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Admissions FAQ in

Response to COVID-19

Are application deadlines being extended?

The VMCAS application window opened in January of this year, providing students with an even longer

Typically, we only accept prerequisite courses for credit (or pass) when the institution itself provides no

other grading options for courses. Non-prerequisite courses, e.g. psychology, calculus, etc., are not held

to this expectation.

Given the disruption of the pandemic on spring quarter/semester courses, we will accept credit for

prerequisite courses whether taken for a grade or pass/fail. Please note that this exception is currently

only for spring quarter/semester. When given the option to take a course for a letter grade, however,

we encourage students to take the course for a letter grade as this factors more easily into the GPAs.

Having credit for a course instead of a letter grade will not affect how your application is considered or

reflect poorly on you. Credit will be granted, but these just won’t count toward your GPA calculations.

Do I still need to take the GRE?

in the future.

The GRE quantitative score is one of the main metrics used in our application evaluation process. Any

application submitted without a GRE score would be incomplete and not considered for admission.

What if I can’t get official transcripts sent to VMCAS?

As of April 30, 2020, VMCAS has added the following statement to their website:

“Effective immediately, the VMCAS 2021 application will include a “COVID-19 Transcript Hardships”

option that enables applicants to upload unofficial transcripts. This measure has been introduced to

allow applications to move through the verification process without institutional delays that may result

from the pandemic emergency. Students must first reach out to their schools to confirm the availability

of an official transcript. If the school can send an official transcript then the student will not need to

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How can I gain veterinary experience hours during this time? What if I can’t find

somewhere to gain experience?

We understand that given the pandemic, gaining hands-on experience may be difficult right now. Animal

clinics/hospitals/shelters are still open as are some zoos, rescues, and animal sanctuaries. There may be

restrictions on the number of individuals allowed to be in one facility at one time, particularly if the

facility is small or indoor only. Therefore, facilities that are larger and/or outdoor may be more likely to

accommodate shadow, volunteer, and/or intern positions.

We are unable to provide specific suggestions on where to gain experience and suggest contacting

clinics, agencies, shelters, etc. in your area to determine who is accepting volunteers. If you are a

current college student, career or pre-health advising centers are excellent resources that may help.

If you are substantially below the 180 hour requirement, however, we encourage you to consider to

apply in the future. Aside from being able to gain experience over an additional year, this may be a great

time to focus on strengthening other areas of your future application, particularly academics. Regardless

of how many hours an applicant has, it’s only with competitive GPAs and a quantitative GRE score that

an application will be thoroughly evaluated for admission.

Can I gain veterinary experience hours through online programs or online courses?

Much of what is learned through veterinary experiences is the intangible (individual mentoring, insights

into practice, partaking in the workflow of a clinic or vivarium) and is likely not to be captured by a video

experience – especially one with many attendees. Online group “rounds” or lectures are not likely to

capture the essence of a DVM experience and we will not count these toward veterinary experience

In order to answer this question, understanding our admissions process, how applications are evaluated,

and how applicants are invited for interviews is required. If you haven’t already looked at our

Application Process & Timeline, please do so in order for our response to make more sense.

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GPAs, quantitative GRE, and eLors are taken into consideration. In this scenario, unique and impactful

experience hours could be really beneficial to your application. A holistic review takes everything into

account. So, if other areas of the application were lacking, a large amount of hours may not necessarily

strengthen your application.

To meet the minimum 180 hours is your first priority. Any hours beyond that may potentially strengthen

your application, depending on the other factors.

Will there still be an in-person interview in December?

Updated: 9/30/20