Technical Standards for Admissions, Retention, Promotion, and Graduation

All accepted students must be able to meet the Technical Standards established by the Virginia Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine. After a decision is made to offer an acceptance to a given applicant, that candidate is required to certify his/her ability to meet the Virginia Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine’s Technical Standards, but at this juncture (prior to matriculation) the candidate is required to indicate whether or not he/she is able to satisfy the Technical Standards without accommodation; or if the candidate asserts a disability, whether that disability necessitates provision of accommodation(s). In the latter case, the Services for Students with Disabilities Office which directs the review of medical and other documentation as provided by and/or required of the candidate and the Virginia Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine must then determine if "reasonable accommodation" can be provided, and if so, acceptance and matriculation is approved.

The veterinary profession provides broad opportunities including public health, lab animal medicine, specialty medicine, regulatory medicine, and academic medicine, just to name a few.  However, as the veterinary professional program is very focused on the clinical training of veterinarians, applicants must be able to demonstrate an understanding of the clinical aspects of the veterinary profession in which they are about to embark. As such, they should engage in meaningful experiences, at home or abroad, which provide exposure to clinical settings. 

Applicants should attempt to obtain at least 100 hours of exposure to veterinary medicine through working or shadowing a veterinarian.  Recognizing that time is limited, and that work, research and other activities can contribute to a student's overall preparedness for veterinary school but might compete with time that would have been devoted to veterinarian experiences, the VMCVM Admissions Committee will consider, holistically, the full set of activities described in a candidate's application.