What Are the Top Schools with Pre-Vet Degree Programs?

Find out what to look for in a school with a strong pre-veterinary program. Read about three of the best undergraduate schools for veterinarians, and review the degree programs they offer to pre-vet undergraduates.

What Are the Characteristics of Top Pre-Veterinary Schools?

If you plan to pursue the education to become a veterinarian, you may want to study at a university with a top-ranked veterinary school. They often provide the best opportunities for undergraduates who wish to focus on a specific discipline in veterinary science and perform research that can impress vet school admission committees. These schools often share characteristics such as advanced facilities and award-winning faculty.

The best pre-vet colleges often have facilities that reach beyond veterinary medicine to encompass a variety of areas within veterinary science, including nutrition, genetics and animal physiology. Facilities utilized by pre-vet programs can include research, breeding and food science laboratories. Faculty at top schools often include researchers and administrators who have worked in a variety of areas, such as food safety, epidemiology and endangered species.

What Are Three of the Best Pre-Vet Schools in the US?

Ohio State University (OSU) in Columbus

OSU's College of Veterinary Medicine tied for fourth in U.S. News & World Report's 2019 rankings for top veterinary medicine programs, and tied for 56th overall among national universities. The Department of Animal Studies pre-veterinary program offers a major in animal bioscience and collaborates with the Department of Human Nutrition to offer a major in animal nutrition. With a strong first and second year GPA and an interest in food supply medicine, you might be one of the ten early commitment students guaranteed a seat in the veterinary school.

You can showcase your research in OSU's College of Food, Agriculture and Environmental Sciences forum. Animal sciences students have traveled to Australia to study animal welfare and the export economy, and other foreign study options are possible. Degrees offered in the OSU pre-veterinary program include:

Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Animal Bioscience
B.S. in Nutrition

Texas A&M University in College Station

Texas A&M's College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (CVM) tied for fourth in U.S. News & World Report's 2019 evaluation of top veterinary medicine programs, and the university was tied as 66th among top national universities in 2019. CVM operates the summer Veterinary Enrichment Camp for rising high school juniors and seniors. You could enter a community college 2-year veterinary technology program at Blinn College, completing your clinical work at CVM.

While the university does not offer a specific pre-vet degree, it does recommend some suitable options that will prepare students for admittance to veterinary school. The Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Science offered by the Integrative Biosciences Department is recommended for pre-vet students, with potential upper-level concentrations in genetics, anatomy, physiology or microbiology. These juniors and seniors can alternate school work with cooperative practical experience. The following degrees are offered:

B.S. in Biomedical Science

University of California in Davis

In 2019, UC Davis tied for 38th among U.S. News & World Report national universities, and its veterinary school was first in the rankings of top veterinary medicine programs of 2019. Its School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM) hosts 29 research centers, ranging from aquatic to wildlife health, and public service units that include hospitals, laboratories and extension services.

The SVM Undergraduate Research Center supports a research conference, the CAMP Research Program and off-campus and summer research opportunities. The Education Abroad Center supports major-specific international opportunities. SVM considers admitting students with at least 108 completed undergraduate quarter units, which should include organic and biochemistry, physics, genetics and physiology. According to UC Davis, degree programs that could prepare you for veterinary school include:

B.S. in Animal Biology
B.S. in Animal Science
B.S. in Animal Science and Management
B.S. in Biotechnology
B.S. in Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology
B.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
B.S. in Biological Sciences
B.S. in Cell Biology
B.S. in Chemistry

Ten Other Pre-Vet Programs

College/University	Institution Type	Location	Estimated Undergrad In-State Tuition (2018-2019)*
Cornell University	4-year, Private	Ithaca, NY	$55,000
Colorado State University	4-year, Public	Fort Collins, CO	$12,000
North Carolina State University	4-year, Public	Raleigh, NC	$9,000
University of Wisconsin - Madison	4-year, Public	Madison, WI	$11,000
University of Pennsylvania	4-year, Private	Philadelphia, PA	$56,000
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities	4-year, Public	St. Paul, MN	$15,000
Tufts University	4-year, Private	North Grafton, MA	$56,000
University of Georgia	4-year, Public	Athens, GA	$12,000
Michigan State University	4-year, Public	East Lansing, MI	$14,000
Iowa State University	4-year, Public	Ames, IA	$9,000

Source: *NCES, U.S. Department of Education