Questions?

Every veterinary school establishes the college course requirements needed to qualify for admission to its DVM program. These courses are referred to as "pre-vet requirements." Pre-vet requirements vary and comprise about half the credit hours required for a bachelor's degree. For this reason, there is no bachelor's degree in pre-vet. This gives you an opportunity to earn a degree whatever subject interests you. Veterinary school selection committees don't care what your degree is in as long as you meet the pre-vet requirements.

Vet schools have NO preference for any specific degree program. They do want you to complete their specified pre-vet requirements, but the degree you earn is not a factor in vet school admission.

Here are a few of the most popular. To learn more about each one, go to Nebraska Admissions and search the alphabetical list of majors.

• Animal Science
• Veterinary Science
• Fisheries & Wildlife
• Biochemistry
• Forensic Science

For all students
Your most economical choice for veterinary school is either your home state veterinary school or the veterinary school with which your state has an agreement. One of the best resources for locating your home state’s options is the VIN Foundation website.

For Nebraska residents
Although Nebraska students can go anywhere, there is a special program open only to Nebraska residents. This program is the Professional Program in Veterinary Medicine (PPVM), a cooperative program between the University of Nebraska–Lincoln and Iowa State University.

The program is fully accredited by the American Veterinary Medicine Association (AVMA). Approximately 25 Nebraska students are chosen each year to participate in the PPVM. They complete their first two years of vet school in Lincoln on East Campus, and the final two years on the Iowa State campus in Ames, Iowa. These students will pay resident tuition for all four years of their professional veterinary school. Learn more about Nebraska's veterinary program.

This sounds like a simple question, but the correct answer is “it depends.” Every student has an individual set of goals, talents, abilities, and no one answer fits every student. Your best answer is to contact Nebraska Pre-Vet and let us help you with your situation.

The University of Nebraska–Lincoln accepts college credits from any accredited institution. However, whether or not your transfer course applies to your degree or to the pre-vet program depends on what the course is. Your best strategy is to contact Nebraska Pre-Vet for more information about appropriate courses to complete at your transfer institution.

Typical pre-vet students like to be prepared for every possibility. Many ask what will happen if they decide not to be a veterinarian. It’s perfectly ok to decide not to be a veterinarian. Even if you decide not to be a veterinarian, we still work with you to determine the next steps on your path and help you get started.

Many pre-vet students have been excellent students in high school. But sometimes high school classes were so easy for them that they never really learned to study. We have several resources for you, but one of the best is the First-Year Experience and Transitions Program (aka the Success Center). They offer one-on-one coaching, and they offer a series of free, one-time workshops on topics like Note Taking, Time Management, How to Study for an Exam. Learn more at the Success Center website.

Veterinarians like to help the next generation of vets, so be sure to ask:

• How did you get into vet medicine?
• Do you have any advice for a future vet student (you!)?
• What do you like best about being a vet?
• What is the worst part of being a vet? (This last question will tell you a lot about whether or not vet medicine is for you!)

While, you’re shadowing, notice the other people working with the vet. What do they do? Is it something you’re interested in doing? Or when you’re a vet, will you be working with people who are in those careers?

Finally, after you shadow the vet, write down a little about your experience in a log you can refer to later. Jot down who you shadowed, how long you were there, the date, and anything that caught your attention on the visit. This will all be valuable information when you are closer to applying to vet school.

One of the best ways to get involved on campus is to belong to at least two student organizations:

• One that is related to your career choice (the Pre-Vet Club is a great choice)
• One that is just something in which you’re interested. For this group, you can choose an intramural sport, a campus ministry, or any one of hundreds of other interest areas.

For more information about opportunities related to CASNR (the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources), visit Getting Involved.

The University of Nebraska–Lincoln has two residential campuses. The first is City Campus, the original home of the University of Nebraska, established in 1869. The second is East Campus, home to the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources (CASNR), programs from the College of Education and Human Sciences (CEHS), the College of Dentistry, the UNMC College of Law, and the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

You likely will have classes on both campuses so it is perfectly fine to select either for your first-year housing. Here is some additional information about why students select each campus:

• City Campus: The larger of the two campuses, City Campus is near Lincoln’s downtown, State Capital, and the historic Haymarket District. Students may like this campus because it’s close to many restaurants, a movie theater, and they can walk to most of those venues from their residence hall room.
• East Campus: The smaller of the campuses, East Campus appeals to students who want the “small college feel” but with access to all the resources of a major university. East Campus is the home to the Nebraska Dairy Store too!

There are two bus routes dedicated to traveling between City Campus and East Campus. The bus pass is included in your student fees. you'll receive a bus pass prior to the beginning of classes. Learn more.