vmcas 2022 applicant guide contents

VMCAS 2022

APPLICANT GUIDE

1. About the AAVMC ....................................... 4

Accreditation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

2. Careers in Veterinary Medicine ................... 4

Career Opportunities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Job Outlook. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Specialties. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

3. How Do I Become a Veterinarian? ............... 6

Education Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Licensure Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Funding Your Degree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Diversity in Veterinary Medicine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

4. Prepare to Apply for Veterinary

Medical Schools ..........................................7

High School Preparation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Undergraduate Preparation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Experiences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

5. What Is the VMCAS? ................................... 8

How Does VMCAS work? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Getting Help With Your Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

6. Before You Begin ........................................ 9

VMCAS Submission and Deadlines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Application Processing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Verication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Monitoring Your Application’s Progress . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Release Statements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Releasing Information to Advisors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

VMCAS Account Creation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Use an Existing VMCAS Account to Reapply . . . . . . . . 11

Accessing the Application. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Overview of the Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

My Prole . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Important Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

7. Identifying Information ............................. 13

Legal Name. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Alternate Names. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Birth Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Sex and Other Identity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

8. Biographic Information ............................. 13

Current Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Permanent Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Phone Number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Email . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Alternate Email . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Citizenship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Residency Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Visa Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Race & Ethnicity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Ethnicity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Race. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Parent/Guardian. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Other Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

9. Schools Attended ......................................16

High School. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Colleges. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Adding a College or University . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Academic Status Denitions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Sending Ocial Transcripts to VMCAS . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Transcript Follow up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Academic Infraction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Rejected Transcripts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Transcript Posting Delays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

10. Coursework .............................................. 20

Academic Term and Year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Academic Status Denitions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Course Name and Course Number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Enter Courses for a Completed Term . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Enter Courses for an In-Progress or Planned Term . . . 22

Narrative Transcripts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Credit Hours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Semester, Trimester, and Quarter Credits . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Unit Credits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Lab Credits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Test Credits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Special Course Types (Transcript Review) . . . . . . . . . . 22

VMCAS 2022

APPLICANT GUIDE

CONTENTS

2 AAVMC • VMCAS 2022 APPLICANT GUIDE

11. Experiences and Achievements ................ 23

Experience Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Adding Experiences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Most Important Experiences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Achievements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Adding Achievements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

12. Letters of Recommendation ...................... 25

Before You Begin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Committee Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

How to Submit a Recommendation Request . . . . . . . . 25

How to Resend the Recommendation Request . . . . . . 26

Changing the Recommender's Email Address . . . . . . . 26

Waiver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Checking the Status of Letters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

13. Veterinary Medical Schools ...................... 26

Selecting the Veterinary Medical School(s)

That Will Receive Your Application. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

How to Select VMCAS Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Deleting a VMCAS Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

14. VMCAS Essay ............................................27

15. Standardized Tests ....................................27

GRE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Other Tests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

16. Disputing and Correcting Your

VMCAS Course Subjects and GPAs ........... 28

Disputing Course Subject Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Correcting an Incorrect Course

Subject Assignment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Correcting a Vague Course Subject Assignment . . . . . 28

Disputing Your GPA Calculations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

17. Correcting an Undelivered

VMCAS Application .................................. 29

Undelivery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

Correct and Redeliver Your Application. . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

How Undelivery Affects Your Application Timeline . . . 30

18. Post-submission Changes ........................ 30

19. Monitoring Your

Application Status .................................... 30

20. Refunding/Withdrawing Your

VMCAS Application ...................................31

Refund Policy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Withdrawing Your Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Credit Card Payment Disputes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

21. AAVMC Policies ......................................... 31

Acceptance Date Policy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

AAVMC Policy Regarding the Collection,

Use and Dissemination of Applicant Data . . . . . . . . 32

22. VMCAS Fees and

Fee Waiver Program ................................. 32

23. Additional Resources ................................ 34

AAVMC Cost Comparison Tool. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

GRE Exam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Veterinary Medical School Admission

Requirements Website . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

The North American Veterinary Licensing

Examination (NAVLE) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Veterinary Debt Initiative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

24. VMCAS Glossary ...................................... 34

25. Application Statuses ................................. 36

In Progress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Received . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Complete. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Undelivered . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Veried. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

CONTENTS CONTINUED

3AAVMC • VMCAS 2022 APPLICANT GUIDE

VMCAS 2022

APPLICANT GUIDE

1. ABOUT THE AAVMC

The Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges

(AAVMC) is a non-prot membership organization working

to protect and improve the health and welfare of animals,

people, and the environment by advancing academic veterinary

medicine. The association was founded in 1966 by the deans

of the then existing eighteen colleges of veterinary medicine in

the United States and three in Canada. During the 1970s and

1980s, AAVMC’s membership expanded to include departments

of veterinary science in colleges of agriculture, and in the 1990s

to include divisions or departments of comparative medicine.

In 2008, AAVMC began accepting non-accredited colleges and

schools of veterinary medicine as provisional members.

Today, the AAVMC provides leadership for an academic

veterinary medical community that includes 54 accredited

veterinary medical colleges in the United States, Canada, the

Caribbean Basin, Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and

Mexico. The AAVMC also includes 12 Collaborative and

Provisional member institutions, four Departments of Veterinary

Science, three Departments of Comparative Medicine and one

additional teaching/clinical facility.

Our Vision: Academic veterinary medicine is a trusted leader and

valued partner in advancing health.

Our Mission: AAVMC inspires innovation and promotes

excellence in academic veterinary medicine worldwide.

aavmc.org

Accreditation

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Council

on Education (COE) accredits DVM or equivalent educational

programs. The COE is recognized by CHEA as the accrediting

body for schools and programs that offer the professional DVM

degree, or its equivalent in the US and Canada. The Council

may also accredit foreign veterinary colleges. The COE is also

recognized by the US Secretary of Education as authorized by

US law. The scope of this recognition may differ from the CHEA

Recognition Statement.

The AVMA COE assures that minimum standards in veterinary

medical education are met by all AVMA-accredited colleges of

veterinary medicine, and that students enrolled in those colleges

receive an education which will prepare them for entry-level

positions in the profession.

In the United States, graduation from a COE-accredited college of

veterinary medicine is an important prerequisite for application

for licensure. Internationally, some veterinary schools have

chosen to seek COE accreditation in addition to accreditation by

the competent authority in their own regions. COE accreditation

of international veterinary schools provides assurance that

those programs of education meet the same standards as other

similarly accredited schools.

Learn more here avma.org/education/

accreditation-veterinary-colleges.

2. CAREERS IN

VETERINARY MEDICINE

Whether they are pets, livestock, or working animals, animals

matter to individuals and society. Every community needs

veterinary professionals to provide animal health care, but

veterinarians also do many other kinds of jobs. They make sure

the nation’s food supply is safe. They work to control the spread

of diseases. They conduct research that helps both animals

and humans. Veterinarians are at the forefront of protecting the

public’s health and welfare.

Besides medical skills, veterinarians often take a holistic

approach to human well-being and animal welfare that,

combined with communication and problem-solving skills,

makes veterinarians uniquely qualied to fulll a variety of roles.

Many veterinarians, of course, provide care for companion

animals through private medical practices, but veterinarians

are also involved in promoting the health and welfare of farm

animals, exotic animals, working animals (like those in the

equine industry), and those that need a healthy environment

in which to thrive, whether that environment is a rain forest, a

desert or even the ocean.

4 AAVMC • VMCAS 2022 APPLICANT GUIDE

Outside of companion animal practice, the largest employer

of veterinarians in the United States is the U.S. Department of

Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, but veterinarians

are found throughout government in roles where they contribute

to public health, the environment, and even homeland security, as

well as working in research and public policy.

Many veterinarians are engaged in work at the intersection of

both human and animal health. For example, veterinarians play

an important role in food safety, where epidemiological research

is crucial to forecasting the threat of foodborne diseases and

outbreaks. They work to keep cattle and other food animals

healthy by developing and testing various farm control methods

that help to detect, limit, and prevent the spread of food that

might be contaminated by salmonella, E. coli, or other pathogens.

And they are often on the frontlines of surveillance where their

extensive medical training can help them to detect and treat the

outbreak of diseases that have the potential to make the jump

from animals to humans.

Career Opportunities

Most often when you think of veterinarians you think of them

as clinicians in private practice working with small companion

animals such as cats and dogs, or out in rural areas working

with production animals or horses. However, veterinarians have

careers in many other sectors as well. Below lists some of the

areas where you will nd career opportunities as a veterinarian:

• Private practice, where about two-thirds of veterinarians

in the United States work. There are many types of private

practices, ranging from small animal exclusive, exotics,

equine exclusive, and food animal exclusive to mixed

animal practices that would work with all species.

• Corporate veterinary medicine, for example, with

corporations that provide veterinary care, test human

drugs for safety, or produce animal-related products.

• The federal government employs veterinarians through

the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA),

National Institutes of Health (NIH), Centers for Disease

Control (CDC), and Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

working on biosecurity, environmental quality, public

health, meat inspection, regulatory medicine, agricultural

animal health, or the investigation of disease outbreaks.

• The U.S. Army Corps and U.S. Air Force offer career

opportunities in areas such food safety and military working

dog veterinary medicine. The military also provides advanced

training in specialty areas for those who commit to service.

• Research, either in a university setting or with companies

that produce animal-related products or pharmaceuticals.

• Teaching, either in academia or non-professional

schools. With 40 percent of aging faculty in academia

eligible for retirement over the next 10 years, projections

indicate an increasing need for qualied academics

to teach in all disciplines of veterinary medicine.

• Public health, particularly with governmental agencies such as

the United State Public Health Service, which works to control

the transmission of animal-to-human (zoonotic) diseases.

• Food supply medicine, with either the government

or a food animal company.

• Global veterinary medicine, in private practice or with

international agencies working in areas such as food

production and safety or emerging diseases.

• Public policy, working for governments on animal and

zoonotic diseases, animal welfare, public health issues,

or as consultants with nongovernmental agencies.

• Shelter medicine, working with communities and

private or public agencies to ensure the health and

well-being of animal populations housed in shelters.

Job Outlook

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics1 the job market for

veterinarians is predicted to grow 16 percent from 2019 to 2029.

This is much higher than the growth rate for all occupations,

which is 4 percent for the same timeframe. Also, there are always

new career opportunities for veterinarians as veterinary medicine

continues to expand into areas such as cancer treatment,

radiation therapy, physical therapy, and other specialty areas that

are present in human medicine.

Specialties

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) recognizes

many specialties within veterinary medicine. These include

anesthesia, animal welfare, behavior, dentistry, dermatology,

emergency and critical care, internal medicine cardiology, internal

medicine neurology, internal medicine oncology, laboratory

animal medicine, microbiology, nutrition, ophthalmology,

pathology, pharmacology, poultry veterinarians, preventative

medicine, radiology, sports medicine and rehabilitation, surgery

orthopedics, surgery soft tissue, theriogenology, toxicology,

veterinary practitioners (including avian, equine, beef cattle,

feline, canine/feline, exotic companion mammal, food animal,

dairy, reptile and amphibian, and swine health management),

and zoological medicine. You can nd out more about these

specialties at the AVMA website: avma.org/public/YourVet/

Pages/veterinary-specialists.aspx. To become a specialist,

additional training is required beyond that of the DVM degree and

additional examinations must be passed to evaluate skills in the

specialty area.

5AAVMC • VMCAS 2022 APPLICANT GUIDE

3. HOW DO I BECOME

A VETERINARIAN?

