Veterinary: VMCAS

Veterinary medicine may include a broad range of study regarding the health and welfare of animals of all kinds. A veterinarian works in the healthcare of pets, livestock, zoo, sporting, and lab animals. Research is also a key aspect of veterinary medicine, and often focuses on animal diseases and the interactions between humans and animals. Most veterinarians work in private practice, and treat smaller animals or livestock.

Four years of academic study are needed in order to receive a degree in veterinary medicine, with three years dedicated to the sciences and one year of clinical work. Students can also choose to specialize in a certain area of animal healthcare, such as in livestock, pets, or wildlife. Internships and residencies are optional for this medical degree. In order to receive a degree, the state licensure examination for veterinary medicine must be passed. Veterinary school usually last four years, some veterinary schools also offer joint degrees in DVM/PhD, DMV/MPH, or DVM/MBA.

DISCLAIMER

Cal State Fullerton does not have a Veterinary Program. This page serves as a resource for students.

Before You Begin

  • VMCAS websiteOpens in new window
  • The application can open as early as May and closes as early as September.  Please check the VMCAS website for correct dates.
    • VMCAS strongly recommends submitting your application as early as possible to allow time for your application to clear transcript verification. Please note that verification can take up to 4 weeks!
  • You are required to obtain a username and password before beginning the application.
    • It may be to your benefit to make a username early on and familiarize yourself with the application and the website.

Scores

Scores should be sent directly to your designated college(s) prior to the deadline. Check with each program to verify their particular deadline.

Pre-requisite Courses

Common Pre-Vet Prerequisite Courses
Major Pre-Reqs Courses
Biology One Year of Coursework with Lab (dependent on your major) BIOL 151 & BIOL 152
Chemistry One Year of Coursework with Lab CHEM 120A & CHEM 120B
Organic Chemistry One Year of Coursework with Lab CHEM 301A & CHEM 301B (LAB: 302)
Physics

One Year of Coursework with lab

Please note: Undergraduate major may determine physics requirement

PHYS 211 (LAB : 211L) &

PHYS 212 (LAB: 212L)

Mathematics At least one semester of Math is generally required. Some schools require calculus, while others require statistics. Please refer to individual school requirements.

#1) MATH 150A & MATH 150B (Calculus 1 & 2)

#2) MATH 130 & MATH 338

(short course Calc & Stats)

**for stats: OR stats courses offered by your department for your major

Cell Biology, Physiology, or Microbiology Basic or advanced level sciences courses are desirable. Performing well in upper division sciences further demonstrates your ability to handle the rigorous science-based coursework.

Cell Bio: BIOL 303

Physio: BIOL 310 (LAB: 310L)

Microbio: BIOL 302

Genetics One semester is required by some schools BIOL 273
Biochemistry At least one semester is generally required.

Biology majors: CHEM 421 (LAB: CHEM 422)

Biochem majors: CHEM 423A & CHEM 423B (LAB: 422)

English One year is required for most vet schools in the country.  Please note: this can be integrated in upper-division science courses that fulfill writing requirements for major. ENGL 101 & ENGL 301
Humanities/Social Sciences May be met by selecting courses in a variety of areas such as psychology, sociology, languages, music, art, etc.

PSYC 101

SOCI 101

Animal Physiology/ Nutrition/ Science One or all courses are generally recommended yet required by other schools. Mammalian Physio: BIOL 362
Public Speaking/ Communication One semester is generally recommended yet required by other schools. HCOM 100/102

Transcripts & Coursework

Students are required to submit official transcripts from all institutions attended. They are to come directly from the registrar’s office

We suggest that you request two copies of your transcripts, one to be mailed to VMCAS and one to be mailed to you. Your copy can then be utilized to complete the coursework portion of the VMCAS application. Ensuring the accuracy of this portion of your application will help expedite the verification process.

Transcripts should be mailed to:

VMCAS-Transcripts
P.O. Box 9126
Watertown, MA 02471

  • Send transcripts to VMCAS in order to allow time for verification.

