A veterinary medicine degree qualifies you to work for the well-being of animals and the protection of public health. The first step to becoming a veterinarian is to secure admission to a DVM program at a renowned veterinary school which helps you acquire the academic and practical knowledge essential to working in the field.
Just like admission requirements, it is important that you understand everything about veterinary school costs to avoid any hassle in the future.
Most medical schools offer scholarships and grants for eligible students whereas accredited medical schools are also eligible for U.S. and Canadian federal loans.
Let’s analyze how accreditation affects veterinary school costs and the various scholarships available for veterinary students.
Accreditation and Veterinary School Costs
Accreditation is a measure of the quality of medical education in different medical schools. An accredited medical school is certified by authorities following the national standards of education. This ensures that the curriculum is well-structured and adheres to certain standards.
Medical education is expensive and choosing an accredited medical school can significantly reduce the financial burden for eligible students. This is because accredited medical schools are approved for U.S. and Canadian federal loans.
Students who meet the eligibility criteria for these loans can apply for them if they are enrolled in an accredited medical school.
Scholarships and Financial Aids
Most medical schools whether accredited or not provide scholarships and grants to deserving candidates. Academic scholarships are given to students who have excellent academic records at the time of admission.
To be eligible for academic scholarships that are renewed in each of the seven basic medicine semesters, you must have a good GPA or excellent scores in the Graduate Record Examination.
Besides, there are other financial aids as decided by the scholarship committee of each veterinary medical school. All you need to avail of these benefits is a good track record in academics.
Tuition and Fees for the DVM Program
Tuition and administrative fees contribute to the majority of veterinary school education costs.
The tuition for each of the basic science semesters (semesters one to seven) is around $14,000 and that of the clinical science program (semesters eight to ten) is $24,000. The administrative fee for the basic science semesters is nearly $5,000 and for clinical medicine is $4,000.
Besides tuition and administrative fees, you must pay several other miscellaneous fees as required.
The major one in this category is the student health insurance fee that has to be remitted each semester and amounts to $700. Non-refundable seat deposits, leave of absence fees, and graduation fees of $500 each also have to be paid during the enrollment period.
In case you forget to remit any of these amounts on time, there is a late registration fee of $250 and a late payment fee of $100. Other categories which account for only a small amount are malpractice insurance, application fee, transcript request and returned check fees.
If you are an aspiring veterinary science student, check for scholarships and financial assistance provided by medical schools before submitting your application.