Education Requirements

Earning your Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree

typically takes eight years of education beyond high school.

Although variations occur, a typical DVM graduate has attended

four years of undergraduate education and then four years of

professional school at a college of veterinary medicine.

All colleges of veterinary medicine require prerequisite courses

that must be completed before applying. Prerequisites are

typically a mix of math, science, social science, and humanities-

based courses. Every college has different requirements and

varying restrictions on whether they accept AP/IB credits,

community college courses, and/or online courses to fulll those

prerequisites. You need to do your research on different school

requirements. There are multiple sources of information—the

Veterinary Medical School Admissions Requirements (VMSAR),

individual websites for each school, and admissions oces of

each school.

Most schools do not require you to have a bachelor’s degree

before matriculating into a DVM program. You may be able to

apply after only two years of undergraduate education if you

meet the prerequisite coursework.

Almost all veterinary medicine programs in the United States and

Canada are four-year programs. The four years typically include

three years of nonclinical or didactic training and then one year

of clinical training. A few schools have two and a half years of

preclinical training followed by one and a half years of clinical

training. Again, this is something to research on individual school

websites.

Licensure Requirements

To become a licensed veterinarian, which allows you to practice

veterinary medicine in a private or public practice, you must take

and pass the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination

(NAVLE). Students typically take the NAVLE in November/

December of their fourth year in veterinary college. Visit icva.net/

navle for more information about the NAVLE.

Funding Your Degree

There are many avenues to fund your veterinary education

including scholarships, federal student loans, private and

personal loans, and career-specic loan repayment programs.

While not every veterinarian will qualify for these programs,

you should be aware of what is available. Financial aid ocers

at colleges of veterinary medicine are also able to provide

more information. Visit aavmc.org/becoming-a-veterinarian/

funding-your-degree/ for more information about how to

fund your degree. Another resource is Explore Health Careers

(explorehealthcareers.org/?s=nancial+aid). You can search for

articles and information about nancing your education on this

website.

Diversity in Veterinary Medicine

The Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges

(AAVMC) arms the value of diversity within the veterinary

medical profession. The AAVMC has been a champion of

equality since its inception. The membership is committed

to incorporating that belief in its actions by advocating the

recruitment and retention of underrepresented persons as

students and faculty and ultimately fostering their success in

veterinary medicine.

Contrary to societal trends, veterinary medicine remains one of

the least diverse professions in the United States. However, our

efforts to attract a student body that is more reective of society

have resulted in diversication of the applicant pool. The number

of racially and/or ethnically underrepresented students currently

is about 20 percent of total enrollment. That gure continues to

grow and has increased substantially since the 2005 launch of

the DiVersity Matters initiative.

To achieve results, we conduct career fairs, disseminate

information about veterinary career options, work to generate

interest in veterinary medicine, present at key diversity meetings

and conferences, and help lead students through the application

process.

Read more about AAVMC’s Diversity efforts in Veterinary

Medicine (aavmc.org/programs/diversity).

To learn more about diversity and inclusion programming at any

individual college, visit their websites and search for “diversity”

or “inclusion.” Many schools have summer programs for

economically disadvantaged or URVM students, and as most of

these programs are federally or state funded, they may or not

be available on any given year. It is critical to visit the school

websites and search for any programs currently available.

6 AAVMC • VMCAS 2022 APPLICANT GUIDE

4. PREPARE TO APPLY

FOR VETERINARY

MEDICAL SCHOOLS

High School Preparation

While in high school there are some preparatory things you

can do to help you prepare for a career in veterinary medicine.

Veterinary medicine is a career that is steeped in science.

Therefore, in high school you should take biology, chemistry, and

physics courses to prepare for the science prerequisites which

you will take in college. Math is also important, so consider

taking algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and precalculus or

calculus in high school. It is also important to take four years of

English composition and courses in social sciences, and arts and

humanities. If your high school offers a class in public speaking,

that would also be a good choice. Other things to consider:

• Meet with your high school counselor to discuss pursuing a

veterinary medicine career and create an academic plan.

• Take Advanced Placement (AP) math and science classes

to prepare for more dicult college level coursework.

• Maintain a competitive GPA.

• Be involved in school activities, clubs, or school government.

• hold leadership positions if you can.

• Shadow or volunteer at a clinic to obtain

animal and veterinary experience.

• Consider volunteering at zoos or shelters.

• Join your local 4-H.

• Develop strong time-management and study skills.

• Research and attend colleges of veterinary medicine

summer programs for high school-aged students.

• Keep track of animal, veterinary, extracurricular

activities, volunteer work, and employment.

• Note the date, experience (organization),

what you did, number of hours, and contact

information for the organization.

Undergraduate Preparation

Academics

• A bachelor’s degree is not required at

most U.S. veterinary schools.

• Maintain good grades while completing veterinary

school prerequisites is important. It is not necessary to

maintain a 4.0 throughout your undergraduate years.

• Complete the prerequisites at a pace in which you

can maximize your learning and your grades while

participating in nonacademic activities, whether that be

extracurricular activities, employment, volunteer work,

clubs, research, or animal/veterinary experiences.

• Your choice of major is not a factor in

veterinary school admissions.

• Complete the prerequisites no matter your choice of major.

• Most veterinary school applicants have a

major in either animal science or biology, but

your major is not a factor in admissions.

• Veterinary schools do not have common prerequisite

requirements. The best places to research prerequisite

requirements are either this publication, the AAVMC

Veterinary Medical School Admission Requirements

(VMSAR) website (applytovetschool.org), or the veterinary

school website. AAVMC also develops a prerequisites

chart, available online, as a guide for applicants.

• Advanced degree - often, applicants pursue an advanced

degree to improve their GPA. An advanced degree

can offer the opportunity to complete research, which

can be a positive addition to your application.

• A holistic review would value upward

academic trends in recent semesters.

Experiences

• Pursue nonacademic experiences that interest

you. Veterinary schools are looking for applicants

who have well-documented experiences and can

articulate why they chose those experiences and

what they have learned from those experiences.

• Consider continuing to volunteer and serve your community

even after high school. Choose organizations that are

important to you and volunteer consistently. If you can

grow into a leadership role, then that is a bonus that

will add value to your veterinary school application.

7AAVMC • VMCAS 2022 APPLICANT GUIDE

• Include all extracurricular activities on your application.

Keep track of your activities and your role in any

clubs. Look for opportunities for leadership roles

in any activities in which you participate.

• Explore opportunities to engage in research.

Completing research with a faculty member could

lead to a very positive letter of recommendation

for your veterinary school application.

• Work experience can show your work ethic, dedication,

commitment, responsibility, communication skills,

and leadership potential. While most college jobs

may be customer service-based, this feeds into better

communication skills and a better understanding of

working with diverse populations. Make the most of

your employment experiences in your application.

• Obtain animal experience where possible. Consider

volunteering at shelters, 4-H, zoos, therapeutic riding

centers, nature centers, rescues, and farms, and so

forth. While pet ownership is also a way to gain animal

experience, most veterinary colleges would like to see some

type of organized experience beyond pet ownership.

• Obtain veterinary experience under the supervision

of a veterinarian. To understand what a veterinarian

does you will need to shadow, assist, or volunteer for a

veterinarian. If possible, it is good to shadow more than

one veterinarian as a veterinarian working for a large

clinic may have a very different job and lifestyle than a

veterinarian working in a small, mixed animal practice.

Before committing to veterinary school, you want to be

sure that this is the career you envision for yourself.

• Most veterinary schools do not have a required

minimum number of hours of veterinary experience

but check the requirements for each school.

• Most veterinary schools do require a letter of

recommendation from a veterinarian, and this means that

you must have enough hours to build rapport with a DVM

who will write you a positive letter of recommendation.

• Do not forget to keep track of your all your experiences.

• Create a chart noting the date, experience, why

you choose the experience, what you did, what you

learned, number of hours, contact information, and

reference potential. This will come in handy when

you are looking for recommendation letter writers.

5. WHAT IS THE VMCAS?

Welcome to the Veterinary Medical College Application Service

(VMCAS). VMCAS is a centralized application processing service

for applying to veterinary medical colleges. You complete one

application and send all your required materials through this

service to multiple schools. Your application is processed,

veried for accuracy, and transmitted to the veterinary medical

colleges you designate.

VMCAS is never involved in the admission decision-making

process. Admission decisions are made solely by each veterinary

medical school. The Veterinary Medical School Admission

Requirements (VMSAR) is a helpful resource during the

application process. Additionally, visit the veterinary medical

colleges websites to become familiar with each school’s

admissions requirements and processes.

How Does VMCAS work?

Application submitted

• Online application is completed and submitted to VMCAS

• Application fees are paid (or Fee Waiver Program

award is used)

Application Processed

• All required ocial transcripts arrive at VMCAS

• Verication of coursework is completed

• Calculation of VMCAS GPAs

Application Delivered

• Designated veterinary medical schools

receive your application

*Note: Veterinary Medical Schools only review Veried Applications.

Getting Help With Your Application

Online: aavmc.org/vmcas

Visit the AAVMC website for information about the VMCAS

application process and requirements for applying to veterinary

medical school.

For help with application-related questions, contact VMCAS

customer service by chat via the icon in the lower right corner in

the Applicant Help Center, by phone, or by email.

Phone: 617-612-2884

VMCAS Customer Support Team representatives are available

Monday through Friday from 9 AM to 5 PM ET. Please provide

your VMCAS ID when you call.

Email: [email protected]

8 AAVMC • VMCAS 2022 APPLICANT GUIDE

6. BEFORE YOU BEGIN

VMCAS Submission and Deadlines

The VMCAS application deadline is September 15 at 11:59 P.M.

Eastern Time. Be sure to have all your transcripts received at

VMCAS prior to the deadline to avoid processing delays and

missed deadlines.

To meet a VMCAS deadline, your application must be submitted

by 11:59 P.M. ET on the deadline date (September 15).

Application materials received during peak periods (July through

September) may take longer process because of high volume.

Application Processing

During peak season, VMCAS verication may take upwards of 2

weeks. Once you have submitted your application and VMCAS

has received all your required transcript(s), your application will

be listed as Complete. At this stage, your application is ready to

enter the Verication queue.

The most common reasons for an Undelivered application include:

• Unreported institution is found during verication

• Missing school transcript

• Incorrect course prexes

An Undelivered application may be corrected or changed and

then resubmitted to VMCAS (only before the application

deadline of September 15).

The standard application process involves the following steps:

• Electronic submission of your VMCAS application

• Request at least 3 letters of recommendation

• Submit all required transcripts

• When your application and all transcripts have

been received, VMCAS veries your entered

coursework against your ocial transcripts

*Your application is only veried one time once all your required

transcripts have arrived.

Applicants accept full responsibility of checking the status of

their application through the application portal and ensuring all

materials are submitted by the deadline. Application submission

communication will be sent via e-mail that indicates only that

your VMCAS application has been received; it does not indicate

that your materials are complete or that you have met the

deadline requirements. Omission of any necessary materials

causes processing delays and could lead to missed deadlines.

Verication

During verication, VMCAS performs a line-by-line comparison

of the information you entered in the Coursework section of the

application with the information on your ocial transcript(s).

Monitoring Your Application’s Progress

VMCAS makes every effort to process applications in a timely

manner. Therefore, you are responsible for:

• Checking the status of your application materials

in the applicant portal (Check Status tab)

• Checking your email communication

for important information

• Following up on any application issues

prior to the application deadline

Release Statements

To submit your application, you must review and respond to

the following release statements. These responses may not

be edited after you submit your application. Review these

statements carefully. It is your responsibility to read and

understand these statements before responding to them.

