Veterinary Medicine

All examination grades must be obtained at the first attempt of each subject. Those applying with resit qualifications will not be entered into the selection system unless under very exceptional circumstances (for which verified evidence has been provided prior to UCAS application).

Deferred entry is not considered.

No special concessions are made for mature, non-graduate applicants. In view of the competition for places, all applications must have achieved the same academic requirements as school-leaving applicants within the three-year period prior to the date of application.

Graduate applicants: a UK 2:1 honours degree in an appropriate science subject. Graduates with a degree in a non-science subject can still apply for the five-year programme but must have gained high grades in school-level science qualifications in Chemistry and Biology. Graduates with a science degree but with not enough key core science subjects covered and achieved at a high enough standard for the 4-year Graduate Entry Programme, will be considered for the 5-year programme only. Graduate applicants accepted on to the course will have to pay fees on a full-cost basis.

All candidates applying with a first degree or international qualifications must submit a copy of their transcript showing subjects and grades achieved to date. The transcript should be submitted by 22 October.

All applicants must demonstrate the level of English language competency required to succeed in their studies. If you are using an English language test that is not part of your school studies to meet our English language requirements, you must provide these results by 31 July 2024 for the 5-year BVM&S programme.

The School has a substantial number of North American candidates applying for both the four and five-year BVM&S degrees.

All North American graduate applications should be made through the Veterinary Medical College Application Service (VMCAS) on the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges website. All North American high school graduate applicants should apply via UCAS.

You can find out more about the application process and requirements for veterinary medicine in the BVM&S application guide booklet.

https://www.ed.ac.uk/vet/studying/undergraduate/multimedia

There are usually 72 places for UK applicants and 35 for international and graduate applicants each year. Competition for places is therefore extremely intense. The majority of applications are from candidates of high academic calibre. Unfortunately, meeting the academic entry requirements does not guarantee an offer.

Each application is considered individually. Academic qualifications play an important part in the selection process but close attention is also given to non-academic factors, including work experience, motivation, interests and attainments. An interview forms part of the selection procedure for all offered places.

Detailed entry requirements, including typical offer levels, and information about other qualifications we accept, are available on the University of Edinburgh’s website. You’ll also find important information on how to apply.

You must submit a fully completed UCAS application that includes details of the qualifications you are taking, including full predicted grades for qualifications not yet completed, your personal statement and your reference. Applications with these details missing will not be considered.

Health checks

The University has a responsibility to ensure that students studying on a degree that involves practical training in a clinical environment, and that leads to a professional registerable qualification, are fit to practise. This is assessed according to the requirements and standards of the profession the student wishes to enter. Students will be provided with further information on admission. Veterinary medicine is a practical subject and students must be able to handle and examine all animals safely and humanely. Applicants with a disability, health problem or allergy that may impact upon their ability to carry out practical procedures are invited to discuss this in confidence before making a formal application. All holders of Unconditional Firm offers are required to complete a Health Questionnaire prior to entry to the programme, regardless of whether a disability or health condition was declared on application or not. https://www.ed.ac.uk/vet/studying/undergraduate/healthquestionnaire

Interview

We interview around 600 applicants for the 5-year programme each year. To be shortlisted for interview, applicants must normally score highly in all aspects of their application. Interviews normally take place between December and early March each year, exploring the information in the UCAS application and WES form, covering suitability for, and interest in, veterinary medicine and career exploration to date. https://www.ed.ac.uk/vet/studying/undergraduate/application-process/edvetinterviews

Other

Applicants should provide detailed information on their practical experience (number of days/weeks spent and species worked with) in the appropriate section of their UCAS form. Candidates should be aware that the selectors can only take into account work already undertaken and not work planned. Applicants may receive an offer conditional on gaining further specified work experience. All UCAS candidates are required to complete and return a Work Experience Summary form (WES) to the Admissions Office prior to the deadline of 22 October. Please note that applications submitted without a WES will be considered incomplete. See the BVM&S website to download the form and for further guidance on work experience. https://www.ed.ac.uk/vet/studying

The University of Edinburgh welcomes students from the UK and all over the world. We accept a wide range of qualifications and our policies support students with diverse backgrounds and experience. UCAS entry grade data is currently not available for our degrees but we publish admissions statistics on our website. We also provide information on widening access offers and entry requirements.