Under your coursework section of your application, do not list transfer courses! Be sure to list these courses where you physically took them. If you enrolled in a university for four years and completed a summer course at a community college between semesters, list the summer community college course after you list all courses from your primary university. In other words, report all non-transfer courses from your primary university's transcript in full before you enter courses taken at another school.

If you did not receive credit for a course (if you withdrew, received an incomplete, or failed) and the course appears on your transcript, you still must report the course in Academic Course Work section

If you took classes as part of an education abroad program, you should not list the international institution on your institution list. In this case, your education abroad courses will appear on your U.S. (or Canadian) institutional transcript as regular credit.

Letters of Evaluation

  • Be sure to check your designated colleges’ evaluation requirements. Some schools do not accept committee or composite evaluation
  • Attached is an evaluation requirement chart that lists the requirements for each school
  • There is a minimum of 3 letters of evaluation that need to be submitted
  • There is a maximum of 6 letters of evaluation that can be submitted
  • VMCAS no longer accepts individual letters of evaluation in paper form. They MUST be electronic submitted through the VMCAS Evaluation Portal. The only exceptions are multi-page committee letters and composite letters (however some schools will not accept committee/composite letters) so be sure to check with the school(s) you are applying to.
  • All letters of evaluation must be accompanied by a evaluation form including the committee letter
    • If you are requesting a committee packet, there must be equal numbers of evaluation forms for the number of letters being submitted
    • To register a composite letter in the eLOR system, you should register one “other” for each evaluation that the composite letter is supposed to represent.
    • Visit the VMCSAS website for more information on how to submit a committee packet.
  • If students only want to submit a committee letter it can be submitted electronically. If students are interested in this route please contact Jessica Ruiz, the ItoA specialist, and inform her of such.
  • Be sure to register a minimum of three evaluators in the eLOR section as soon as you begin your application to allow the maximum time for evaluators to complete your letters of recommendation(s).
  • Be sure to verify that your evaluators have received the e-mail request and have submitted your evaluation(s) by 1:00 PM Eastern Time, Wednesday, October 2, 2013. (VMCAS requires one (1) evaluation to be submitted prior to releasing your application for transcript verification, but veterinary schools require a minimum of three (3) total evaluations be submitted.

Essay/Personal Statement

  • Every applicant is required to submit a Personal Statement essay. The available space for this essay is 5300 characters (spaces are counted as characters).
  • The Writing Center in the Pollack Library is also another wonderful resource to aid students in composing and editing their personal statements. The Career Center can provide you with an additional review of your personal statement by their professionally trained counselors. Only current CSUF students are able to utilize the assistance of the Writing Center. Current students and recent alumni (less than one year since graduation) can utilize the experienced counselors of the Career Center.
  • There is also an explanation statement that will be required to be completed. The explanation statement is meant to record information that could not be listed within the web application, such as double majors, missing parental information, disciplinary action(s) which require detailed explanation. This section can also be used to provide the admissions committee(s) additional information that you consider vital to your application.

Submitting Application

In order for your application to qualify for verification, the following items are required to be received by VMCAS before they will begin verifying your application

  • Completed VMCAS web-application
  • At least one (1) submitted letter of reference (e-LOR)
  • VMCAS application payment in full
  • All your official transcripts must be received by VMCAS

Given the materials that need to be submitted this means that students should plan on submitting their application, and have all of their evaluations and transcripts into VMCAS by September 1, 2013 in order to allow time for your application to move through verification

PROOFREAD EVERYTHING!! You have the ability to "print application" and proofread a hard copy.

Once your application is submitted, students can only add designations and evaluations. You will only be able to make these changes up until the deadline. All other information is final once clicking the submit button

If you need to change your contact information after the deadline, send this information directly to your designated colleges. VMCAS cannot delete colleges after an application is submitted.

The VMCAS website Opens in new window has many resources posted for its users. Please take a moment to explore the site to become familiar to the application process. 

Additionally, students can call (617) 612.2884 and speak to an VMCAS representative about specific questions pertaining to their applications. Student can also email vmcasinfo@vmcas.org in order to obtain information pertaining to the application We strongly encourage you to always remain polite and professional when speaking to any member of AMCAS (and HPAO) staff.