Code of Conduct

In accordance with the ideals and principles of the veterinary

profession, applicants to schools and colleges of veterinary

medicine are expected to conduct themselves in a manner

that demonstrates responsibility, integrity, veracity, and good

judgment. Schools and colleges of veterinary medicine seek to

admit applicants who possess a high level of professionalism

and potential.

Applicants will demonstrate these qualities by taking ownership

of all aspects related to the application and admissions

processes. Applicants will follow these guidelines:

1. Review the admissions requirements and

application procedures for both VMCAS and for

each designated veterinary medical school or

college to which the applicant plans to apply.

2. Communicate with both VMCAS and admissions oce

personnel in a professional and timely manner.

3. Provide all required information on the VMCAS

application accurately and by the application deadline.

4. Provide all required information on the

supplemental applications/questions accurately

and by the school-specic deadlines.

9AAVMC • VMCAS 2022 APPLICANT GUIDE

5. Regularly check the VMCAS and school-specic status

pages to ensure that your applications are complete and

follow up in a timely manner on any missing items.

6. Regularly login to the VMCAS application

to check for important messages.

7. Regularly check your email for important messages

from the schools and colleges to which you applied.

8. Notify each admissions oce in a timely manner

if you do not plan to attend an admissions

interview which has been offered to you.

9. Respond to all offers of admission by the April 15

Common Reply Date, including the schools and

colleges you have decided not to attend.

10. Abide by all VMCAS and school-specic deadlines.

Indicate your understanding and acceptance of the

terms described above by checking this box.

Application Certication

I certify that all the information and statements I have provided

in this application are correct and complete, including any

statement regarding my state of residence. I certify that, as

required in the application, I have read and understand all

application instructions, identied all sources of information

related to my college attendance and credits, all actions by

a university or other institution, and all information of any

criminal record in any jurisdiction. I have read and understand

all notices contained within the application and the VMCAS

Web page informing me of my obligation to provide true and

complete answers to all questions. I understand that withholding

pertinent information requested on this application, or giving

false information, may be grounds to deny me admission to a

veterinary college participating in VMCAS or may be grounds to

expel me from such college after I have been admitted. I have

read and understand the VMCAS Application Deadline Policy

and the VMCAS Refund Policy.

I authorize the AAVMC VMCAS to disclose my information to (a)

a limited number of third-party organizations that are involved in

the application process, including AAVMC VMCAS’s third-party

service providers, and (b) tuition assistance services that request

this information, such as those that use information to identify and

contact applicants who may be eligible for waivers or scholarships.

Indicate your understanding and acceptance of the

terms described above by checking this box.

I give my permission to ocials at all institutions that I have

attended to release information requested by any college of

veterinary medicine to which I have applied.

Indicate your understanding and acceptance of the

terms described above by checking this box.

Final Reminders

I have read and understand the AAVMC Privacy Policy.

aavmc.org/assets/data-new/les/Students_Advisors/

AAVMCPrivacyPolicy.pdf

I have registered three recommenders in the Recommendations

section. I understand that I must at least register three

recommenders in the Recommendations section.

I understand that VMCAS only accepts electronic

recommendations. I understand that it is my responsibility to

check with school sites to verify recommendation requirements.

I understand that for electronic recommendations, I will need

to verify that my recommenders emails are correct and that

they have received the email request once I have created them

in the system.

I understand that electronic Recommendations must be

submitted by the application deadline.

I understand that I am required to send ocial transcripts of

all coursework taken prior to Fall 2021 directly to VMCAS. Test

scores should be sent to the appropriate GRE code, as described

in the VMCAS instructions. Supplemental applications and

supplemental fees (if applicable) and nal Fall 2021 & Spring

2022 transcripts are to be sent directly to my designated colleges.

I understand that VMCAS does not provide refunds under any

circumstances. This includes accidentally choosing the wrong

school, missing the deadline, or materials are not received by

the deadline.

I understand that by sending payment to VMCAS, I am signaling

my intent for VMCAS to process my materials, regardless of

whether they are completed or not.

I understand that if I elect to participate in and pay for the

Professional Transcript Entry (PTE) service, that I agree to have

ALL of my required transcripts delivered to VMCAS no later than

August 13, 2021.

I understand that once I submit my application, I cannot make

any changes to my submitted information. I agree to contact

my designated school(s) with any changes to my contact

information.

I understand that I will need to record and provide my VMCAS ID

whenever contacting VMCAS for questions or concerns.

I understand that electronic Recommendations must be

submitted by the application deadline.

Indicate your understanding and acceptance of the

terms described above by checking this box.

10 AAVMC • VMCAS 2022 APPLICANT GUIDE

Advisor Release

By selecting Yes, you authorize VMCAS to release parts of

your VMCAS application and application status to pre-health

advisors and advisory committees at schools you previously

attended. Your advisor can then better assist you throughout

the admissions process. Your academic and application status

information is shared; however, your personal, nancial, and

disciplinary information, as well as your personal statement, are

not shared. Once you submit your application, you cannot edit

this response.

Yes

Applicant Data

I give my permission to AAVMC to utilize raw applicant data for

research purposes.

Yes, I understand and accept the terms described above

No, I do not accept the terms described above

Releasing Information to Advisors

If you wish to authorize VMCAS to release information about

your application to the designated advisor(s) at the school(s)

you attended, select Yes. The school-designated advisor(s)

have met VMCAS-established requirements and are bound by

condentiality. Transferred information includes your personal/

demographic information, the veterinary medical schools to

which you have applied and actions those schools have taken,

and the status of your VMCAS application.

In addition, selecting Yes for this option allows VMCAS staff to

discuss your application with the designated advisor(s) at this

school.

Pre-Vet/Pre-health advisors use this information to gauge the

effectiveness of their advising program and to improve advising

services at their school.

VMCAS Account Creation

When creating an account, consider the following:

• Create only one account to avoid processing delays

and diculties. Duplicate accounts and any documents

associated with those accounts are deleted.

• For your own security, do not share your password

or account information with anyone.

• Usernames and passwords are case-sensitive.

• Use an email address that you check frequently

to avoid missing important updates.

New Account Instructions

To create an account:

From the application home page, click Create an Account.

1. Complete the required elds, agree to the terms

and conditions, then click Create my account. *

2. A message appears that your account was

successfully created. Click Continue.

3. Use the arrows to review helpful information. When

you are ready, click Start Your Application!

*You must enter your rst and last name. If you

only have one name, enter it in the applicable name

eld (i.e., rst name or last name), then:

• Enter FNU if your rst name is unknown.

• Enter LNU if your last name is unknown.

Once your account is created, you will receive a VMCAS ID

number. This appears in the top right corner of your application.

If you need to contact customer service, provide this number to

them so they can quickly nd your application.

Use an Existing VMCAS Account to Reapply

You can use an existing account from a previous cycle to

re-apply in the current cycle. You also keep the same VMCAS ID

number from the previous cycle. To avoid processing delays and

diculties, do not create a new account. Duplicate accounts and

any documents associated with those accounts are deleted.

1. Log in to the application. A welcome screen appears;

conrm you want to begin the re-application

process by clicking Start Reapplication.

2. Ensure your prole information, including

your contact information, is correct.

3. Decide if you want to copy application data.

Your selection cannot be changed.

If You Choose to Start a Fresh Application

The data from your previous application cycle is wiped clean and

you proceed with a blank application.

If You Choose to Copy Application Data

Information such as coursework, ocial test scores, attached

transcripts*, etc. can be copied into the new application. Letters

of recommendation, essays, payments, and program-specic

information cannot be copied into the new application.

1. Select the information you want to carry over.

Unselected items will not carry over and cannot

be recovered, so ensure your selections are

complete before clicking Save and Continue.

11AAVMC • VMCAS 2022 APPLICANT GUIDE

2. A notication alerts you that every section of the application

for which you choose to copy application data will require

your review. You will need to review each application

section to conrm the data is accurate. Click Continue.

3. A second notication provides instructions for accessing

a PDF copy of your previous application. This PDF

is only available if you submitted an application last

cycle. Download the PDF before clicking Continue.

4. Your selected data will begin copying to your new

application. This can take up to 24 hours to complete and

you will receive an email once the application is ready.

To successfully copy ocial test scores, the name and date of

birth on your new application must match the name and date of

birth on your original application. Note that it can take several

days for the matching process to complete.

If you have a difference in name and date of birth, contact

customer service to have your scores manually copied into your

application.

*if you have updated coursework you will need to submit updated

transcripts. Click Here to review step-by-step instructions for the

re-application process, including what items can and cannot be

carried over.

Note that if you paid for PTE in a previous cycle, your PTE

coursework only carries forward if you submitted your application

and approved the PTE coursework entry in the previous cycle. See

Professional Transcript Entry (PTE) for more information.

Accessing the Application

You may access the VMCAS Application by visiting

vmcas.liaisoncas.com/applicant-ux/#/login.

Overview of the Application

The VMCAS application is comprised of four sections:

1. Personal Information

2. Academic History

3. Supporting Information

4. Program Materials

When the application opens on January 21, 2021, applicants will

be able to complete the rst three sections. On May 12, 2021,

the Program Materials section will be available, and applicants

will be able to select programs, complete any program specic

questions, and ultimately submit their application.

My Prole

Information you entered when you created a VMCAS account will

be available in My Prole.

You can make any necessary changes to your legal name,

preferred name, birth date, and email address (only changeable

before submitting your VMCAS application). After you have

submitted your VMCAS application, you can update the

information in your VMCAS My Prole as needed. Be sure that

your information is accurate because this email address is tied

your VMCAS application notications.

Important Notes

• A red asterisk (*) marks required elds throughout

the application. Even though optional elds are not

required, the information may be helpful to admissions

ocers and, ultimately, to you. If applicable, provide the

optional information.

• To make sure that you receive emails from the VMCAS,

we recommend that you add [email protected]g

as a “Safe Sender.” It is your responsibility to ensure

that you receive messages from VMCAS and veterinary

medical schools.

• The VMCAS application may time out after inactivity.

Remember to save your work often!

12 AAVMC • VMCAS 2022 APPLICANT GUIDE

7. IDENTIFYING

INFORMATION

Legal Name

This eld is for your full legal name as it appears on legal,

government-issued documents. The elds will be automatically

populated based on the First or Given Name, Middle Name, and

Last or Family Name elds entered when creating your account.

Both rst name and last name are required. Full middle name is

optional but preferred in case of identical rst and last names.

Title, Sux and Display Name are optional.

Alternate Names

Alternate names are any other names, such as a maiden

name or a nickname that may appear on any of your ocial

transcripts, ocial test scores, or other information sent to

VMCAS. Select Yes in this section and enter the alternate name

information. Completion of this eld is optional, but VMCAS

strongly encourages you to complete this eld to prevent missing

information and delays. If you do not list alternate names in

your application, contact customer service so they can manually

match these items to your application; failure to do so could

cause signicant delays.

Examples of alternate names include:

• Birth names (if different from current legal name)

• Maiden names

• Nicknames (e.g., "Bob" for Robert, "Beth" for Elizabeth, etc.)

