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Cornell University

Admissions Contact Information

Phone: 607-253-3700
Email: vet_admissions@cornell.edu
Address: S2-009 Schuman Hall, Ithica, NY 14853
Website: http://www.vet.cornell.edu/

Background Information

  • When was the school founded? The actual college of veterinary medicine was established in 1894, but veterinary based classes were being taught twenty-nine years prior to its establishment. 

  • What is the mission of the institution? Their mission is to advance the health and well-being of animals and people through education, research, and public service. 

  • What is the campus/city like? Ithica is in central New York. This town is best known for being home to Cornell University, which has about 20,000 students. It has a college town focus and atmosphere. The city's population is 30,014 with the metropolitan area being a population of 101,564.

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

  • Do they have any special programs? They do have an early acceptance program that is for exception undergraduate sophomores. The requirements for the early admission are: GPA above a 3.7, their GRE scores for verbal and quantitative are above the 80% percentile, have completed at least one semester of organic chemistry and an upper level biology, biochemistry, or physics course, along with submitting a written plan describing how the time between acceptance and matriculation will be used to advance their veterinary experience. 

  • Do they have any special facilities? The college has five many facilities with a total of 1.2 million square feet of space. They are the veterinary medical center, veterinary education center, veterinary research tower, diagnostic laboratory, and the Schurman hall. There are also some other notable facilities near the central campus and they are the James A. Baker Institute for Animal Health, the Cornell Equine Park, and the Equine Annex.   

​Ranking​

  • U.S. News and World Report Ranking: #1

  • Accreditation: ​Yes, they are accredited. 

​Required Coursework

- 6​ credits of English Composition and Literature

- 6 credits of biology

- 6 credits of general chemistry

- 6 credits of organic chemistry

- 4 credits of biochemistry

- 6 credits of physics

- 3 credits of microbiology

 

​Coursework Criteria​

  • A minimum of 90 semester credits including the required courses must be completed by the time of an applicants enrollment in the DVM program. At least 30 of those 90 credits must be completed at an upper level division program at a four-year college. 

​​Veterinary Program​

  • How many years is the program? The program is 4 years long and run on a semester based system.

  • What is the start date? August 19th.

  • What is the average class size? 89

  • What concentrations are offered? There are many different concentrations offered at Cornell, such as small animal, equine, general mixed, exotics, zoo and wildlife, and production animal. 70% of the courses taken by students are considered foundation courses and they are required for all students. The point when students begin to focus more heavily on their area of concentration is during the year of clinicals. 

  • What other degrees are offered? They offer DVM, dual DVM/PhD program, DVM/MPH program with the University of Minnesota, and a Master of Public Health Program. 

  • What are the residency placement options? There are a multitude of residency programs offered through Cornell at their hospital. Some example residencies are ambulatory medicine, anesthesiology, cardiology, theriogenolgy, and radiation oncology. There are also partnership residency programs at other institutions or hospitals offered for lab animal medicine, large animal surgery, shelter medicine, etc. 

  • What is the NAVLE pass rate? 100%

  • What is the retention rate? There retention rate is 98% and above.

  • What are some student activities? There are many different organizations that students can join to further their education, experiences, and network. Such organizations are the shelter medicine club, vets for diversity, and Phi Zeta. Some other examples are the leadership program for veterinary scholars, veterinary investigators program, aquavet, and the summer dairy institute. Each of these programs focuses on a very different aspect/area of veterinary medicine and furthers of the skills of the students accepted into the programs. 

  • What professional development do they offer graduates? There are many opportunities for professional development at Cornell University for veterinary students. Reference student activities and you will see a few links to many different fellowship and summer program opportunities that enhance your education. Cornell also has a student life office that is dedicated to helping students in every aspect of their journal, including preparing them for the professional world. For alumni and non-alumni veterinarians, the Cornell Veterinary schools hosts many different conferences, events, and department seminars that are meant to provide continuing education opportunities to the veterinary community.

