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3.1 Admissions

The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine accepts 30-32 students per year. Students must be Alberta residents, as defined by the Province of Alberta. The Admissions Committee recommends students for admission to the program on the basis of academic and non-academic factors. Students are assessed academically on performance in their last two full undergraduate years and in the required courses (see minimum academic standards below). Selected applicants are invited for an interview day where non-academic factors are assessed. At interview day, applicants are required to complete an on-site essay and participate in a series of interviews and other activities. The interview day will normally take place on the last Saturday of March at the Foothills Campus. Applicants must attend interview day at their own expense. There is no entrance exam or requirement to complete the MCAT or GRE exams. Three references are required. References must include an instructor at a post-secondary institution, a supervisor from a work/volunteer setting and a personal reference who is a non-relative.

Consistent with UCVM's mandate, preference will be given to applicants who demonstrate the attributes for successful careers in veterinary practice that support rural development and sustainability, and for careers related to our areas of emphasis. While no specific animal or veterinary-related experience is required, such experience is an asset. Understanding of the veterinary profession and animal industries relevant to the applicant's career interests is expected. This can be obtained through practical experience or through other means.

The application deadline is normally January 10. Interviews are held in late March in Calgary. Applicants will be notified of the Admissions Committee's decision in June. Students should consult the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine website for updated information and current details on the admissions process ().

Students seeking advanced standing (i.e. entrance at an upper year) should contact the Deanâ€™s Office directly for information on current policies.

Eligibility

Applicants must be Alberta residents, as defined by the following rules.

(a) The Residence of an applicant remains that of his/her parent(s) or guardian(s) unless a new Residence has been established in accordance with clause (b);

(b) The Residence of an applicant shall be considered to be Alberta, if the applicant has last resided in Alberta for a period of twelve consecutive months (without including any period during which the applicant was attending a college or university) prior to enrolment on the first day of classes;

(c) A Canadian citizen who is resident outside Canada and intends to re-establish residence in Canada shall be considered a resident of the province or territory of Canada where he/she last resided for a period of twelve consecutive months before leaving Canada; and,

(d) A person who is a permanent resident as defined in the Immigration Act (Canada) shall be considered to be a resident of the province or territory where he or she first landed unless the person is considered to be a resident of another province or territory of Canada pursuant to clause (b).

The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine does not normally accept applications from students who have withdrawn, who have been required to withdraw, or who have been expelled from any school or college of veterinary medicine.

In selecting veterinary medicine students, no consideration shall be given to factors irrelevant to performance such as gender, race, or religion. Nor will the vocation of an applicant's parent, guardian, or spouse be a consideration in the selection process.

Physical and learning disabilities must not prevent the applicant, upon graduation, from demonstrating competency in the skills and procedures expected of an individual who has completed a DVM degree in an accredited institution.

Minimum Academic Requirements

Normally, the minimum academic requirements for an applicant to be considered for admission are:

(a) Completion of at least two years of full time post-secondary undergraduate education at a recognized university or at a college providing university-equivalency in coursework. A full academic year is defined as a minimum of four courses per semester and two complete semesters, September - April (16 half-course equivalents). The second year may be in progress at the time of application, but must be completed by April 30th of the year of admission.

(b) A minimum combined average of 3.00 ("B" or its equivalent) over the last two full undergraduate academic years, as defined above. If an applicant has completed four or more terms of fulltime undergraduate study at the time of application, the last four terms as of January will be used to calculate your admissions GPA. If applicants are completing their fourth term at the time of application, the GPA will be calculated for the three complete terms for interview eligibility and all four terms for admission.

(c) A minimum overall average of 2.70 ("B-", or its equivalent) with a passing grade in each of the following required courses. Applicants must have completed or be in the process of completing the ten required courses. In-progress courses must be completed by the end of the winter term preceding admission. A required course may not be repeated more than once for consideration. (Grades achieved in a course or its equivalent completed three or more times will not be considered.)

Two Introductory Biology Courses
Two Introductory Chemistry Courses
One Introductory English Course
One Introductory Organic Chemistry Course
One Introductory Statistics Course
One Introductory Biochemistry Course
One Introductory Genetics Course
One Introductory Ecology Course

(d) Applicants who present required courses that have been taken greater than 10 years prior to the application date will not normally be considered for admission. Exceptions may be made for applicants who have continued to work or study in a health-sciences related field following completion of an undergraduate degree.

Applicants are advised to monitor the UCVM website for any exceptions or changes to these requirements. Students requesting an exception to any aspect of the minimum academic requirements must do so at the time of application by completing the necessary section of the application form. Such requests will only be considered on submission of a complete application.

English Language Proficiency

English language proficiency must be demonstrated for all applicants for whom English is not their first language. English language proficiency can be demonstrated in one of the following ways:

(a) Completion of at least two full years within a degree program offered by an accredited university in a country which the ²ÝÝ®ÎÛÊÓÆµµ¼º½ recognizes as English language proficiency exempt.

(b) A minimum score of 92 on the Internet-based TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) and a minimum score of 50 on the Test of Spoken English (TSE); or a minimum score of 237 on the computer-based TOEFL and a minimum score of 50 on the TSE; or a minimum score of 580 on the paper-based TOEFL and a minimum score of 50 on the TSE.

Applications

Application forms for the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine are available on the Faculty website (). Applications will be considered from those students meeting the residency, English and academic admission requirements. Completed hard copy application packages are to be submitted to the UCVM Office of Admissions by January 10th, along with the application fee. We also request that an email submission be sent to the Admissions Office. The completed application must also contain three completed reference forms (available on the Faculty website). A current set of official transcripts submitted directly to the UCVM Admissions office is required (students should delay submission of the first transcript until final marks from their first semester are available; the final submission deadline for transcripts will be established each year but will normally be in the first week of February). Students attending a post-secondary institution at the time of application must submit a second official transcript sent as soon as final marks for the current academic year are received. These transcripts must normally be received by the end of the first week of June, with the final date to be established each year (please consult the current year application manual for details) and must be received prior to final acceptance.

Transcripts and references should be sent directly to the UCVM Admissions Office:

UCVM Admissions
TRW 2D03, 3280 Hospital Drive NW
Calgary, AB T2N 4Z6

Offers of Admission will be sent by regular mail during the first two weeks of June. You will have until June 30th to reply to this offer. Official acceptance letters will be mailed upon receipt of the signed acceptance page and deposit. Letters to waitlisted students and students not offered admission will be sent in the second week of June. If and when additional spaces become available, waitlisted students will be notified immediately. Please note that placements may be available well into the summer.

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