• "Westernized" names

• Alternate punctuation (e.g., your name appears

with/without a hyphen or apostrophe)

• Alternate spacing (e.g., your name appears

with or without specic spaces)

• Known misspellings (if a document contains a misspelling)

Birth Information

Enter your birth information in this section - date of birth in

MM/DD/YYYY format. For example, January 7, 1999, would be

listed as 01/07/1999. Make sure you enter your date of birth

correctly; failure to do so could cause signicant delays with

matching documentation and test scores.

Then, enter your country, city, state/territory/province, and

county of birth.

Sex and Other Identity

Sex eld is required, but you may choose “Decline to State.”

Other Identity is an optional question which asks if you “Decline

to State,” do you identify with a gender not listed. This question

is intended to provide veterinary schools information about the

many ways an applicant could contribute to the diversity of the

institution and the profession. Answering or not answering this

question will not impact your application.

8. BIOGRAPHIC

INFORMATION

Current Address

Enter the address where you want to receive mail correspondence.

Be sure to keep this section up to date as you complete and

submit your application. If you anticipate a change of address,

enter the date through which your current address is valid.

Permanent Address

If your current address is different from your permanent address,

select No under Is this your permanent address? Then, enter

the address that you consider to be your permanent and/or

legal residence.

Phone Number

Your phone number pulls in from the information entered when

you created your account. Verify that the listed phone number and

type are correct; click the Prole Section link to make changes.

Your email address pulls in from the information entered when

you created your account. Verify that what appears here is

correct; click the Prole Section link to make changes.

Alternate Email

Enter an alternate email where you can be reached in the event

your main email is not functional.

13AAVMC • VMCAS 2022 APPLICANT GUIDE

Citizenship

Select your US citizenship status and country of citizenship, if

applicable. If you have dual citizenship, indicate your second

country of citizenship.

When selecting your status, consider the following denitions

which are adapted from the US State Department:

• US Citizen: an individual who was born in the US

or attained citizenship through naturalization.

• Permanent US Resident: an individual who holds a Green

Card and is permitted to permanently live and work in the US.

• Temporary US Resident: an individual who is an

alien – a nonimmigrant foreign national – who is

approved to temporarily live in the US for a specic

purpose (e.g., as a student), has a permanent

residence abroad, and does not hold a Green Card.

• Non-resident: an individual who is a nonimmigrant

foreign national and who is permitted to travel in the US

for tourism or business for stays of 90 days or less.

• None: an individual who has no US citizenship or

visa (immigrant or nonimmigrant) status.

Note: to ensure applicants are entering consistent data for

some questions, this application uses pre-populated answer

options that are maintained by the International Organization for

Standardization (ISO). For example, country answer options are

derived from ISO 3166, which is the international standard for

country codes and codes for their subdivisions.

Residency Information

Provide your residency information, including your legal state

of residence.

Visa Information

If you currently have a US Visa, select Yes, and enter all visa

information. Please note that we cannot advise you on your visa

status or any related details.

When selecting your visa type, consider the following denitions

which are adapted from the US State Department. Note that this

list is not all-inclusive. Refer to the US State Department for more

information.

• B-1 Visitor: an individual who wants to enter

the US temporarily for business.

• F-1 Student: an individual who wants to

study at a US academic institution. This is

the most common student visa type.

• H1-B Employee: an individual who wants to

work in the US in a specialty occupation.

• J-1 Student: an individual who wants to study at a US

academic institution. This is generally used for students in

educational exchange programs (e.g., Fulbright Program).

• J-1 Teacher, Researcher, or Trainee: an individual who wants

to teach at a US primary or secondary school, research at a US

institution, or train in an occupational eld at a US business.

• Refugee: an individual who is located outside of the US, is

of special humanitarian concern to the US, demonstrates

that they were persecuted or fear persecution due to

race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or membership

in a particular social group, is not rmly resettled in

another country, and is admissible to the US.

• Visa Waiver WB: an individual from a Visa Waiver Program

(VWP) participating country that allows travel to the US for

business stays of 90 days or less without obtaining a visa.

• Visa Waiver WT: an individual from a Visa Waiver Program

(VWP) participating country that allows travel to the US for

tourism stays of 90 days or less without obtaining a visa.

• Other: an individual who has received a visa type not

listed. Note that this list is not all-inclusive, and more

visa types may be available in the application.

Race & Ethnicity

Programs fully recognize the importance of diversity in their

student body and in the workforce. Accordingly, programs

strongly encourage applications from persons from all

socioeconomic, racial, ethnic, religious, and educational

backgrounds and persons from groups underrepresented in the

profession. Please select all the options in this section which you

feel best apply to you. Please note that this section is used for

statistical purposes only and in no way affects your application

or nancial aid eligibility.

Ethnicity

Indicate whether you consider yourself to be of Hispanic or

Latino origin. This question is optional.

Race

Select one or more of the groups of which you consider yourself

to be a member. This question is optional.

14 AAVMC • VMCAS 2022 APPLICANT GUIDE

Parent/Guardian

In this section, you can opt to enter demographic information

about your parent(s) or guardian(s), including where they reside,

their level of education, current occupation, and role within your

household.

Add a Parent/Guardian

1. Click Add a Parent/Guardian.

2. Select the relationship between you and the parent/guardian.

3. Enter his/her rst and last names.

4. Select his/her gender.

5. Indicate if he/she is living or deceased.

6. Select his/her occupation.

7. Select his/her residency information.

8. Select his/her education levels.

9. Indicate whether this parent/guardian is in your

primary household (where you lived during the

majority of your life, from birth to age 18).

10. Click Save and Continue.

11. Add additional parents/guardians, as needed.

Other Information

Language Prociency

Select your native language (the language of your birth). If you

speak additional languages, click Add Another Language. Then,

select the language(s) and the level of your prociency in each.

Military Status

If you have US military experience, select your anticipated status

at the time of enrollment from the drop-down. Select Not a

member of the military if this does not apply.

Felony and Misdemeanor Convictions

Indicate whether you have ever been convicted of a misdemeanor

or felony. Note that most programs require satisfactory

background check results as a condition of acceptance. Failure

to disclose and provide accurate information about prior

convictions may have serious consequences, such as annulment

of acceptance offers, program dismissal, or other sanctions.

Background checks reect all prior convictions, guilty pleas,

city ordinance citations (such as public intoxication), illegal

possession(s) including possession of alcohol under the legal

age, payments of nes (including trac violations), and, in some

cases, prior records thought to have been expunged. Note that

in some states, common trac violations may be considered

misdemeanors.

Candidates with criminal records due to felony offenses are

encouraged to be aware of the potential impact for program

acceptance and future licensure. Contact the programs you

wish to apply to and state licensing agencies where you hope to

practice for advice if you have a felony conviction or a criminal

record. If you are uncertain of the status of a charge versus a

conviction on your record, or if you are uncertain as to whether

your offense was an infraction, misdemeanor, or a felony, contact

the city, county, or state jurisdiction where the incident occurred.

If you are convicted of a misdemeanor or felony prior to

admission and/or matriculation, it is your responsibility to

immediately inform your program(s).

Answering Yes to these questions will not automatically

disqualify you from admission to veterinary school.

Academic Infraction

Indicate whether you have ever been disciplined or placed on

academic probation while attending an academic institution. If

yes, enter an explanation in the spaces provided.

Additional Information

Answering these questions helps programs gather information to

develop future recruitment strategies.

• Current Student Status

• Student Reported GPA from Primary School

• Has there been any interval longer than 3 months

during which you were not enrolled as a student or

employed. If Yes, provide an explanation including

the duration and how you spent the time.

WICHE Applicants

You are a WICHE (Western Interstate Commission for Higher

Education) applicant if you are a resident of Arizona, CNMI, Hawaii,

Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, or Wyoming AND if you

have applied for and/or received notice from the certifying oce

in your state/territory that you are a duly certied applicant for the

Professional Student Exchange Program. For further information,

contact your WICHE State Certifying Oce whose contact

information is listed at wiche.edu/tuition-savings/psep. Additional

information about how WICHE PSEP applicants are selected for

support in veterinary medicine is located at wiche.edu/wp-content/

uploads/2018/10/HowWICHEselectsPSEPstudents.pdf.

Previous Applications

If you previously applied to any veterinary medical colleges or

universities, select the year(s) you applied. Use the entering

year of the fall semester when you would have enrolled.

Report only applications submitted before the current VMCAS

application cycle.

15AAVMC • VMCAS 2022 APPLICANT GUIDE

First Generation College Student

Indicate if you are a rst-generation student (i.e., neither parent/

legal guardian completed a bachelor's degree or higher).

Explanation Statement

Use this optional section to record information that cannot

be listed elsewhere within the application, such as missing

parental information or disciplinary actions that require

detailed explanation. This section can also be used to provide

the admissions committee(s) additional information that you

consider vital to your application (i.e., COVID-19 impact). Your

explanation statement should be clearly and succinctly written

– 3000 characters (including spaces) have been allotted for

this purpose. Examples of pertinent information might include

explanations about interruptions in your studies or experiences,

unique circumstances you have faced, or reasons for decisions

you have made.

This section is limited to 3,000 characters (including spaces).

Do not use this section to continue an essay that exceeded the

character limit.

9. SCHOOLS ATTENDED

The Schools Attended section gathers your high school (from

which you graduated) and postsecondary institution information

(where you were enrolled for at least one course, even if credits

were transferred or no credit was earned). In addition, you will

list any degrees you earned or expect to earn while attending the

school(s), as well as your major(s) and minor(s).

High School

Enter the information (name of high school, city, state, graduation

date) for the high school from which you graduated. If you

attended more than one high school, you need to include only the

school from which you graduated.

U.S. Schools/U.S. Territories and Possessions

Enter the name of the school, city, state, and graduation date in

the designated elds.

Non-U.S. Schools

If you attended a high school outside of the United States,

enter the name of the school, city, and graduation date in the

designated elds and select International.

Earned Equivalency or General Educational Development (GED)

If you received a high school equivalency diploma or a GED

certicate, please list GED as the name of the high school you

attended, and the city/state which awarded your GED degree.

Home School

If you were home schooled, please list the city and state where

you were home schooled (or received your diploma) and your

graduation year. In the School eld, type “Home Schooled”.

Colleges

In this section, list every postsecondary institution where you

were enrolled for at least one course, even if the credits were

transferred, no credit was earned, or you withdrew. Report

all institutions attended regardless of their relevance to the

programs you are applying to. Failure to report an institution may

cause your application to be undelivered. This can signicantly

delay the processing of your application. Report all institutions

attended, including but not limited to:

• courses taken in high school for college or university credit

• summer courses

• community college courses

• US military academies (note that this does not

include courses on SMART or JST transcripts)

• post-baccalaureate, graduate, and doctoral work

• study abroad (report the US institution

you used for study abroad)

• Canadian and foreign work, etc.

• List all institutions on your application even if the coursework

completed there was transferred to another institution.

• Report each institution only once, regardless of the number

of degrees earned or gaps in the dates of attendance.

Adding a College or University

Select Add a College or University.

Type and select your college or university. It may take several

tries to nd your school, especially if it shares its name with

others or could be spelled differently. For example, if you

attended "Saint John's University," you may need to try "Saint

John," "St. John," or "St John" (no period) to bring the school up

on the list. If you exhausted all options and it does not appear,

select Can't nd your school?

