General Information
The University Of Tennessee College Of Veterinary Medicine admits approximately 85 students into the graduate program every year consisting of 60 in-state residents and 25 out-of-state residents.
The Admissions Cycle begins in January of each year.
Prerequisite Course Information
A candidate must have completed the minimum pre-veterinary course requirements as listed at the time of matriculation.
- All pre-veterinary course requirements must be completed by the end of the Spring term of the year in which you intend to matriculate.
- All prerequisite courses must be completed with a grade of C or better.
- Pre-veterinary course requirements may be completed at any accredited college or university offering courses equivalent to those at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
- Completion of pre-veterinary course requirements does not guarantee acceptance into the College of Veterinary Medicine.
Pre-veterinary Course Requirements
| Subject Area | Semester Hours |
|---|---|
| English Composition | 6 |
| Social Sciences/ Humanities | 18 |
| General biology / zoology with lab | 8 |
| Cellular biology | 3 |
| Genetics | 3 |
| General Inorganic Chemistry with Lab | 8 |
| Organic Chemistry with Lab | 8 |
| Physics with Lab | 8 |
| Biochemistry, Exclusive of Lab* | 4 |
| *This should be an upper-division course in general cellular and comparative biochemistry. Half of a two-semester sequence will not satisfy this requirement. | |
| Total semester credit hours | 66 |
* Applicants are strongly encouraged to take additional courses in the biological and physical sciences, especially comparative anatomy, mammalian physiology and microbiology with laboratory.
VMCAS Application
Submission deadline:Â September 15, 2023, @ 11:59 PM Eastern Time
Application process: All applicants (resident and non-resident) must apply through the Veterinary Medical College Application Service (VMCAS). The VMCAS web-based application will be available online at: https://portal.vmcas.org/VMCAS, established by the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges, is a centralized application service which provides for the collection, processing, verification, and distribution of applicant data to participating colleges.VMCAS is not involved in the admissions decisions. Admissions decisions are the prerogative of the College of Veterinary Medicine.
- You are strongly encouraged to apply early to avoid online transmission congestion.
- Appropriate VMCAS application fees should be sent to VMCAS, not to the college.
Go to VMCAS Portal then see Instructions
Application information packets may also be obtained from:
- The College of Veterinary Medicine
- The University of Tennessee
- 2407 River Drive, Room A104C
- Knoxville, TN 37996-4550
The electronic application for admission for Fall Semester 2020 must be completed and submitted at the website: www.aavmc.org.
UTCVM Application Fee
Submission deadline:Â September 15, 2023, @ 11:59 PM Eastern Time
This payment is REQUIRED for admission to the University of Tennessee’s College of Veterinary Medicine.
- Go to the online payment area to pay the required $45.00 fee.
Completed applications must be submitted online to VMCAS no later than September 15, 2023. Three (3) Letters of Recommendation and all college transcripts must be submitted for the application to be considered complete. The Supplemental Application Fee must be paid no later than September 15, 2023, @ 11:59 PM Eastern Time.
It is the applicant’s responsibility to request a minimum of three (3) VMCAS Evaluation Forms and Letters of Recommendation to be submitted electronically. Three letters of recommendation are preferred; six (6) letters of recommendation will be the maximum number of evaluations accepted.
Requesting transcripts be sent to VMCAS is also the responsibility of the applicant. Transcripts must be sent directly to VMCAS.
*A NON-RESIDENT APPLICANT MUST HAVE A MINIMUM CUMULATIVE GPA OF 3.2 ON A 4.0 SCALE, AND A TENNESSEE RESIDENT APPLICANT MUST HAVE A MINIMUM CUMULATIVE GPA OF 2.8 ON A 4.0 SCALE TO BE CONSIDERED. THE ONLY EXCEPTION TO THE ABOVE MENTIONED MINIMUM GPA REQUIREMENTS WILL BE GIVEN IF AN APPLICANT HAS MADE A DISADVANTAGE DECLARATION BY PROVIDING A DISADVANTAGE STATEMENT ON THEIR APPLICATION.​
Applicants that submit valid Disadvantaged/Hardship statements will be reviewed if below the academic benchmark to assess if further review is appropriate based on conditions of hardship. Examples of hardships could include but are not limited to the items listed below.
