Veterinary Medicine Applications

Application Opening Dates

VMCAS

• January 19, 2023-VMCAS opened 3 sections: Personal Information, Academic History, Supporting Information
• May 11, 2023-Program Materials section, selection of programs, and submission becomes available
• September 18, 2023 at 11:59 pm ET-Final VMCAS submission deadline

TMDSAS

• May 1, 2023-TMDSAS opens at 8:00 am CST
• May 15, 2023-Submission is available at 8:00 am CST
• September 15, 2023-Submission deadline at 5:00 pm CST

Before You Apply-fall semester/early spring of application year

• Check with schools about any questions on coursework, for example, will they accept CHM 12901 on its own? Will they accept it with the CHM 11500 credit exam? Do you need to do something else?
• Plan for letters
  • Verify that the letters you intend to get will meet the needs of the schools at which you intend to apply BEFORE you apply to those schools.
  • Meet with and ask letter writers for letters no later than spring break
• Determine if you will need the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) for any of your programs. If you do, create a plan to prepare.
• Become familiar with the application process. Read the veterinary school websites, the VMCAS Help Center (application instructions), and the TMDSAS Handbook (if applicable).

VMCAS Application

January-Application Partially Open

Personal Information Section

• Biographic and background information-basically all of your demographic information

Academic History Section

• Schools attended list
  • List all schools where you have college credit
  • For each school you will obtain a Transcript ID Form which will help in matching your transcript to your application. This form must accompany your transcript.
• Transcript Entry
  • This is the tedious section because of entering all of your transcript information
  • You will need to enter every course semester-by-semester
  • You need to work from transcripts as you do this
  • Ultimately, this will be checked against your transcripts and what you enter needs to match those transcripts
  • We recommend doing your own transcript entry rather than professional transcript entry

Supporting Information

• Application Essay
  • The essay: 3000 characters including spaces. This needs to be well-written and well-edited.
  • The topic: Why do you want to pursue a career in veterinary medicine? Make sure you clearly address this and don't just talk around the topic.
• Experiences and Achievements
  • Enter all of those hours of animal and vet experiences you have accumulated, research, volunteer work, etc
• Recommendations
  • You can have letters submitted during this time period.
  • Meet with your letter writer and finalize your letters.
  • Offer them the PPA Letter Writer Guide to provide them with tips for writing letters.
  • You will need at least 3 letters for your application to be processed.

May-rest of the application opens-students can complete application and submit

Program Materials

• Select Schools
  
  • Select the schools where you want to apply
    • Some schools will require supplemental application information to be submitted as part of VMCAS
    • Some ask for additional information external to VMCAS
• Send Transcripts
  • Purdue sends only PAPER transcripts because we do not use the third party vendor required by VMCAS to send electronic transcripts.
  • When requesting your transcript, be sure to attach the Transcript ID Form
  • More detailed description of sending transcripts from Purdue
  • Verify that your transcript arrives

Application Submission

• Submit your application between May and mid-August
• VMCAS Hard Deadline: Sept. 18, 2023 at 11:59pm ET

Fee Assistance

• Fee assistance for VMCAS opens early June--do NOT submit your application if you are applying for fee assistance.
• You cannot be reimbursed. You must be awarded fee assistance BEFORE you apply.

TMDSAS Application for Texas A&M and/or Texas Tech

Much of the information for VMCAS applies to TMDSAS, but the timing is slightly different and the application has a few differences.

Essays

• TMDSAS has its own essays--consult the TMDSAS Application Guide

Letters

• TMDSAS uses a Veterinary Medicine Applicant Evaluation Form rather than letters
• 3 evaluations are required and 1 of these evaluations must be completed by a veterinarian
• Letters are not accepted-ONLY the Veterinary Medicine Applicant Evaluation Form is used
• These forms are submitted electronically by your evaluators through the TMDSAS Evaluator Portal

Transcripts

• Do not send transcripts at time of application-only send them when requested to do so by TMDSAS
• When TMDSAS requests your transcripts you will fill out the Colleges Attended section first
• From the application obtain a TMDSAS Transcript Request Form that will be sent with your transcript
• Have Purdue send your PAPER transcript sent along with the Transcript Request Form
• More information on sending Purdue transcripts
• Verify that your transcript arrives as TMDSAS

Application Submission

• Last date to submit is September 15, 2023 at 5:00pm CST

If you like to plan things out and prefer a more detailed to-do list, we have you covered. Check out our Application Action Plan for Veterinary Medicine for a big picture view of planning for vet school.