16 AAVMC • VMCAS 2022 APPLICANT GUIDE

Degrees

• Underneath the respective postsecondary institutions, you

entered in VMCAS, you are asked if you earned a degree or

expect to earn a degree from the institutions listed. To add

a degree, select Yes. Degrees are listed alphabetically. If

your degree is not listed, you may select Other Bachelor’s,

Other Doctoral, Other Doctorate, or Other Master’s. Then,

enter the month and year when you earned the degree or

expect to earn the degree. Click Add another Degree to add

additional degrees for this same college or university.

• Majors

• To enter declared majors, select your Major under the

appropriate school(s). Majors are listed alphabetically.

If yours is not listed, you may select Other.

• If you were a double major check the box “Check if you

were a double major” and select your second major.

• Minors

• To enter a declared minor, select Add Minor under the

appropriate school(s). Minors are listed alphabetically.

If yours is not listed, you may select Other Minor.

• Type of term system

• Select your college's or university's term system. You can

usually nd this on the back of your ocial transcripts,

or you can contact your college's registrar. Term system

refers to the type of hours your credits are worth, not

the length of the term or how many terms a year your

college or university offered. If your transcript lists some

courses as quarter and others as semester, enter the

term type that is most common (i.e., if you have six

quarter terms and two semester terms, enter quarter).

• Still attending your institution/ Dates attended

• Select if you are still attending your institution. Enter dates

of the rst and last (if applicable) terms you attended.

Be sure to only enter each college or university you

attended once, regardless of gaps in your attendance

there. Select the rst and last terms you attended

this institution, regardless of gaps in attendance.

• Save to complete the entry.

Academic Status Denitions

Freshman-Senior: Applies to all college- or university-level

courses taken prior to your rst bachelor's degree. In general,

four-year students should list one year per designation and

ve-year students should list their last two years as senior. Non-

traditional students should label their terms as evenly as possible

in chronological order.

Dual enrollment courses (college courses taken during high

school) are considered Freshman and should be listed under the

college where you took them. Do not report these courses again

as transfer credits at your undergraduate institution.

Post-Baccalaureate: Applies to undergraduate level courses

taken after your rst bachelor's degree is earned. If you earned a

second bachelor's degree, that is considered post-baccalaureate.

Graduate: Applies to master's degree- and doctorate degree-level

work only, regardless of whether the degree was earned. Work

such as that taken in pursuit of a Ph.D, MD, PharmD, JD, JurisD,

LL.D, DC., etc. are considered doctorate degree-level.

Sending Ocial Transcripts to VMCAS

Sending US and English-Canadian Transcripts Electronically

For each college or university entered you must request a

transcript. The ability to request a transcript is included in

the application, just click Order under each school listed and

select if you are ordering electronic transcripts (recommended)

or submitting a transcript via mail. Note that if you attended

a foreign college or university – and depending on your

program's requirements – you may be required to send a foreign

evaluation. See Foreign Transcripts - World Education Service for

more information.

VMCAS only accepts electronic transcripts from Credentials

Solutions, Parchment, and National Student Clearinghouse. If

your school does not offer any of these services, your transcript

must be sent by mail. Electronic transcripts can be processed

faster compared to mailed transcripts.

If your school requires that you use a service other than

Credentials Solutions, Parchment, or National Student

Clearinghouse, you should ask that service to mail the transcripts

instead of sending them electronically. Since you cannot include

the Transcript ID Form, you should include your full VMCAS ID

number when entering the VMCAS mailing address.

When using any of these services, select VMCAS as the recipient.

If you cannot select VMCAS and instead are asked for an email

address, your transcript must be sent by mail. Do not send your

transcript to the VMCAS customer service email.

We cannot accept transcripts sent via email from applicants.

17AAVMC • VMCAS 2022 APPLICANT GUIDE

Mailing Transcripts

We strongly suggest you use the Transcript ID Form to help us

match your transcript to your application. You can download this

form under Colleges Attended when you select “order”. Having

this form included with a mailed transcript will ensure that your

transcript(s) are applied correctly to your application. Issues with

transcripts are the number one cause for processing delays and

missed application deadlines.

1. Contact the registrar at each institution you attended

and request one transcript be sent to VMCAS.

2. Provide the registrar with the following items:

• VMCAS Transcript ID Form. Ask the registrar to attach

it to your ocial transcripts. This form is not required,

but strongly recommended as it helps ensure your

ocial transcripts are properly matched to your

application. If you cannot use this form, make sure

the registrar prints "VMCAS" and your full VMCAS

ID number on the transcript before mailing it.

• Any school-specic forms required by the registrar.

• Any transcript fees required by the registrar.

• All information needed by the registrar to properly

identify you in the school's database.

• Any name changes.

• Your VMCAS ID number.

Your registrar should mail your paper transcripts to the

following address:

VMCAS Transcript Processing Center

PO Box 9126

Watertown, MA 02471

We are not responsible for any materials lost in the mail or delays

caused by the Registrar's Oce. Express or certied mail does

not guarantee faster processing or receipt.

Transcript ID Form

While VMCAS can accept transcripts that are not accompanied

by a Transcript ID Form, VMCAS is not responsible for transcripts

that cannot be matched to your application because of a missing

form. Therefore, VMCAS strongly encourages you to use the Pre-

Barcoded Transcript ID Form. When you request an ocial, paper

transcript for VMCAS, you need to inform the relevant registrar

that the Transcript ID Form must be attached to the transcript

when it is sent. If a school has placed a nancial hold on your

transcripts, VMCAS will not grant a transcript exception request

under any circumstances.

VMCAS recommends the use of a printed PDF VMCAS Transcript

ID Form to avoid any delay in transcript processing. To generate

a PDF VMCAS Transcript ID Form, select the order button next to

the appropriate institution in the Colleges Attended subsection of

the Academic History section.

Next, select Option 2: Order a Mailed Paper Transcript. Finally,

select Download Transcript ID Form.

Foreign and French-Canadian Transcripts

French-Canadian Transcripts

Canadian schools that issue transcripts in French are

considered foreign and must be reported like any other foreign

school. We cannot accept original Canadian transcripts which

are written in French.

Note that a foreign credential evaluation from World Education

Service (WES) is required and should be sent directly to VMCAS.

Caribbean Medical Schools

All Caribbean medical schools are considered foreign institutions

and are not US accredited, even if they have oces in the US or

allow US licensing. This includes Caribbean medical schools who

participate in the VMCAS application. Do not send transcripts

from these schools to VMCAS, as they will be discarded.

Note that a foreign credential evaluation from World Education

Service (WES) is required and should be sent directly to VMCAS.

Documenting Foreign Coursework

Do not send foreign transcripts to VMCAS, including those printed

in English or translated into English; they will be discarded.

If you attended a foreign school or earned your degree outside of

the United States, VMCAS requires a foreign credential evaluation

from World Education Services (WES). Please request a course-

by-course US equivalency credential evaluation report with

grades. This report should be sent directly from WES to VMCAS.

Contact WES as early as possible to avoid processing delays.

WES evaluations can take a few weeks to process.

Requesting a WES Foreign Credential Evaluation

VMCAS requires applicants to request foreign evaluations from

World Education Services (WES), Inc. only. You can request

electronic WES ICAP course-by-course evaluations directly

through the application. Click Order WES Evaluation after listing

your foreign school in the Colleges Attended section. Make sure

to select VMCAS from the drop-down on WES's page.

Once WES completes your evaluation, they will send it to VMCAS

electronically. Note that VMCAS does not accept paper WES

evaluations sent via mail.

*Make sure you request the WES ICAP course-by-course evaluation

not the WES Basic.

18 AAVMC • VMCAS 2022 APPLICANT GUIDE

Study Abroad

The process for reporting Study Abroad coursework varies

depending on the program type and how the domestic institution

reports it. Review the options below to determine how to report

your experience. Contact customer service with any questions.

Study Abroad at an Overseas US Institution

If you studied at a school on the Overseas US Institutions List

(see list at the end of the page), you need to:

• Add the school in the Colleges Attended section and

add any courses you completed at the school in the

Transcript Entry section. Make sure you mark these

courses as Study Abroad during Transcript Review.

• Arrange for the Overseas US Institution to

send your transcript directly to VMCAS.

Study Abroad at Another US Institution

If you used another US institution's program to study abroad,

studied via Semester at Sea, SIT, or a CEA study abroad program

in their Global Campus Network, you need to:

• Add the school in the Colleges Attended section and

add any courses you completed at the school in the

Transcript Entry section. Make sure you mark these

courses as Study Abroad during Transcript Review.

• Arrange for the school to send your

transcript directly to VMCAS.

Study Abroad via Any Other Method

If the two options above do not apply to you, you need to:

• List the courses with the rest of your undergraduate

coursework at the home institution which you were enrolled

in during your study abroad in the Transcript Entry section. Do

not report the study abroad school as a foreign institution.

• Add the phrase "Study Abroad" to the title of each study

abroad course entered. Make sure you mark these

courses as Study Abroad during Transcript Review.

No additional transcripts or evaluations need to be submitted for

these courses.

Note that VMCAS does not recognize study abroad company

transcripts. If you studied abroad via a company such as IES, ISA,

CIEE, DIS, etc., complete the steps above to properly report your

study abroad coursework.

Overseas US Institutions List located in the

VMCAS Help Center:

• Abu Dhabi University

• American College Dublin

• American College in Jerusalem (closed in 1976)

• American College of Greece

• American College of Switzerland

• American College of Thessaloniki

• American University Beirut

• American University in Bulgaria

• American University in Dubai

• American University in Paris

• American University of Armenia

• American University of Rome

• American University of Sharjah

• Anglo-American University

• Cairo American University (formerly known

as American University in Cairo)

• Carnegie Mellon University in Qatar

• Franklin College Switzerland

• Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar

• Hebrew Union College (Jewish Institute of Religion)

• Huron University in London

• John Cabot University in Rome

• Lebanese American University

• McDaniel College in Budapest

• Northwestern University in Qatar

• Richmond The American International University of London

• Texas A&M University at Qatar

• United States International University in Nairobi, Kenya

• Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar

• Zayed University

19AAVMC • VMCAS 2022 APPLICANT GUIDE

Letter of non-attendance

A letter of non-attendance is required when a student has never

taken courses at an institution or the institution does not have

a record (transcript) for the student. Applicants would need

to make this request to the registrar’s oce of that institution.

The letter of non-attendance would need to be sent to VMCAS

for processing.

Transcript Follow up

Follow up with your school(s) to ensure that your transcripts

were mailed and obtain the date they sent them. Be aware that

processing times vary by school and may take longer towards

the end of a semester. Some schools may not send your

transcript until the semester is over.

Monitor the Check Status page to ensure your transcript is

received. On average, it takes up to seven business days for your

transcript to post to your application from the date we receive

it. If your transcript is not posted after this timeframe, contact

customer service.

Academic Infraction

If you were ever disciplined for conduct violation or placed on

academic probation while attending an academic institution,

you must answer Yes, even if such action did not interrupt your

enrollment or require you to withdraw. Furthermore, select Yes

even if the action does not appear on, or has been deleted or

expunged from, your ocial transcripts as a consequence of

institutional policy or personal petition. You will be able t0 enter

an explanation in the space provided.

Veterinary Medical schools require you to answer the question

accurately and provide all relevant information. Veterinary

Medical schools understand that many individuals learn from the

past and emerge stronger as a result. Full disclosure will enable

veterinary medical schools to evaluate the information more

effectively within the context of your application.

Rejected Transcripts

The following scenarios can cause transcripts to be rejected and

should be avoided whenever possible:

• A transcript is unocial, marked as student-issued,

or is addressed to someone other than VMCAS.

