Additional academic criteria guidelines

The admissions committee views a solid and broad undergraduate experience to be crucial preparation for successful completion of the veterinary curriculum. When evaluating an applicant, the committee considers both academic and non-academic qualities.

When evaluating an applicant’s academic qualities, the committee members ask themselves: How likely is it that the applicant will be able to successfully complete our rigorous, science-based veterinary curriculum? Answering this question begins by considering the applicant’s academic indices, including cumulative GPA, science GPA, last 45 semester hour (or last 60 quarter hour) GPA, science and math prerequisite GPA, grades in upper division science courses, course load per semester, major and academic institution, advanced degrees, and record of academic honors, scholarships, etc. 

Four GPAs

The admissions committee considers the four GPAs listed below when evaluating applicants. Our program uses GPAs as calculated within the VMCAS application. Information on how GPAs are calculated is available on the VMCAS website.  

  • Cumulative GPA – GPA of all courses from all institutions 
  • Science GPA – GPA of physical and biological science courses 
  • Last 45 semester hour/60 quarter hour GPA 
  • Prerequisite GPA – GPA of all DVM program science and math prerequisite courses 

DVM quick links