Graduate Record Exam

Two things you need to know about veterinary school and the GRE:

1. Schools that require an aptitude test typically require the Graduate Record Exam (GRE)
2. A number of schools no longer require an aptitude test (only about 6 do)

What's on it the GRE General Test

The GRE is sponsored by the Educational Testing Service (ETS). The test is taken on your computer and measures several areas of general knowledge.

• Verbal Reasoning
• Quantitative Reasoning
• Critical Thinking
• Analytical Writing Skills

Who should take it?

Applicants to veterinary schools that require the test and those who are applying to dual degree programs if it is required (for example, a DVM/MPH program).

Check with the schools where you are applying and see if it is required for you.

Timing Your Test

• First look at schools where you will be applying and determine if you need the GRE
• If so, it is common to take the test in the spring/early summer at the end of your junior year (if you are graduating in 4 years).
• You must have 21 days between tests. Try to take the test early enough that you have time to repeat it if you feel you need to.

When is the GRE Offered?

It is offered most days. You can take the test in a testing center or take the GRE at Home test.

To take the test at home, you will need:

• A quiet and private space to take the test with no distractions
• A computer with a camera and microphone
• You may have a small white board or a piece of white paper covered in a sheet protector so that you can use a whiteboard pen on it as scratch paper.

Costs

The cost as of February 2023 to take the test in the United States is $220. You can also opt for ScoreSelect which allows you to choose the scores you send to schools if you take it more than once.

Fee Reduction Program

Fee assistance is available for the GRE. Learn more at the GRE Fees Site.

Testing Accommodations

ETS is committed to making the test experience accessible to everyone. Read more about their policies and procedures for requesting accommodations.

Scores

• The verbal and quantitative reasoning sections range from 130-170 in 1-point increments
• The analytical writing is reported as a range of 0-6 in half point increments
• Results are available in your GRE account in 10-15 days after the test
• GRE scores are typically valid for 5 years, but individual schools may have different policies.

Learn more about score reports and sending your scores to schools.

Competitive Scores

What is considered a competitive score varies from school to school. Typically you want to be above the national average. The 80th percentile on the test is between a 150-160 in verbal and quantitative analysis and a 4.2 in analytical writing. Generally you want to at least be above the national average for the test (which is 150.8).

GRE Preparation

ETS offers some preparation materials. These are a good place to start. You can also find numerous other companies that offer GRE test preparation materials. These materials will help you learn about the various kinds of questions you will face on the test and help you practice these questions.

You must include full length practice testing as part of your preparation. This is the only way to determine the timing and pacing you need for the test.

Veterinary Medicine Application Resources

American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges' Becoming a Veterinarian Tab

Notable sections under the Becoming a Veterinarian tab:

• How to Apply
  • Application Instructions
  • Application Fees
  • VMCAS Applicant Guide
  • VMCAS Sample Application
• What to Know Before You Apply--which has admitted student statistics
• Funding Your Degree
• Webinars

Veterinary Medical School Admission Requirements (VMSAR) is a free resource with information about individual school requirements. You do need to register to use it, but it is free to use.

VMCAS Applicant Help Center (VMCAS Instructions)

VMCAS Sample Application

TMDSAS Application Guide

AAVMC Member Institutions

Provide your letter writers the PPA Letter Writer Guide to help them write their letter.

VMCAS Customer Support

• Quickest response is to use the chat feature within the application
• Phone: 617-612-2884
• Email: vmcasinfo@vmcas.org
• M-F 9am-5pm, ET

TMDSAS Customer Support

• Quickest response is to use the chat feature within the application
• Phone: 512-499-4785
• Email: info@TMDSAS.com
• M-F 9am-12pm & 1pm-5pm, CST