• A transcript is missing pages or was

severely damaged in the mail.

• A document received by VMCAS is not a transcript.

• An incorrect transcript was received; this can occur when

another student at your school has the same or similar

name and you did not provide enough information to the

registrar when you requested your transcript. Be sure

to provide your schools with as much information as

possible so they can properly identify your records.

Transcript Posting Delays

The following scenarios can cause delayed application posting/

processing and should be avoided whenever possible:

• A transcript is not accompanied by a Transcript ID

Form or is accompanied by the incorrect form.

• A transcript is not addressed specically to "VMCAS."

• A school you attended is missing from the Colleges

Attended section. We cannot attach a transcript to

your application unless the school is listed.

• An incorrect school name is listed in the Colleges

Attended section. We cannot attach a transcript

to your application until it is corrected.

• The name on a transcript cannot be found in the VMCAS

database, either because your name changed, was

misspelled on the transcript, was misspelled on the

application, or you have not yet created a VMCAS account.

10. COURSEWORK

VMCAS recommends that you use a personal copy of your

ocial transcript(s) as a reference while entering your

coursework in the application. Some information that appears on

your ocial transcript may not appear on an unocial transcript.

Entering incorrect information (i.e., omitting coursework, grades,

and/or credits or supplying incorrect grades) may affect your

VMCAS GPAs and could result in delayed processing and even

missed deadlines.

Your transcript details will be reviewed by a quality assurance

team. If there are inaccuracies, your application will be sent back

to you for correction, and this will result in delays in submitting

your application. All courses must be included, even if you did

poorly or later repeated the course. If you have transfer credits,

enter these credits from the institution where you originally took

the course.

After you enter transcript information for all colleges attended,

you will complete Transcript Review. In Transcript Review you will

be asked to identify additional attributes about your coursework

including Primary College and courses that are Repeated,

Advanced Placement, Other Tests, Honors, and Study Abroad.

Enter all coursework you completed at all US and English

Canadian colleges or universities attended. See Foreign and

French-Canadian Transcripts and Study Abroad or Overseas US

Transcripts for guidelines on foreign coursework.

20 AAVMC • VMCAS 2022 APPLICANT GUIDE

• Reporting coursework accurately is your responsibility.

Since credit values, grade values, and course subjects vary

widely from school to school, your programs need some

type of standardization so they can accurately compare

applicants. This standardization is achieved by using your

coursework to create a standard set of GPAs, ensuring

you are compared to other applicants fairly and equally.

• Complete the Colleges Attended section

before entering your courses.

• Report all courses on your transcripts, not just prerequisites.

Be sure to include courses from which you withdrew,

repeated courses, ungraded labs, test credits, gym

courses, orientations, or other non-graded courses.

• Enter courses under the institution where you

originally took the course, exactly as they appear on

the original school’s transcript. Do not list courses

under the school in which the credits were transferred.

You may need to go back to your Colleges Attended

and add a school to enter the transfer credits.

• For example, suppose you primarily attended the University

of Maryland and took Intro to Photography at your local

community college. You would list the community college

in the Colleges Attended section of the application

(and request an ocial transcript for it) and add Intro

to Photography as a course you took at the community

college. You would not list the course under the University

of Maryland, even if the credits were transferred there.

Coursework includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• All attempts at courses that have been repeated, including

any courses removed from your transcript or GPA as a result

of academic bankruptcy or institutional forgiveness policies.

• Courses removed from your transcripts or GPA as a result

of academic bankruptcy, forgiveness, or similar policies.

• Courses from which you withdrew

• Courses for which you received a grade of Incomplete

and for which no nal grade has been assigned.

• Courses that you failed, regardless of

whether you repeated them

• Remedial/developmental courses

• College-level courses you took while in middle or high

school even if no college counted them toward a degree.

• Courses taken at an American college overseas.

• Physical education and music courses.

Academic Term and Year

Add a semester, quarter, or trimester depending on the term you

selected in the Colleges Attended section.

• Select a term. Select a year. Options are based on the time

spans you selected in the Colleges Attended section. Select

an academic status. Academic status refers to your status

during the term you are inputting, not your current status.

Refer to the list of Academic Status denitions below for more

information. If you are entering courses for a term that is

currently in progress or planned, select In Progress/Planned.

• Click Save.

• Continue adding terms, as needed.

Academic Status Denitions

• Freshman-Senior: Applies to all college or university level

courses taken prior to your rst bachelor’s degree. In general,

four-year students should list one year per designation and

ve-year students should list their last two years as senior.

• Post-Baccalaureate: Applies to undergraduate level

courses taken after your rst bachelor’s degree is

earned. If you earned a second bachelor’s degree,

that is considered post-baccalaureate.

• Graduate: Applies to master’s degree and doctorate level

work only, regardless of whether the degree was earned.

Work such as that taken in pursuit of a Ph.D, MD, PharmD, JD,

JurisD, LL.D, DC., etc. are considered doctorate degree level.

Course Name and Course Number

Under the appropriate Term, enter the course name and the

course number exactly as it appears on the ocial transcript. If

the exact course name does not t, enter a logical abbreviation.

The course name and number are critical for VMCAS’s

verication of each course on the ocial transcript. VMCAS

is not responsible for processing delays or missed deadlines

resulting from incorrect listings of course names and numbers.

Enter Courses for a Completed Term

• As noted above, course name and number must exactly

match what appears on your ocial transcript.

• Enter the course title. You can abbreviate

it if it does not t in the text box.

• Select the Course Subject. See Course Subject List

• If you are unsure, make your best guess; our

team will help you if it does not match.

• Enter the course credits exactly as they

appear on your transcript. See the Course

Credits section below for more details.

21AAVMC • VMCAS 2022 APPLICANT GUIDE

• Enter the grade exactly as it appears on your

transcript, including any pluses or minuses.

• If your grades are listed as “BA”, “CB”, or

“DC”, you must list them as “AB”, “BC”, “CD” in

order for the system to recognize them.

• If your grades are listed as numbers (e.g., 93), enter

them exactly as they appear on your transcript. They will

automatically convert to the equivalent CAS letter grade.

• The CAS Grade populates automatically. This

allows VMCAS to standardize your coursework

for all programs and cannot be edited.

• Click Save and Continue adding courses, as needed.

Enter Courses for an In-Progress

or Planned Term

You should enter any courses that you are currently taking

or plan to take in the near future. This is not required, but is

recommended, as some programs require it. Note, however,

that any term containing In Progress/Planned courses cannot

be marked as Complete; the entire term must be marked as In

Progress/Planned.

• Select In-Progress/Planned as the Term. This

alerts the system that you are not required

to enter a grade for this course.

• Enter the course title and number.

• Select the Course Subject. See Course Subject List

• If you are unsure, make your best guess.

• Enter the expected course credits.

• Click Save and Continue adding courses, as needed.

Narrative Transcripts

If your institution uses a narrative transcript, enter your

coursework as described above. If the transcript lists “suggested”

credits and/or grades, be sure to enter those as well; otherwise,

list the course credits as “0.0” and the grades as “Pass.”

Your programs will see the list of classes you took, along with a

copy of the ocial narrative transcript that you submit.

Credit Hours

Indicate your credit hours or units exactly as they appear on your

transcript. If no hours appear on your ocial transcript, leave

them blank unless the credits have been removed as a result

of failure, repeat, academic bankruptcy, forgiveness, or similar

institutional policy.

Semester, Trimester, and Quarter Credits

If your course credits are mostly in “3.0,” “4.0,” or “5.0” format,

then your transcript is listing normal semester, trimester, or

quarter credits and no conversion is necessary. Enter the credits

exactly as they appear on your transcript.

Unit Credits

If all your course credits are listed in “1.0” or “0.50” format, then

your transcript is listing credit units and you need to perform a

conversion. Check the back of your transcript for a conversion

ratio, which will say something like “1 unit is equivalent to 4

semester hours.”

If there is no conversion on the back of your transcript, contact

your registrar’s oce to determine the conversion ratio. Then,

convert the credits by multiplying the number of units listed on

your transcript by the conversion factor. For example, if your

conversion is 1 unit = 4 hours and your transcript lists 1 unit for a

course, you would enter 4.00 credits on your application. If 0.50

is listed, you would enter 2.00.

Review VMCAS Garde Vale Charts to view some Canadian

institutions’ unit conversion ratios.

Lab Credits

If your transcript lists labs separately, you must list them as

separate courses on your application as well. Record the labs

exactly as they appear on your transcript. If your transcript

combines lab and lecture courses into one course, list it as one

course on your application.

Test Credits

You can only list test credits if they were awarded by one of the

schools you attended, and they appear on your transcript. Test

credit types include Advanced Placement (AP), International

Baccalaureate (IB), CLEP, DANTE, Regents, and courses you

“tested out of” at college or university. List these credits under

your rst term at the school that awarded you the credit and enter

“CR” as the grade. If no course prex or number appears on the

transcript, enter “N/A” for Not Applicable.

Be sure to designate these test credits appropriately in the

Transcript Review section (below).

Special Course Types (Transcript Review)

Once you enter and Save all your courses, click Review &

Finalize My Transcripts. Your next step is to designate specic

courses as Advanced Placement, Honors, Repeat, Study Abroad,

etc. You must complete Transcript Review before you can add

prerequisites in the Program Materials section.

22 AAVMC • VMCAS 2022 APPLICANT GUIDE

Primary College

Identify your primary undergraduate institution. This is typically

considered the college or university where you earned (or will

earn) your rst bachelor’s degree. If no degree is planned, select

the college or university where you completed the majority of

your undergraduate coursework.

Advanced Placement Credit

Indicate if you received Advanced Placement (AP) credit on

the College Board Advanced Placement Exams for any of your

courses.

Honors Courses

Indicate if you took any courses, which are generally college or

university courses taken at an honors level. These are usually

designated with an “H” in the course number on your transcript.

Note that earning Latin honors upon graduation does not mean

your courses are retroactively considered “Honors.”

Repeat Courses

Indicate if repeated any of your courses. Courses should be only

marked as repeated if you repeated them at the same institution

(i.e., you retook the course for a higher grade). Withdrawn

courses, courses taken at different schools, and courses

taken multiple times for new credit (i.e., school band, physical

education, etc.) are not considered repeated.

Record full credit values and grades for all repeated courses.

VMCAS is required to include all repeated courses for each

college or university you attended.

Other Test Credit

Indicate if you received credit for tests other than the AP exam,

including International Baccalaureate (IB), CLEP, DANTE, Regents,

or Institutional/Departmental exams (i.e., courses you “tested out

of” at college or university).

Study Abroad Courses

If you studied abroad, indicate the courses you took as part of

your institution’s study abroad program. Refer to Study Abroad

and Overseas US Institution Transcripts section for more

information.

Foreign Coursework

Refer to Foreign and French-Canadian Transcripts and Study

Abroad or Overseas US Transcripts for guidelines on foreign

coursework.

11. EXPERIENCES AND

ACHIEVEMENTS

In this section you will enter your professional experiences in

several categories or types. This information may be updated at

any time prior to submission. After submission you will be able

to add more experiences but will not be able to update or delete

completed experiences. Experiences can be added until mid-

October when access to the application is removed.

Review the type denitions below, consider the duties you

performed during the experience and use your best judgment

to determine the category of your experience. If you have

any questions about your experiences fullling an individual

program's requirements, inquire with that program directly.

