepted.
    3. Two emails are sent to the email address provided. First, a receipt notification for the supplemental application fee payment. Second, a Virginia Tech guest account invitation.
    4. Follow the instructions in the email invitation for creating an account and completing the supplemental application. Please check your spam filters to ensure that you receive the guest account invitation.
    5. The online application form must be completed in one sitting. You will not be able to save your online application to complete it at a later time.
  • The Graduate Record Examination (GRE)

    • The scores must be received in the DVM Admissions Office by November 1, 2012.
    • The reporting code for Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine is 5946.
  • A complete set of official transcripts from all colleges attended must be forwarded at the time of application. In addition, if the applicant was enrolled during the fall term, an unofficial grade report for courses taken that term must be submitted to this school within 10 days after the end of the semester. An official transcript must follow immediately. All transcripts should be mailed to:
     
    Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine
    DVM Admissions Office (0442)
    Blacksburg, VA 24061
     
  • For Virginia and Maryland residents, residency forms must be completed for applicants who designated their legal state of residence as Virginia or Maryland on the VMCAS application. Residency forms should be mailed to:
     
    Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine
    DVM Admissions Office (0442)
    265 Duck Pond Drive
    Blacksburg, VA 24061
     
  • New this year: For West Virginia residents, residency forms must be completed for applicants who designated their legal state of residence as West Virginia on the VMCAS application
  • For students currently enrolled in graduate school, a letter is requested from the applicant's advisor and department head stating that if accepted into veterinary college, the applicant will have made satisfactory arrangements for completion or release from the graduate program. Please send letters directly to the College of Veterinary Medicine's DVM Admissions Office - not VMCAS.
  • Review the Important Dates, Deadlines & Links (PDF) for Fall admission.

 

Prerequisite Course Requirements & Suggested Electives

Correspondence studies and pass/fail courses will NOT be considered as satisfying required course work.

Subject Area / Semester Hours

General Biology / 8
A two-semester sequence with laboratories is required. One course in botany may be used to satisfy the requirements for general biology. However, higher-level science courses may be considered by the admissions committee to fulfill this requirement.

Organic Chemistry / 8
After completion of General or Introductory Chemistry, a two-semester sequence in Organic Chemistry with laboratories is required.

Physics / 8
The requirement in this area is for a two-semester sequence with laboratories in General or Introductory Physics. Calculus-based physics is not required.

Biochemistry / 3
A one-semester introductory course in biochemistry without a lab will meet the minimum requirement. Topics should include metabolism and chemistry of carbohydrates, proteins, lipids and nucleic acids. Courses in biochemistry providing broader coverage would be helpful to an applicant.

English / 6
Three credit hours of the English requirement must be specifically English composition or technical writing-no AP credit will be accepted for this prerequisite. Public speaking or communication courses do not satisfy the English requirement.

Math / 6
The math requirement can be met by courses in Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Calculus or Statistics. Computer science courses are not acceptable.

Humanities/Social Sciences / 6
Courses to meet this requirement may include, but are not restricted to: art, philosophy, history, economics, psychology, or sociology.

Suggested Elective Courses
  • Cell Biology
  • Comparative Anatomy
  • Genetics
  • Microbiology
  • Nutrition
  • Physiology

 

Academic Requirements & Guidelines

  • A cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.8 on a 4.0 scale, or 3.3 for the last 45 semester hours providing courses taken during this period are junior or senior level. A competitive GPA is 3.5.
  • Applicants must have completed a minimum of 60 semester/90 quarter hours at an accredited college or university by the end of the spring term of the calendar year for which matriculation is sought.
  • All required course work must be completed by the end of the spring term of the year in which matriculation is sought.
    • There is no option to complete prerequisite courses during summer term of the year of matriculation.
    • If an applicant fails to register or withdraws from a prerequisite course projected for spring term completion, their application will be removed from consideration and any offer of interview or admission will be null and void.
    • Students must earn a "C-" or better in all required courses.
    • Required courses in which a "D" or "F" was earned must be repeated. Both the original and repeat grades will be included in grade point calculations.
  • The college does not require any specific undergraduate major; however, it is strongly recommended that applicants enroll in a degree program of their choice to prepare for alternate career goals.
  • Students majoring in liberal arts or other non-science disciplines are advised that they may find less difficulty in dealing with the veterinary curriculum if they do not limit their science studies to the minimum course requirements.
  • A seven year policy will be allowed as follows:
    • Where required science courses have been taken by an applicant seven or more years prior to the application deadline, they MAY be repeated, or courses of a higher level substituted, with the written approval of the Admissions and Standards Committee.
    • The approved repeated or substituted courses will be used in the calculation of the Required Science Course GPA. ALL courses taken will be used in the calculation of the Cumulative GPA.
  • Advanced placement/credit by examination guidelines:
    • Advanced placement credit for one semester/quarter of English will be accepted if the additional required hours are composition or technical writing courses and are taken at a college or university.
    • Advanced placement credit or credit by examination for other pre-veterinary course requirements will be accepted. However, advanced placement credits will not be calculated in grade point averages, and no grade will be assigned. No course substitutions will be allowed for AP credit or credit by examination.
    • AP credit must appear on the college transcript.

