top of page

Colorado State University

Admissions Contact Information

Phone: (970) 491-7051
Email: dvmadmissions@colostate.edu
Address: Colorado State University 1601 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, Colorado 80523
Website: http://csu-cvmbs.colostate.edu/Pages/default.aspx

Background Information

  • What is the mission of the institution? The College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences (CVMBS) strives to provide high quality education in the biomedical sciences through undergraduate majors in environmental health, microbiology, and biomedical sciences; through the Professional Veterinary Medical program; and through high quality graduate education in anatomy and neurobiology, clinical sciences, environmental health, microbiology, pathology, physiology and radiological health sciences. The College contributes to the prevention and control of human and animal disease through basic and applied research programs encompassing each of these disciplines and provides outreach and service locally and nationally through its Hospital, Diagnostic Laboratory, technology transfer, and dissemination of important discoveries affecting human and animal health.

  • What is the campus/city like? Colorado State University Veterinary School is located in Fort Collins. This is a city of 150,000 that is near the Rocky Mountains and the state capital Denver. It is a great place for those who like the outdoors with the skiing, rivers, canyons, and beautiful scenic attractions. It was named Money magazine's Best Place to Live in the US in 2006, while remaining in the top 10 in years after. 

  • Is it a public or private University? It is a public university. 

  • Do they have any special programs? They have the Veterinary Summer Scholars Program which is meant to provide an opportunity for all veterinary schools to expose students in their first and second years of veterinary medical school to biomedical research. Students recceive a stipend of $459/week for 10-12 weeks. There is also the ASLAP-Pfizer Summer Fellowship with a $4250 stipend. In addition to these two opportunities, there are paid research opportunities for students through the American Humane Association along with the center for companion animal studies. 

  • Do they have any special facilities? The college is composed of eight major buildings that house the departments of biomedical sciences, environmental and radiological health sciences, and microbiology, immunology, and pathology. The James L. Voss Veterinary Teaching Hospital, one of the world’s largest and best equipped, houses the clinical sciences department. This department boasts a variety of unique units, including the internationally acclaimed Robert H. and Mary G. Flint Animal Cancer Center, Animal Population Health Institute, Integrated Livestock Management Program, and Gail Holmes Equine Orthopaedic Research Center. They also have the Veterinary Teaching Hospital Library. 

​Ranking​

  • U.S. News and World Report Ranking: #3

  • Accreditation: ​Yes, they are fully accredited.

​Required Coursework

- Biological Sciences with a Lab​

- Genetics (upper level preferred)

- General Chemistry with a Lab

- Biochemistry

- Physics with Lab

- Statistics

- English composition

- 30 credits of electives

 

​Coursework Criteria​

  • You can apply and be admitted under provisional admission before completing all required courses, but completion of final grades for the required courses must be received by July 15 before the fall semester you will matriculate into the program. 

​​Veterinary Program​

  • How many years is the program? Four years.  

  • What is the start date? Class start the last week in August.

  • What is the average class size? 130.  

  • What concentrations are offered? Small animal, companion animal, large animal, mixed practice, food animal, equine, dairy, zoological medicine, and exotics. There are also many specializations that students can do with further education.

  • What other degrees are offered? They offer DVM, DVM/PhD, DVM/MBA, DVM,MPD, DVM/MST, and business certification. 

  • What are the residency placement options? Colorado State University provides students with post-graduate veterinarians opportunities to pursue advanced skills training, mentored instruction and case management in specialty areas like prion transmission or tumors. They offer residency programs at the university, but also partner with other universities and clinics.

  • What is the NAVLE pass rate? 100%

  • What is the retention rate? 98%

  • What are some student activities? They have various students organizations and professional organizations, such as the biomedical student association, CVMBS college council, environmental health student association, pre-veterinary club, microbiology student association, and the AAIAS. In addition there are lots of research opportunities and summer programs for students. There are many ways to get involved with the community. For outdoor enthusiasts, the city sports one of the most comprehensive bike trail systems anywhere in the nation, More than 50 city and county parks provide tennis and basketball from dawn until the lit courts close at night, skateboard parks, indoor and outdoor pools, fields for team sports, ice skating and more. Camping, hiking, snow sports, rafting, fishing, water skiing, and rock climbing are all within a short drive.

  • What professional development do they offer? They have the career services center which helps students make good decisions when it comes to their education, internships, and career choices. They help with decision making, job searches, cover letters and resumes, graduate school application writing, finding internships, and preparing for interviews.

  • What academic support programs do they have? ? Colorado State University has many support programs for student ranging for health insurance, to studying support groups, special locations around campus for students to study, counseling services, and testing help centers.