Experience Types

• Animal Experience (no Veterinarian involved)

• Animal Experiences include farm and ranch

experience, 4-H membership, animal training, or

similar activities that were not under the supervision

of a veterinarian. Experiences listed as Animal

Experience should be different from those entered

for Veterinary and Employment experiences.

• Employment (not animal-related)

• Employment includes paid work done outside of

the animal or veterinary eld - for example, a retail

or restaurant job. Do not include any experiences

listed as Veterinary, Animal, or Research.

• Extracurricular Activities

• Extracurricular activities include experiences you

were involved with from high school until the

present, including sports/intramurals, clubs, honor

societies, committees, community activities, social

activities, fraternities/sororities, certications,

and hobbies. List the most recent rst.

• Research

• Research experience includes any animal and veterinary

research, as well as other eld and/or laboratory-based

research. Include specic details about your work/

involvement, including whether the research experience

provided an opportunity to present or publish.

• Veterinary Experience (with a Veterinarian)

• Veterinary Experience includes any veterinary clinical,

agribusiness, or health science experiences that took

place under the supervision of a veterinarian. Experiences

listed as Veterinary Experience should be different from

those entered for Animal and Employment experiences.

Do not list any veterinary research experience.

23AAVMC • VMCAS 2022 APPLICANT GUIDE

• Volunteer (not animal-related)

• Volunteer work includes experiences outside of

the animal care eld - for example, Habitat for

Humanity, tutoring students, participating in, or

working for a fundraiser walk or blood drive, etc.

Adding Experiences

To enter your experiences, follow these steps.

1. Click Add an Experience.

2. Select the appropriate experience type

from the drop-down list.

3. Enter the name and address of the organization

where the experience took place.

4. Enter your supervisors name, title, and contact information

for this experience. This is a person that programs can

contact to verify that this experience occurred. If the

experience was a student-organized group and there was

no advisor, list a member who can verify your experience.

5. Enter the date or date range in which the experience

took place. Note that your experiences will

not display on your application in any specic

order, regardless of the dates entered.

6. Enter additional details about the experience, including the

title of the experience and the time commitments. Enter the

average weekly number of hours that you completed for

this experience during the date range that you indicated.

7. Select Yes or No to indicate a release authorization to allow

your selected programs to contact the organization.

8. Click Save & Continue.

Do not repeat hours between experience types. If duties

encompass more than one type of experience, enter the position

in both sections and divide the duties and hours accordingly.

Most Important Experiences

Applicants will be able to designate up to ve experiences as

Most important. Selections can be made and changed prior to

submission. If additional experiences are added after submission,

the additional experiences can be designated as most

important up to the maximum but may not remove previously

designated experiences.

Achievements

In this section you enter any relevant professional or academic

achievements in several categories or types. Although you

can enter any achievements you believe are relevant to your

application, it is recommended you focus on those achievements

within the last 10 years at the college level and above. This

information may be updated at any time prior to submission.

After submission you will be able to add more achievements but

will not be able to update or delete completed achievements.

Achievements can be added until mid-October when access to

the application is removed.

Review the type denitions below, consider the duties you

performed during the experience and use your best judgment

to determine the category of your experience. If you have

any questions about your experiences fullling an individual

program's requirements, inquire with that program directly.

Achievement Types

• Awards received as a prize, such as trophies and medals.

• Honors received as a special distinction for work done,

including Dean’s List and memberships in honor societies.

• Scholarships earned based on academic,

athletic, and other achievements.

Adding Achievements

To enter your achievements, follow these steps.

1. Click Add an Achievement.

2. Select the type of achievement.

3. Enter the name of the achievement.

4. Enter the name of the organization that

presented the achievement, if applicable.

5. Enter the issued date.

6. Enter a brief description, especially if the achievement is

not clear based on its title. You can also note if any special

circumstances surrounded it. If your achievement was

awarded multiple times (e.g., Dean's List), use this eld

to explain that instead of creating multiple instances.

7. Click Save This Achievement. Your saved

achievements will not display in any particular order,

regardless of the order or dates you enter.

24 AAVMC • VMCAS 2022 APPLICANT GUIDE

12. LETTERS OF

RECOMMENDATION

Before You Begin

In the Recommendations section, you can indicate who will be

writing letters on your behalf. Recommendations (sometimes

called Letters of Evaluation, Letters of Reference, or Letters

of Recommendation) assesses your qualities, characteristics,

and capabilities.

You are required to request at least 3 letters of recommendation

and may request a maximum of 6 recommendations.

Recommenders must submit your recommendation letter

electronically by the application deadline of September 15.

No exceptions are possible.

Recommendations are submitted by the recommenders

themselves; via Letters by Liaison, our recommender portal; they

cannot be completed or submitted by the applicant or another

party on behalf of the recommender. We are not responsible for

verifying recommenders' identities. If a discrepancy is found,

we reserve the right to contact the appropriate individuals to

investigate and to share the discrepancy with all programs.

Please note: You do not need to wait for your recommendations

to be written to submit. Please complete and submit your

application as soon as the rst three requests have been made.

Before getting started, consider the following:

• All recommendations can be submitted

electronically by recommenders using Letters

by Liaison, our Recommender Portal.

• Research each program's requirements. You should

determine whether your programs have specic

requirements regarding recommender roles or relationships

before listing recommenders on your application.

Many programs have strict guidelines and completed

recommendations cannot be removed or replaced.

• Prepare your recommenders. Once you choose your

recommenders, be sure to inform them about the process

and that they will be completing the recommendation

electronically. We recommend getting their preferred

email address and asking that they monitor that inbox

for your recommendation request (which will come from

[email protected]), including any junk or spam folders.

You can edit and delete requests that are in Requested or

Accepted status. Once a request is Completed, you cannot make

any changes regardless of whether you have submitted your

application or not.

If you are a reapplicant, you will need to request new letters of

recommendations for each application cycle to which you apply.

Information about how letter writers may submit letters to

VMCAS is available on the Letters by Liaison Help Center website

at help.liaisonedu.com/Letters_by_Liaison_Help_Center.

Committee Letters

If you want to submit a committee letter as part of your

application, you can do so by entering the committee chair (or

their alternate) as the recommender. The committee chair must

then complete the ratings section and upload one letter (that

includes the assessments of various committee members)

via Letters by Liaison, the Recommender Portal. Note that a

committee letter only counts as one recommendation and the

individuals who contributed to the letter may not be used as

additional recommenders.

How to Submit a Recommendation Request

1. In the Recommendations section, click

Create Recommendation Request.

2. Enter the recommender's full name and email address.

3. Select the date by which you would like this

recommendation completed. This date should

be before your program(s) deadline.

4. Enter a brief message or note for the recommender.

5. Select whether you want to waive your right of access

to the recommendation. See Waiver below.

6. Click the checkboxes to indicate your permission for

us (and programs) to contact your recommenders.

7. Click Save This Recommendation Request to submit it. Once

you do so, an email is immediately sent to the recommender.

8. Conrm with your recommenders that they

received the email notication.

9. Use the Check Status tab to monitor the status of your

recommendations. Completed recommendations are marked

as "Complete" and have a Complete Date listed. Follow

up with your recommenders if their recommendations

are still marked as "Requested" or "Accepted." It is your

responsibility to ensure that recommendation requests

are received and completed on time. We will not notify

applicants about missing recommendations.

25AAVMC • VMCAS 2022 APPLICANT GUIDE

How to Resend the Recommendation Request

If you need to resend a request:

1. In the Recommendations section, locate

the request you wish to resend.

2. Click the pencil icon to edit the request.

3. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click

Resend this Recommendation Request.

Changing the Recommender's Email Address

If you entered an incorrect email address for any recommenders

(or if any recommender asks that you send the request to a

different email address), you must delete these requests and

then re-add them with the correct email.

Waiver

The Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA)

gives you the right to access recommendations unless you

choose to waive your right of inspection and review. Prior to

requesting any recommendations, you are required to indicate

whether you wish to waive your rights. VMCAS will release your

decision to waive or not waive access to your recommenders

and designated programs. Your waiver decision serves the same

purpose as a legal signature and is binding.

Selecting Yes indicates to programs that your recommender

completed their recommendation with the understanding that

you would not be able to view it. This means you will not be able

to see the content of the recommendation. Programs may view

this type of recommendation as a more accurate representation

of an applicant's qualications.

Selecting No indicates to programs that your recommender

completed their recommendation with the understanding

that you may choose to view it in the future. Selecting this

option does not allow you to view your recommendation

via the application. If you do not waive your right to view

the recommendation, you may ask your recommender for a

copy of the recommendation. Programs may view this type

of recommendation as a less accurate representation of an

applicant's qualications.

Once you make a selection, you cannot change it, so consider the

choices carefully.

Checking the Status of Letters

You may check the receipt status of any of your letters in the

Check Status in the VMCAS application. You will also receive an

email notication each time a letter of evaluation is added to your

AMCAS application.

13. VETERINARY

MEDICAL SCHOOLS

We recommend that you review the Veterinary Medical School

Admission Requirements website (applytovetschool.org) and

consult with a pre-vet/pre-health advisor for guidance in selecting

veterinary medical schools.

As you research veterinary medical schools it is important to

consider not only the requirements of each school as compared

to your credentials, citizenship, and legal residence restrictions,

but also the potential cost of application (including VMCAS

application fees, supplemental application fees, costs associated

with interviewing, and acceptance deposits) before you

designate any school.

VMCAS does not evaluate residency eligibility or citizenship

status. Questions about eligibility and application restrictions

should be directed to veterinary medical school admissions

oces. It is your responsibility to determine your eligibility before

designating a school. VMCAS cannot issue refunds for applicants

who do not meet the admission requirements of a school.

Selecting the Veterinary Medical School(s)

That Will Receive Your Application

In the VMCAS application, you can lter medical schools by state.

You can also select the veterinary medical school directly from

the school list.

How to Select VMCAS Programs

1. Click Add Program at the top of the application home page.

2. Use the lters to locate the programs you

are interested in applying to.

3. Click the plus sign next to a program to add it to your

program list. You must select at least one program to

continue completing the application. If you want to remove

a program and only have one selected, you need to add the

second program before you can remove the rst one.

4. Continue adding programs as desired.

5. Begin lling out the application. Before submitting,

be sure to review your program list to make sure

you are applying to all your intended programs.

Note that by submitting your application, you are committing to

applying to your selected programs. You cannot substitute or

remove submitted programs after submissions. Additionally, we

do not offer refunds for selections made in error and we do not

transfer payments to another program.

After submission, you can continue to add and apply to programs

until the nal deadline date.

26 AAVMC • VMCAS 2022 APPLICANT GUIDE

Deleting a VMCAS Program

You can remove a program(s) at any time prior to submitting the

application; however, any information entered in the Program

Materials section will be lost and cannot be retrieved or

transferred. Information in the Personal Information, Academic

History, and Supporting Information sections will be retained for

any programs to which you choose to submit.

Once you submit your applications, you cannot remove

any programs. To withdraw yourself from consideration for

admission to a program, contact the program directly. Note,

however, that VMCAS does not offer applicant refunds for any

reason.

If you want to change or remove a program prior to submission,

be sure to select a new program rst.

From the Add Program Page

1. Click Add Program at the top of the page.

2. Click the Undo button to the right of the program name.

3. Click Yes, Delete this Program to conrm.

From the Submit Application Page

1. Click Submit Application at the top of the page.

2. Click the trash can icon next to the

program you want to remove.

