Applying to veterinary school can be a daunting (& expensive process). But, don’t worry! We did a deep-dive into each veterinary school, what it’ll cost, acceptance rates, and debt information, to help you make an informed decision. And, on some, we even got to talk to actual students there about what life is like & what they would improve about their experience!
Before we jump into that, let’s look at the top 5 most affordable school & the 5 with the highest acceptance rates.
When we think of affordability, there are a few different factors. First, resident tuition will always be cheaper. So it’s smart to try to get into schools in your state of residence, if applicable.
Second, tuition is only one piece of the puzzle. You’ll also need to factor in living expenses, fees, and other costs related to your attendance. With that in mind, we’ve split up affordability into 4 categories:
Average class size: 131
# of applications: 1,217
Total Tuition Cost: $102,960
Total Cost: $225,580
Total Tuition Cost: $220,680
Total Cost: $360,356
Percentage of Indebted Graduates: 85.2%
Median Debt for Indebted Graduates: $165,315
I really enjoy the atmosphere of AUCVM. I know friends at other vet schools have said that their community can be really competitive and have a very "every man for himself" mentality, but I've had the exact opposite experience at Auburn.
Every class varies a little bit, but we very much operate as a team. We all share resources and study guides as we find and create them and are always eager to help one another. It's a really supportive community, both among classmates and clinicians, and it's really improved my vet school experience.
Auburn focuses very heavily on didactic education and doesn't provide as much clinical experience as early on as other vet schools. I'm in my clinical year currently, and while I feel well prepared for my rotations in terms of working knowledge, I've been out of practice with my hands-on skills since starting vet school.
While club events can help provide more hands-on experience, it can get really tiring only working with animals from time to time. I wish there was more clinical experience incorporated into the didactic portion of our education.
Everyone talks about how hard vet school is, but it's so hard to understand the challenges that come with being in such a rigorous program until you're already in it. Everyone looks for different things when applying to school: in-state versus out-of-state tuition; proximity to family and friends; tracking or non-tracking; the list goes on.
Don't forget to consider the community of the schools you apply to. Your classmates and faculty become your family from the second you start first year all the way through graduation and beyond. Things like tuition are very important, but don't forget to consider who you will end up working alongside for the next four years.
Average class size: 69
# of applications: 353
Total Tuition Cost: $187,129
Total Cost: $312,186
Total Tuition Cost: $187,129
Total Cost: $312,386
Percentage of Indebted Graduates: 100%
Median Debt for Indebted Graduates: $95,425
I love the Big/Little Program we have at TUCVM! Each incoming first year has the opportunity to request a “big”, who is a second year student that mentors them throughout vet school. It's helpful to have someone who already knows how the school operates and the best way to prepare for different courses or professors. Also, it’s inspirational to see what is in store for me next — one of the highlights of last school year was watching my big and the rest of the Class of 2024 receive their white coats!
I also love the diversity at TUCVM; we are the most racially diverse veterinary school in the United States. Being surrounded by classmates and professors who look like me has been invaluable in minimizing imposter syndrome. I have never felt like I don’t belong here.
Clinical skills is an area with room for improvement. We had only a short time within our Clinical Skills course dedicated to hands-on learning. However, TUCVM has begun implementing some changes in the curriculum, so the classes behind us can have more hands-on experiences to apply didactic instruction.
Technology is another key area where advancements can be made. As a small, private school, Tuskegee has less funding compared to larger and/or state schools. But recent donations from alumni, corporations, and nonprofits have helped provide financial support to the CVM.
I would recommend getting involved in different clubs on campus. It’s a great way to learn about different areas of veterinary medicine, make friends and professional connections, and take on leadership roles. If there’s a club you would like to see at Tuskegee that is not already active, take the initiative to start (or restart) it! That's something I did in restarting our Internal Medicine Club (Student Chapter of ACVIM).
