Information and Resources for Prospective Students
Pre-Vet Advising
Maren Johnson is the Program Coordinator for the Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ Department of Veterinary Medicine. She works closely with the CSU Veterinary Medicine Department of Admissions to provide pre-vet advising. To schedule an advising appointment either in-person on the Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ campus in Fairbanks, or virtually via Zoom, contact Maren at MJohnson46@alaska.edu
DVM Application Procedures
Because our students ultimately earn their DVM degree from Colorado State University (CSU), the admissions process is done through them with members of the Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ faculty sitting on the committee and assisting in the selection of students for the Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ cohort. All applications will be submitted via the CSU application process and evaluated by their standards and practices. To learn more about the application review process, please visit the page.
How do I know when I'm ready to apply?
Before applying, you must meet the , which includes completing several upper-division prerequisite courses and obtaining three letters of recommendation.
Prerequisite Courses:
All prerequisite courses must be completed with a grade of C- or above, by July 15 before matriculation, and at an institution accredited by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). A list of prerequisite courses can be viewed . Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¹ÙÍø×ÊÁÏ offers courses that meet all of the prerequisite course requirements.
Letters of Recommendation:
Candidates must submit three letters of recommendation with their VMCAS application. We highly recommend one be written by a veterinarian and suggest selecting an academic and an employment source for the remaining two.
Application Timeline
The application period opens approximately 19-20 months and closes approximately 11-12 months before your desired start date. This means if you are applying to start in the Fall of 2026, the application period opens at the end of January 2025 and closes in September of 2025. You can view a more detailed breakdown of the application timeline .
"Becoming a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine involves a program of academic preparation..." If you are considering this profession .
High School Students
Thinking about your future? There are two files below which will give you important information for college if you are thinking about becoming a veterinarian. Please be aware that applying to vet school will take you years (4 or more) to complete the course work needed to apply. If you are accepted it will take another 4 years to get your doctor of veterinary medicine degree (DVM).
In High School you should focus on: MATH, MATH, MATH with LOTS of Science!
In college there are certain requisites to achieve a Bachelor’s Degree. Then, there are certain pre-requisites to be eligible for applying to Veterinary School. and there are more recommendations for courses which increase your chances of being accepted.
If your goal is to become a veterinarian, there are several tracks at the University of Alaska (Biology, Chemistry, School of Natural Resources; at UAA College of Arts & Sciences, and UAS; and likely more). Contact us at 907-474-1928 or uaf-vet-med@alaska.edu for a personal advising appointment. You will need to provide an unofficial transcript, a couple of paragraphs explaining your career goals, and a resume (or similar) prior to the appointment. And, of course bring your parents so that they will know what a committment you are working toward, and the costs involved.
Veterinary medicine holds great appeal for many students today. It offers both an opportunity to earn a good income and to be of service to the environment, animals and people (One Health).
Earning a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine involves a program of academic preparation, usually 8 – 10 years after high school. Most applicants to a veterinary medical school have completed 3 to 4 years of college and the majority have earned a baccalaureate degree. The veterinary medical school is 4 years of education in basic sciences and clinical procedures. If you are seriously considering a future career as a veterinarian, you should prepare now for admission to college. Although it is important to take as many math and science classes in high school that you can, courses which will provide the best foundation for our college pre-veterinary curriculum are:
- 4 years of English
- 3 or 4 years of mathematics
- 2 or 3 years of laboratory science (chemistry, physics, and biology)
These courses usually form the basic requirements of many life science baccalaureate programs such as animal sciences, zoology, biology, environmental health and microbiology.
More people apply for admission to veterinary medicine schools than can be admitted. In choosing the most qualified applicants, the Admissions Committees look for those who have shown high scholastic ability and who have gained an understanding of animals and of the profession through such activities as 4-H, Medical Explorer Scouts, hobbies, extracurricular programs at school, community service, and paid or volunteer work on farms or ranches, in pet stores, kennels, animal shelters, research laboratories, and veterinary clinics.
Employment opportunities for veterinarians are almost endless and include private or corporate clinical practice, teaching and research, regulatory medicine, public health, and military service.