- Economic Opportunities
- Educational Opportunities
- Cultural Background
- Discrimination based on race, religion, gender, etc.
- Physical Disabilities
- Family Challenges
- Other Mitigating Circumstances
Applications are accepted from U.S. Citizens, permanent residents of the United States and International applicants.
Selection of applicants is a three-phased process and is normally completed by mid-January.
Phase One
- Objective
- A point value is derived from evaluation of academic transcripts.
Phase Two
- Subjective
- A point value is derived from faculty evaluation of complete application and disadvantaged or hardship statement.
Phase Three
- Evaluation of non-academic attributes of those individuals selected after phases one and two.
- Not all applicants will be invited for personal interview.
GPA Calculations
In all categories, grade point average (GPA) is calculated on all course work attempted, including repeated courses.
Overall GPA
All course work including graduate work. GPA x 6
All Math and Sciences GPA
All undergraduate level math and science courses. Including Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Life and Animal Sciences. GPA x 12
Recent UG GPA
The most recent 45 hours of undergraduate course work. Partial semesters and quarters will be used to reach 45 hours. GPA x 6
(Note: All Sciences, Math and Recent UG GPA are calculated using only undergraduate level course work.) Credit Hour Calculations
Applications are reviewed by a team of 2-3 faculty members. The maximum points an applicant can achieve for Phase Two is 27, which is normalized to a percentage of 100. Complete applications will be assigned to faculty members and scored based on the criteria listed below.
- Academic Credentials
- Veterinary Experiences
- Letters of Reference
- Personal Statement
- Written Communication Skills
- Supplemental Disadvantaged/Hardship Statement
- Personal Qualities (community service, leadership, work history, interest area, cultural competency, and diversity)
The third phase of the selection process is the personal interview. Most applicants selected for the Phase Three Evaluation will be contacted for an interview, although a select group of applicants may receive pre-interview offers. Interviews are conducted during a single live but virtual meeting with members of the College faculty, staff, alumni and/or students. Each interview team member scores the applicant independently. An interviewed applicant may earn a maximum of 32 points in phase three that is normalized to 100%. Criteria interviewers may evaluate include but are not limited to:
- Motivation
- Maturity
- Experience with Animals
- Knowledge of the Veterinary Profession
- Personal Qualities
- Leadership Potential
- Personal Statement
- Demonstration of Critical Thinking Skills
- Potential to Contribute to the Profession
- Supplemental Application
The Academic Review (Phase One) constitutes as 40% of the total score. The Holistic Packet Review is 35% and the Interview is 25% of the total score, to give a Total Adjusted Score that is used to help make final selections for candidate offers and for an pool of alternate candidates.
2023-2024Â Application Season
NO LATE SUBMISSION WILL BE ACCEPTED
Use this to ensure you submit all your information in a timely manner
Deadline September 15, 2023
- VMCAS deadline
- Supplemental Disadvantaged/Hardship Statement deadline
- UTCVM Application Fee deadline
- Electronic Letters of Reference deadline
- Prerequisites: verified taken or plan completion date
- ALL College Transcripts with classes through Summer 2023
NO LATE SUBMISSIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED
Using the total scores as a guide, the Admissions Committee makes decisions about admission and alternate status. Final offers are made in consultation with the Dean.
Contact Information
For admissions questions, please contact:
- Deborah Shepherd
- Phone: (865) 974-7354
- Fax: (865) 974-4773
- E-mail: cvmadm@utk.edu
Please address correspondence to:
- College of Veterinary Medicine
- 2407 River Drive
- Room A104C
- Knoxville, TN 37996-4550
