Scholarship Information

Students, faculty, and staff at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine share a goal to improve the health and welfare of both animals and humans. We also hold the same deep commitment to providing an excellent and affordable veterinary education. Friends and alumni of our school play key roles in supporting student scholarship aid as a means of reducing our students' debt burdens.

The majority of our scholarships are based on academic merit, financial need, and class year. Students may apply directly to the school for several scholarships. Notices of these instances are sent via e-mail to the appropriate classes. Students are notified on a regular basis of other scholarships as they become available.

Opportunity Scholarships

Opportunity Scholarships in the amount of $12,000 ($3,000 per academic year) are awarded to first-year students based on academic merit, financial need and donor interests, regardless of state residency. Opportunity Scholarships foster scholarship support and mentoring opportunities by pairing a donor (or donors) with a single student for their entire four years. Applications for Opportunity Scholarships are distributed to first-year students during Freshman Orientation, and the number of students selected is dependent on the number of friends and alumni supporting this program.

Lois F. Fairchild Scholarship

The Lois F. Fairchild Scholarship in Veterinary Public Service in the amount of $15,000 is awarded to a third-year student with a strong interest in veterinary public service, and is based on academic merit and financial need. The scholarship may be renewed in the fourth year. This scholarship is available regardless of state of residency. Applications are required and the recipient is selected by the Scholarship Committee.

Richard Newpher Endowed Scholarship

Richard Newpher Endowed Scholarship: Penn Vet will award a $5,000 scholarship each year, in perpetuity, to a student studying large animal medicine. Learn more about the Newpher Endowed Scholarship.

American Kennel Club Scholarships

American Kennel Club Scholarships in the amount of $5,000 - $15,000 as one-time, renewable grants are awarded to students with an interest in purebred dogs, and are based on quality of submitted proposal, academic merit and financial need, regardless of state residency. Applications are submitted to the American Kennel Club for final selection.

Westminster Kennel Foundation Scholarships

The Westminster Kennel Foundation Scholarship in the amount of $10,000 is awarded to one senior student with an interest in small animal medicine and is based on academic merit and and financial need.

Additional Scholarships

Additional scholarships in amounts from $1,000-$2,500 include the Western States Scholarship, the William Goldman Scholarship, the American Veterinary Medical Foundation Scholarship, and the Pennsylvania Veterinary Foundation Scholarship.

Recruitment Scholarships

Recruitment Scholarships are used to secure highly academically capable students (GPA of 3.8 or above and GRE scores above the 80th percentile for the Class of 2015) and students that we may not ordinarily attract. These may be defined in University terms as adding diversity to the class, school, or university; students who come from normally unrepresented regions of the U.S or the world, students who have different cultural backgrounds, and students who demonstrate unusual or atypical interests in veterinary medicine (e.g. a PA resident with proven interest in food animal studies).