 

Admission Process & Selection Of Students

The selection of students is a three-stage process, which is usually completed by mid-February.

Stage One - Screening
  • Verify receipt of all required documents:
    • VMCAS application
    • References (eLORs)
    • Supplemental application
    • Transcripts from ALL colleges/universities attended
    • GRE scores
    • Residency forms (if VA or MD resident)
  • Verify minimum requirement for admission has been met:
    • 2.8 overall grade point average
    • Or, in lieu of that, a 3.3 in the last 45 hour GPA
Stage Two - Application Evaluation
  • Analysis and evaluation of the applicant's academic record and GRE score. The college calculates three separate GPA's for each applicant:
    • Cumulative GPA: Grades earned in all college course work attempted, including repeated courses and graduate work, are considered in the calculation of the cumulative GPA. "Freshman rule" or other forgiveness policies on low grades are not accepted or used by this college.
    • Required science course GPA: Includes the prerequisite science courses listed above. The first courses taken which meet this requirement will be used in grade point average calculations.
    • 45 semester hours GPA: Includes the last 45 semester hours (67 quarter hours) course work. Note that 3 quarter hours converts to 2 semester hours. In the case of the applicant with less than this number of hours at the time of application, the cumulative GPA will be used.
  • Evaluation of non-academic portions of the application.
    • Animal, veterinary, and biomedical experience
    • References
    • Personal statement
    • Activities, achievements, and awards
  • Approximately 70% of the review will focus on academics, approximately 30% will focus on non-academic areas of the application.
Stage Three - Interviews
  • Personal interviews of selected candidates are scheduled for January 25 and 26, 2013.
  • The interviews are conducted in the Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) format, which was adopted by the college in January 2010.
  • Admission offers are based on interview results.

The MMI interview format enables the assessment of non-cognitive attributes such as communication skills, ethical and moral reasoning, problem-solving abilities, and team work. These skills are important for success not only during the professional program, but in post-graduation professional life as well. Candidates participate in 8 six-minute scenarios in which there are no right or wrong answers, but can be very thought provoking.

 

Acceptance, Non-Acceptance, and Deferred Enrollment

  • Applicants offered admission must respond with a signed letter and a non-refundable deposit accepting the offer by April 15, or the offer is withdrawn.
  • Applicants on the alternate list are notified as positions become available.
  • Applicants who are not accepted may make an appointment with the DVM Admissions Coordinator for individual counseling beginning in MAY.
  • Applicants who plan to reapply must submit a complete set of documents to VMCAS, including transcripts, GRE reports, personal evaluations, etc., for each reapplication.
  • The college will consider deferment requests on a case by case basis if a candidate has extenuating circumstances beyond their control. A written request for deferment must be received by the Office of DVM Program Admissions at least 30 days prior to the beginning of the semester of accepted enrollment. Requests for deferment made after this time period will not be granted.

 

Licensure Requirements

Obtaining a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree does not automatically entitle one to the right to practice the profession. Entrance into private clinical practice requires the successful completion of the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination (NAVLE). These examinations are usually written during the final year of veterinary college. DVM graduates who wish to obtain a license for private clinical practice must also write and pass the state board examination for the state(s) in which they are seeking to practice.

Learn more about the college's AVMA Council on Education (COE) status and NAVLE pass rates.

 

Transfers

The VMRCVM Admissions Committee will consider transfer requests on an individual basis subject to availability of space, the reason for requesting transfer, the academic qualifications of the applicant, and what the applicant would bring to the professional program in terms of educational, cultural, ethnic, and geographical diversity. Only students who are in good academic standing with a GPA of 3.0 or greater and who are requesting a transfer from an AVMA-accredited veterinary professional program will be considered.

Learn more about the college's transfer policy.