Further advice for prospective students is to work in collaboration with your classmates! We all have the same goal to graduate and become successful doctors. Working together, sharing notes, resources, and opportunities is better than competing against each other.
Average class size: 130
# of applications: 1,574
Total Tuition Cost: $259,720
Total Cost: $453,669
Total Tuition Cost: $259,720
Total Cost: $453,669
Percentage of Indebted Graduates: 99.0%
Median Debt for Indebted Graduates: $347,415
Average class size: 107
# of applications: 1,783
Total Tuition Cost: $141,657
Total Cost: $258,631
Total Tuition Cost: $218,157
Total Cost: $347,574
Percentage of Indebted Graduates: N/A
Median Debt for Indebted Graduates: N/A
One of my favorite things is that we have an accelerated program that’s completed in 3 years, rather than the traditional 4 years of most programs. This allows you to get started in your career an entire year earlier!
I love that UACVM embraces diversity and inclusion within our program, but also finds ways to actively increase DEI and representation within the veterinary profession.
Finally, part of being a new program means that students have had the opportunity to constantly engage in dialogue, provide feedback, and help improve the curriculum via open communication with faculty and program directors—which is such an exciting opportunity and continually improves the experiences for the next class of students.
One of the biggest areas for improvement would be the exotics curriculum. I think that we had very few opportunities to learn more about exotics in the same way that we learned about small or large animals.
Additionally, while I love the flexibility and real-world experiences provided with a distributive model clinical year, I think that there is a huge financial burden that comes with this model. Each month moving to various clinic locations can require additional costs for housing, transportation, food, car repairs, pet expenses, etc. This is something to consider when planning your clinical year.
The biggest piece of advice I can give to students within this program, despite sounding cliché is that—you really do get out of it what you’re willing to put in! This program is not a lecture-based program but rather is based on the concept of team-based learning (TBL). This means you spend most of your day collaborating with your team members to work through cadavers, cases, and group projects. Your success within the program is dependent on your ability to not only learn the material, but also how well you work with others around you.
Putting egos aside and recognizing that everyone has strengths, weaknesses, and lifting up the people around you is something that will take you far—as a student but also as someone entering this profession. I think this model of learning is most like the reality of the workplace where you will need to speak up, participate, and work with people from all different backgrounds. Being a team player is absolutely essential to your success!
Average class size: 150
# of applications: 1,199
Total Tuition Cost: $132,100
Total Cost: $289,597
Total Tuition Cost: $181,080
Total Cost: $345,674
Percentage of Indebted Graduates: 69.0%
Median Debt for Indebted Graduates: $150,396
Average class size: 109
# of applications: 641
Total Tuition Cost: $223,102
Total Cost: $370,983
Total Tuition Cost: $223,102
Total Cost: $370,983
Percentage of Indebted Graduates: 87.9%
Median Debt for Indebted Graduates: $312,620
Our curriculum is SO unique!! Like every university curriculum, it has its pros and cons, but overall works really well.
From the very first day, the problem-based learning (PBL) curriculum starts teaching us how to actually work through cases from learning to prioritize important facts, problems, work through differentials, and come up with plans and next steps - it's not just memorizing a ton of information (I mean yes, but also) it's actually learning information not just for exams, but for life too. In addition, we also work with live animals from our very first block because we do rotations through the on-campus clinic and the mobile low-cost clinic, and we visit a local barn for large animal experience too.
Honorable mentions: Southern CA has so much to offer! Campus is close to beaches, LA, and Disneyland, there's a lot of racial diversity in each class, and there's a super close-knit and supportive class environment since our curriculum forces us to be so close to our classmates.
Honestly - inconsistency in communication between faculty and students, depending on the faculty member. Many faculty members are open to talking to students and hearing whatever feedback they have about the curriculum, changes, and concerns, but not every single faculty member is the most receptive or action-driven, so you have to be familiar with which faculty members to talk to to really feel heard.