3. Click Yes, Delete this Program.

14. VMCAS ESSAY

Your personal statement is a one-page essay (not to exceed

3,000 characters) that gives veterinary admissions committees a

clear picture of who you are and, most importantly, why you want

to pursue a career in veterinary medicine.

Although there is no set of rules mandating what a strong

personal statement should include, here are a few tips to help

you successfully craft an effective personal statement:

• Explain a dening moment that helped steer you

toward a career in veterinary medicine. Consider using

that moment as the focal point of your essay.

• Be original and thoughtful: Discuss how you would

contribute to the profession and patient care, all of

which will help you stand out from other applicants.

• As you are telling us why you want to pursue a career in

veterinary medicine, explain why you are good candidate for

veterinary school. Ask yourself—in a pile of 100 applications,

would I enjoy reading my statement? Be sure to convey

your passion for veterinary medicine in your statement.

• Many of you have had meaningful experiences with

animals or veterinarians as children and these are

important but should only be mentioned briey.

• Your application materials already contain a summary of

your accomplishments, so avoid repeating information

from your transcripts or reference letters.

• Give yourself time to organize your thoughts,

write well and edit, as necessary.

• Ask yourself if this essay is a good representation

of your character, ideals, and aspirations.

• Do not forget to proofread!

Here are a few things to consider when writing your

personal statement:

• Be yourself.

• Do not use jargon, clichés, or big phrases that you would

not use in daily conversation. Remember, veterinary

admissions committees want to know about the real you.

• Ask a friend, relative or faculty advisor to read your

essay and provide constructive criticism.

Here are a few things to avoid when writing your

personal statement:

• Writing what you think the admissions

committee wants to hear.

• Using a gimmicky style or format.

• Waiting until the last minute to get started on your statement.

15. STANDARDIZED TESTS

In this section you may self-report your Graduate Record Exam

(GRE) scores and other standardized test scores required by the

institutions to which you are applying. In addition, you may also

indicate when you plan to take a specic standardized test. Even

if you have taken the test previously and have scores, you may

add a planned test here. Once you submit your application, you

cannot edit previously entered tests, but you can add new tests.

Many programs require ocial scores to be sent directly to the

institution. Please check with each program to determine their

test score requirements and deadlines for scores to be sent.

GRE

Most schools requiring the GRE expect the exam to be taken

within the past 5 years and the ocial scores be available

through the Educational Testing System. If you have taken

a subject specic GRE test, please treat each subject as a

separate test. Please check with each program to determine their

GRE requirements.

27AAVMC • VMCAS 2022 APPLICANT GUIDE

Reporting GRE Scores

There are two different ways to submit your ocial GRE scores

to VMCAS, depending on a program's requirements:

• Use VMCAS GRE codes for schools that require you to

submit ocial GRE Score reports to VMCAS via ETS.

• Use School GRE codes for schools that require you to

submit ocial GRE Score reports directly to them via ETS.

Locate the appropriate GRE code to use when requesting scores,

depending on what the school requires. Contact the programs

directly if you have additional questions.

Ocial GRE scores from ETS can be received by VMCAS at any

point during the application cycle, even after your application

is submitted or veried; however, some programs may have

a deadline by which they want your scores posted. Once your

ocial GRE scores are attached to your application, they

cannot be removed.

Submitting Your Ocial GRE Scores

1. Review the list of VMCAS GRE Codes to determine

your program's GRE code. If you are applying to

multiple programs, supply each individual code to

ensure all programs can view your scores.

2. Provide the codes to ETS and request that

your scores be released. Check with ETS about

their turnaround and processing times.

3. After ETS processing, scores are sent to VMCAS in batches

and then posted to applications every 2-3 days. Only scores

that you requested using VMCAS codes will post to your

application. You can view scores attached to your application

in the Standardized Tests section of the Check Status tab.

It is your responsibility to follow up on any missing GRE scores

in a timely manner. If your scores are not posted within ETS's

processing period, contact customer service, and provide them

with the following details:

• First and last names

• Date of birth

• GRE Registration ID Number

• CAS ID

• Test date and date scores were sent by ETS

We will use this information to determine if we have received the

batch and to locate your scores, if possible. If your scores are not

found, we will contact ETS to troubleshoot.

Note: if your name or date of birth appears differently on your

GRE than it does on your VMCAS application, your scores will

not automatically post to your account. This often happens

with applicants with hyphens, apostrophes, etc., in their

names. Wait until ETS processes the scores, then contact

customer service so they can manually connect the scores to

your application.

Other Tests

VMCAS allows you to enter scores for GRE, MCAT, IELTS, and

TOEFL only. If your programs request additional test scores,

provide them to the programs directly.

16. DISPUTING AND

CORRECTING YOUR

VMCAS COURSE

SUBJECTS AND GPAS

Disputing Course Subject Assignments

Course subjects are assigned to categories based on the titles

and department prexes listed on your ocial transcripts, not the

course content itself. Since your veterinary programs determine

and use the standardized VMCAS Course Subjects list, they will

not consider dispute requests for course subject assignments

that are clearly indicated on this list. Additionally, VMCAS will not

accept documentation (i.e., letters, course descriptions, unocial

transcripts) in an attempt to prove a course's content differed

from that indicated by the title and prex.

The following correction requests must be submitted in writing

via email.

Correcting an Incorrect Course

Subject Assignment

If, during verication, a course subject is incorrectly assigned to

the wrong category, VMCAS can re-review the course title and

prex and make appropriate changes. For example, if your course

is titled Inorganic Chemistry I, but was incorrectly categorized

as Organic Chemistry, VMCAS can update this coursework after

verication. To update course subjects that were categorized

incorrectly, email customer service at [email protected]

with the subject line Course Subject Correction and indicate the

requested change.

Correcting a Vague Course Subject Assignment

On some occasions courses may have questionable or vague

titles. If a veried course subject assignment is correct by VMCAS

standards, but you feel that you can provide a course description

which indicates it should reect a different category, you can

request that VMCAS provide this information to your programs.

To request an admissions notication for a questionable or vague

28 AAVMC • VMCAS 2022 APPLICANT GUIDE

title, email customer service at [email protected] with the

subject line Course Subject Correction and support your argument

by providing the following:

• Indicate the course in question and what you

believe it should be categorized as.

• Copy and paste the ocial course description from

your course catalog. Additionally, provide a link to the

description's source (do not simply link to a course catalog

- provide a link to the exact location of the description).

If, upon review, VMCAS feels that the provided information

supports a valid argument for your requested course subject

assignment, we will notify your programs through an admissions

note; however, we will not change the veried course subject

assignment and we will not update your GPA calculations.

If VMCAS feels that the provided information does not support

a valid argument for your requested course subject assignment,

we will not honor your request. If you still wish to dispute your

course subject assignment, contact your programs directly.

Disputing Your GPA Calculations

During verication, VMCAS uses the information you entered in

the Transcript Entry page to calculate several GPAs. Incorrect

GPA calculations – which rarely occur – are most often a result

of an error in your entered coursework.

If you believe a GPA was calculated incorrectly, you should rst:

1. Note that:

• VMCAS GPAs are not the same as the

GPAs found on your transcripts.

• A common mistake applicants make is to add

GPAs from each academic year of undergraduate

study and then divide by 4 to obtain an overall

undergraduate GPA. This calculation represents an

average GPA, which is different from an overall GPA.

2. Review Calculating Your VMCAS GPAs.

3. Identify the area you believe is causing the incorrect

calculation (e.g., Post-Baccalaureate Science GPA) and

calculate the GPA yourself using the GPA calculator.

If, after calculating the GPA, you still believe there is an error,

email customer service at [email protected] with the

subject line Verication: GPA inquiry and:

• Indicate the problematic area.

• Provide your calculations.

VMCAS does not accept GPA review requests by phone.

17. CORRECTING AN

UNDELIVERED VMCAS

APPLICATION

Undelivery

If signicant mistakes are found in your application during

the verication process, your application will be "undelivered,"

or returned to you for corrections. When an application is

undelivered, you receive a notication detailing the corrections

that must be made before we can continue processing it.

Transcript Entry Mistakes that Cause an Application to

be Undelivered

• Failure to report a college or university

you received credit from.

• All courses were listed under one semester

or term instead of divided up by term.

• Missing or incorrect department prexes.

• Missing or incorrect course numbers.

• Missing courses (usually non-credit labs, PE courses,

withdrawn courses, test credits, or repeated courses).

• Vague or incorrect course titles (i.e., "English"

instead of "English Composition I").

• Unconverted course credits in a unit system.

• Mislabeled terms or terms entered out of chronological order.

• Information that consistently does not

match your ocial transcripts.

Transcript Entry Mistakes that Do Not Cause an Application to

be Undelivered

• Misspellings

• Capitalization

• Incorrect course subjects

• Occasional (not more than 4) incorrect grade,

credit, or course information entries

29AAVMC • VMCAS 2022 APPLICANT GUIDE

Correct and Redeliver Your Application

Your application's status must be Complete for us to

resume processing.

1. Thoroughly review your undelivery notication to

determine what corrections need to be made. If you are

not sure how to proceed, contact customer service.

2. Correct each mistake. Take appropriate actions if any

additional documents are required (i.e., new transcripts).

3. Once all mistakes are corrected, you must "redeliver,"

or resubmit your application so we can continue

processing it. You do not need to make any

additional payments. To redeliver, click the Check

Status tab at the top of your application.

4. Click Redeliver Programs to resubmit.

5. Once your application's status returns to Complete, we will

resume verication (typically within ve business days).

If it has been more than ve business days since you

redelivered your application, contact customer service.

How Undelivery Affects Your

Application Timeline

On average it takes two weeks for applications to be veried,

and you will not be alerted to errors before that point. Because

undelivery adds time to the verication process, it can delay your

application. It is best to complete your application accurately

the rst time to avoid undelivery; however, if your application is

undelivered, make corrections and resubmit as soon as possible

to avoid any further delays.

Redelivery of your application does not change your submission

date, but it does affect the date your application is considered

complete. Contact your programs to determine any effects this

may have on your application.

If you notice errors in your application before verication, contact

customer service to undeliver your application so you can correct

it. This will delay your application, but verication will resume

sooner than if you waited for the errors to be found during the

verication process.

It is important to note that you are strongly encouraged to submit

your application at least four weeks before the application

deadline. If you submit the application just before the deadline,

you are taking a risk. If your application is undelivered due to an

unreported institution, you will likely not have time to submit the

ocial transcript before the application deadline. No additional

transcripts are accepted after the application deadline. Individual

schools may still choose to review your application, but it is not

guaranteed. Please plan accordingly.

18. POST-SUBMISSION

CHANGES

Before submitting your application, you should review it

thoroughly. After you submit your application, you can make

limited changes. You will be able to:

• Add new experiences, achievements, and test

scores, but you cannot edit existing entries.

• Update recommendations with "Requested" or

"Accepted" statuses (before application deadline).

• Select additional programs to apply to. You

can apply to programs all at once or one at a

time (before the application deadline).

• Make updates to your contact information

(email, phone, address).

After mid-October, the application portal will be completely shut

down and your le will be locked and unavailable for viewing,

edits, additions, and changes. For your records, we strongly

recommend that you print a PDF copy of the application before

this date.

19. MONITORING YOUR

APPLICATION STATUS

On average it takes two weeks for applications to be veried.

You are responsible for regularly checking the status of your

application from the time you submit your application to VMCAS

through the date your application is received by your designated

schools. It is important to verify that VMCAS receives your

application, ocial transcript(s), letters of recommendation, and