  • What is the curriculum? Colorado State Univeristy is internationally known for its innovative curriculum, with the veterinary program providing students with a four-year course of study in veterinary medicine leading to the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree. The first two years are conducted on the main campus and include comprehensive coverage of veterinary and biomedical sciences along with integrated hands-on and clinical experiences. During the second two years, students participate in animal care at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital through a series of specialty rotations. Students participate as team members in evaluating patients, meeting with clients, developing treatment plans, and providing hands-on care, all under the supervision of faculty clinicians.

 
​Admissions General Information​

  • Professional Application Service:  VMCAS

  • VMCAS Deadline: October 2nd

  • Do they have a supplemental application? Yes, they have a secondary application that is similar to the VMCAS that is also do on October 2nd. It costs $60.

  • Do they have interviews? They do not have interviews. 

  • Are AP credits accepted? Yes, it must appear on your college transcripts. 

  • Do they require a pre-professional curriculum? There is no pre-professional curriculum required. There is also no degree requirement as long as you meet the course and academic requirements. 

  • ​What professional test do they accept? They accept the GRE.

Admissions Statistics (2013)​

General Statistics 

# of applications received per year - 1,656

# of out-of-state applicants per year - 1,230

# of students accepted - 138

% of applicants accepted - 8.3%

% of in-state students enrolled - 76.1%

% of out-of-state students enrolled - 23.9%

% female - 81.9%

% male - 18.1%



GPA Statistics

Required cumulative GPA - they do not have a requirement

Avg. cumulative GPA of admitted students - 3.60

 

GRE Statistics

Avg. verbal score for admitted students - 155

Avg. quantitative score for admitted students - 150

Avg. analytical score for admitted students - not required

 

The following link takes you to some of the most recent admissions data. Admissions Data. 

 

Subjective Review Components
 
1. Quality of Academic Program - there are many different factors when considering the quality of the academic program. They look at the number and quality of upper level biomedical science courses, ability to carry a full schedule of courses, employment during academic terms, course and degree variety, academic trends, GRE scores, and special circumstances.

 

2. Economic Factors - demonstrating a history of low income of applicent and family unit prior to college entrance and preveterinary eduction. In addition, if the applicant has shown major financial responsibility to a household or a history of financial aid. 

 

3. Educations Factors - these include such circumstances as inadequate early education, unusual number of hours of employment, lack of exposure to an academic role model or participation in sound education programs. 

 

4. Cultural/environenmental factors - these could be such circumstances as being born to immigrant parents, rasied in an ethnic minority, raised in a family where English is a second language, raised in am economically depressed area, or raised in an environemnt of abuse such as alcohol, drugs, or child abuse.  

 

Tuition and Fees

  • In-state tuition (and WICHE) - $25,242

 

  • Out-of-state tuition - $53,218

 

  • Is there an enrollment deposit required? There is no deposit required.

 

  • Residency status options - Non-sponsored (or out-of-state) students will remain non-sponsored for the four years of the program.

 

​Funding Options​

  • Grants-in-aid - Yes, there is the Colorado Graduate Grant, Colorado Student Grant, SCU Commitment to Colorado, CSU Ram Grant, Federal Pell Grant, and the SEOG grant (however, many of these are reserved only for Colorado residents).

 

  • Fellowships - Yes, they have the Veterinary Summer Scholars Program which is meant Stipend: $459/week for 10-12 weeks. There is also the ASLAP-Pfizer Summer Fellowship ($4250 stipend). There are paid research opportunities for students through the American Humane Association along with the center for companion animal studies.

 

  • Scholarships - Yes, Institutional scholarships are funded by CSU. State merit scholarships (Colorado Centennial Scholarships) are funded by the Colorado General Assembly. Institutional and state scholarships are awarded to students who demonstrate academic excellence, leadership qualities, or outstanding talent. Requirements vary by individual scholarship. They have DVM based scholarships along with scholarships for those pursuing a graduate degree.

 

  • Assistantships - Yes, Colorado has assistantships in addition to work-studies. You can find jobs on campus that are funded throughout either the University or the government. Some examplesare clerical, data entry, computer lab assistant, research technician, tutor, staff assistant, campus recreation worker, and lab assistant. The average pay for a work study is $9.02, but the average rate for an assistantship is $10.41.

 

  • Military Funding - The U.S. Army offers a variety of scholarships for veterinary students. If you are interested in the military, they will pay for your entire tuition in exchange for four years of service as a veterinarian. They also pay for all of your books/fees and you get a $1907 per month stipend. Once you start school you are a Second Lieutenant and after you graduate you are promoted to a Captain.

Helpful Links for UC Davis
bottom of page