The curriculum really works. if you let it. Don't resist the methods! This curriculum is the definition of student-centered learning and really puts you in the driver's seat and teaches you how to be independent.
You need help finding resources? The help is there, but you have to have the self-discipline to reach out.
Not succeeding solo-studying? Create your own friend groups and study groups. Because it's so student-centered, the most important thing is that you need to find what works best for YOU and sometimes figuring that out can take time - you definitely won't have it down the first week, or even month.
📍 Fort Collins, Colorado
Average class size: 156
# of applications: 4,128
Total Tuition Cost: $155,295
Total Cost: $269,863
Total Tuition Cost: $250,200
Total Cost: $378,518
Percentage of Indebted Graduates: 84.6%
Median Debt for Indebted Graduates: $179,367
Colorado State University is an amazing place for any student who wants to enjoy the outdoors while getting an amazing education rooted in both science and medicine which is seldom found many other places.
It is the plethora of opportunities to further your education in both of the aforementioned areas of science and medicine which make this program unique. I was fortunate enough to take advantage of one of the dual-degree programs here as I wrap up a Masters in Animal Science w/ a concentration in Ruminant Nutrition, which has allowed me to understand the full breadth of what veterinarians do both in and out of the clinical environment.
It is due to experiences such as those dual-degree programs which allow CSU to maintain its status as a pillar in the veterinary research community which is a tremendous advantage. While those are things that directly impact me, more importantly, the veterinary school has continued to innovate and be forward-thinking in all areas, which brings me hope for those coming after me; this includes a $300 million expansion to our veterinary hospital and a complete curriculum renewal which will create "day one" ready veterinarians to fulfill the needs in our industry.
Colorado State continues to trend towards incorporating more positive well-being practices while maintaining quality education which makes me extremely proud to be a Ram.
There is a shared area of improvement for all universities, including my own, and that is the area of diversity and inclusion or rather lack thereof which is contributing to the veterinary shortage around the country. It's not enough nor has it ever been to simply ask a statement about diversity in the application or to mention it during orientation; DEI has to be put into practice in a way that benefits everyone.
I am currently the only black man at the veterinary school here at Colorado State; there are no black faculty members either, which negatively impacts my experience but drives me to push for more diversity in this space. This doesn't mean that CSU isn't trying, we've had our most diverse class in the history of the institution since 1907 this year, but as we continue to grow, we have to continue the trend of not just accepting students from marginalized backgrounds, we have to support them while they're here.
Our peer institutions have implemented steps that demonstrate this perfectly through the inclusion of required diversity credits for every student, alumni mentorship for students from marginalized backgrounds or even doing community service in areas that are negatively impacted by the stigma surrounding the least diverse health profession in the country.
Colorado State isn't there yet, but they can be, and I know that just as most institutions in the country, they are trying to be.
Attempting to gain entry into any veterinary institution is tough, CSU gets more applications than just about any other school, which statistically makes it even tougher, but not impossible.
My biggest advice is to relax more, stress less, and build your mind for veterinary school. It's not all about grades, although they are a big factor, it's about who you are. There's an unpopular opinion I often share with pre-vet students, "Veterinary medicine is a job, not your life (even though it seems that way sometimes), you are more than that organic chemistry grade or how many pre-vet meetings you go to, and no one cares how good of a veterinarian you are if you're not a good person."
I say these things not to be mean; pre-vet clubs across the country have their place in connecting you with like-minded people; however, when it comes to admissions and life, I would encourage you to venture outside and find your passion beyond animals. Continue to ask yourself a few questions. How do I care for myself? How do I care for people? How do I care for the environment around me? These are the pillars of a well-rounded good veterinarian and student.
Make sure you're going out to do that monthly hike, you're getting involved in advocacy, or even sitting down with your grandmother and asking her about her childhood. Veterinary school requires mental fortitude and not just due to the heavy workload, but because your mental health will be stretched in every way imaginable; don't be a stagnant student because if you're anything like me, you don't want to go to a stagnant school.
