How to Apply

Message from the Director of Admissions

To help you plan in your process of applying, we offer are some clarifications regarding our requirements: 

• Experience: Penn Vet does not require a certain number of experience hours, but we strongly recommend at least 600 hours of vet experiences. Regardless, the applicant should convey in the application essays the insight and understanding they gained from the experience.   

• GPA: Penn Vet does not require a specific overall GPA, but we recommend that applicants have a GPA at least a 3.0 or above. The average GPA of the incoming class typically falls around a 3.6.   

• References: Penn Vet requires 3 references: 1 academic/science reference (faculty or academic advisors), 1 vet reference, and 1 reference of your choosing (we recommend another vet or faculty and not a personal reference). VMCAS accepts up to 6 references.  

• Online Courses: Penn Vet accepts online coursework from accredited colleges/universities.  

• Pass/Fail Coursework: We accept a pass in any 2020 or 2021 course if the applicant’s college/university required pass/fail due to the pandemic. For any other pass (when a graded option was offered), the student must send directly to the Office of Admissions a letter/email (from the professor or academic advisor) identifying what the grade in the class would have been. 

Rob Dimeo

Director of Admissions

Rob can help you navigate the admissions process.

rdimeo@vet.upenn.edu

Matriculation Requirements

At Penn Vet, we celebrate diversity in many respects, including the educational background of our students. As undergraduates our students have majored in a wide range of academic areas. Diversity of background enriches our student body and brings unique perspectives to our community.  Our Matriculation Requirements insure that our incoming students have completed a broad spectrum of coursework before starting the VMD.

Our Matriculation Requirements are not required to be complete in order to apply or be considered/accepted. Once you’ve been accepted and confirmed your place in the VMD program, we will conduct an audit of your coursework to verify completion of these requirements. Incoming students with requirements that are outstanding will have until late July (prior to matriculation in late August) to complete the coursework.

Please note: Courses must be a C or above to meet a matriculation requirement and Penn Vet no longer considers (or accepts) the GRE in our application review process.  

• English: 6 semester credits (at least 3 must be in composition)
• Social Sciences or Humanities: 6 semester credits
• Physics: 8 semester credits, including 2 laboratories
• Chemistry: 12 total semester credits, including laboratory in at least one course; 8 semester credits in general chemistry and at least 4 semester credits in organic chemistry
• Biology or Zoology: 9 semester credits (3 courses), at least one of which must cover the basic principles of genetics
• Microbiology: 3 semester credits
• Biochemistry: 3 semester credits
• Calculus: 3 semester credits
• Statistics: 3 semester credits of any Introductory Statistics course

Apply to Penn Vet (VMCAS)

Like most veterinary schools, Penn Vet uses the Veterinary Medical College Application Service’s VMCAS application, offered by AAVMC, the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges.

We consider exposure to practice, research, or other areas of veterinary medicine to be essential qualifications for aspiring veterinarians. Your VMCAS application should include references to these experiences.

Letters of Recommendation (VMCAS)

Letters of recommendation should be requested and submitted using the ‘VMCAS eLor’ provided in the application. We suggest that applicants request recommendations from people who really “know” them and can speak about the applicant beyond basic information. The recommendation should provide us with depth in relation to academic/intellectual ability, understanding of veterinary medicine, and overall social and communication skills. We require at least three ‘eLors’, one from each of the following areas:

1. A faculty member (Science academic highly recommended) who can speak to the applicant’s abilities not just as a student, but also in how they approach science.  The faculty member DOES NOTneed to be someone who has taught the applicant in class, but should be able to give insights in relation to other students they have taught. 
2. A veterinarian who can discuss, in depth, the applicant’s ability to consider the complexities of the profession, the science of veterinary medicine, and any qualities that are essential to the applicant becoming a successful veterinarian.
3. Anyone of the applicant’s choice, although we suggest that this 3^rd reference be from another vet or science academic source.

VMCAS will accept up to six recommendations in the application.  Penn Vet only requires the three listed above. However, if you would like to submit more than the three, please do so. We will read any ‘eLor’ submitted in the application. That being said, we recommend choosing wisely and selecting sources who know you well.  The quality of your references is more important than the quantity.

Transcripts (VMCAS)

You will need to send transcripts to VMCAS (VMCAS-Transcripts PO BOX 9126 Watertown, MA 02471), including cumulative undergraduate grade-point average, achievement in required preprofessional courses, advanced degrees and academic honors.

Essays (VMCAS)

We require the VMCAS Personal Statement Essay as well as our Penn Vet specific Essays/Questions. 

There isn’t a correct way to write the essays, but you should think about why you want to be a veterinarian, what experiences helped you determine this, and what you can contribute to the profession.  You should include depth in your essays, using specific experiences (in veterinary medicine, research, class, etc.) to detail why you feel a certain way or are interested in a certain area. 

This depth should give the Admissions office an indication of the applicant’s ability to think beyond the surface of veterinary medicine.

Supplemental Information Form

The Supplemental Information Form and Processing Fee System will be available in May. The form and payment must be completed by the due date of the VMCAS application. No application will be considered without the form and processing fee payment completed by this date.  If you have any questions about the Supplemental Information Form and Processing Fee Payment, don’t hesitate to contact us at admissions@vet.upenn.edu or 215-898-5434.

Once you begin, you will not be able to save and reenter at a later time. If you choose to leave before completion, you will need to begin the process again (the process takes about 10 to 15 minutes).  Please have your VMCAS ID available as it must be entered to start the form.  You may not submit a Supplemental form or pay the Processing Fee until your application has been submitted to Penn Vet through VMCAS.

Payment of the processing fee with a credit card (preferred method) will be completed after you have finished the Supplemental Information Form (you will be directed to the payment system). If you choose to pay by credit card, please make sure to use the exact PERMANENT address on file for your account as our payment processing system is very strict as it relates to the address of record.  If you cannot pay by credit card, you may exit after completion of the Supplemental Information Form and send a *check for $75.00 payable to: The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. It should be mailed, along with your complete name and VMCAS Application Number to:

The School of Veterinary Medicine 
University of Pennsylvania 
Admissions Office 
3800 Spruce Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104

*If you choose to pay by check and it is returned, you will be assessed a $35.00 fee on top of the standard $75.00 fee.

2025 Supplemental Information Form and Payment system (for Fall 2026 entry) (To complete the Form/Payment, your application must be submitted to Penn Vet through VMCAS)

Application Review

Once you’ve completed your application, the next step will be the internal review by the Penn Vet Committee on Admissions of all of applications. We will then invite a select number of applicants for an interview.

Interviews generally take place early in the year, but please review the full admissions timeline.

About the Penn Vet Committee on Admissions

All applicants to Penn Vet are reviewed by our Committee on Admissions, a standing faculty committee.  Applicants are selected on a comparative basis.  Because there are many more applicants than places in each class, meeting all requirements for admission does not ensure acceptance. 

When making its selections, the committee considers all aspects of an applicant’s file. Those we consider to be the most important include:  academic ability; familiarity with the profession and resultant sincerity of interest; recommendations of academic counselors, science faculty and veterinarians; character; personality; and general fitness and adaptability for a career in veterinary medicine.

The obligation to understand and meet Penn Vet’s admissions requirements rests solely with the applicant.