  • What academic support programs do they have? Cornell has many different types of academic support systems. Such examples are faculty advisors, which all incoming DVM students are assigned to. There is also a peer mentor program and counseling services. There are of course student disability services for a vast array of situations. 

  • What is the curriculum? Their curriculum is pretty basic for a veterinary school. You have your foundation courses which comprise most of the professional curriculum. These courses are scheduled in sequential blocks of time. Next are distribution courses which represent opportunities for students to pursue specific areas of interest in great depth. The final year is comprised of the 12 clinical rotations that are required of all students and then 1 additional clinical pathway chosen by the student. 

​Admissions General Information​

  • Professional Application Service:  VMCAS

  • VMCAS Deadline: October 2nd

  • Do they have a supplemental application? Yes, they have an in-depth supplemental application that is $65 due mid-October.

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

  • Are AP credits accepted? AP credits with a grade of 4 or 5 are accepted for Physics and General Chemistry only. Any other AP credits will not be accepted. 

  • Do they require a pre-professional curriculum? There is no specific degree requirement, as long as you have completed the required prerequisite courses and graduated from a certified institution. 

Admissions Statistics (2013)

General Statistics 

# of in-state applications received per year - 250

# of out-of-state applicants per year - 650

# of students accepted - 86

% of applicants accepted - 9.5%

% of in-state students enrolled - 59%

% of out-of-state students enrolled - 41%

% female - 82%

% male - 18%



GPA Statistics

Avg. cumulative GPA of admitted students - 3.81

- Corenll only looks at the cumulative GPA of students. 



GRE Statistics

Avg. verbal score for admitted students - 160

Avg. quantitative score for admitted students - 156

 

Subjective Review Components

Cornell uses an admissions formula that weights 50% on academics and 50% on all other experiences and achievements. 

​

1. OVerall GPA = 25%

 

2. GRE = 25% 

 

3. Quality of Academic Program = 5%

 

4. Animal/Veterinary/Biomedical Experiences = 20%. They do not have a requirement for the number of hours an applicant should have, but they indicate that most successful applicants have at least 400 hours with experiences in at least two different veterinary related areas. 

 

5. Non-cognitive Skills = 10%

 

6. All other achievements and letters of evaluations = 10%

 

7. Personal Statement = 5%

 

From these percentages of what they are looking for you can strengthen your application appropriately. They emphasis the academic side of the admission process heavily with the GPA and GRE along making up 50% of your admissions qualifications. 

 

They do not have interviews, but they do have a very in-depth supplemental application that is used in place of the interview. This portion of your application will help them determine your non-cognitive skills, achievements, and allow them to get a better understanding of who you are. The supplemental application is $65 and is due mid-October.

 

Tuition and Fees

  • In-state tuition = $29,400

 

  • Out-of-state tuition = $44,250

 

  • Is there an enrollment deposit required? There is a $500 deposit due by April 15th and it is non refundable. 

 

  • Residency status options = To be considered in state you would need to be a resident at least one year prior to enrolling and provide evidence such as driver's license, voter registration, permanent lease or housing documentation, and New York license plates.   

 

​Funding Options​

  • Grants-in-aid - There are a limited  number of need-based college grants available. They are applied for through the financial aid process. There are also some state grants depending on the state you reside within. 

 

  • Fellowships - There are research and clinical fellowships available to those students who are extremely passionate and highly competitive in veterinary school. The clinical fellowship is a two year program that is meant to allow the student to gain significant background and technical skills appropriate for a career with a major research component. The students are given an annual salary of $65,000 and a research supply fund of $15,000. 

 

  • Scholarships - Many scholarships at the College of Veterinary Medicine have been established through gifts from alumni, friends, and sources of private support. Many of these are dependent on financial need, eligibility requirements, and preferences based on the donors interests in animal health. It appears that the process for applying for these scholarships is to complete a student statement of personal interest which will be submitted to the financial aid tracking page. This personal statement and financial aid need will be used to determine a student’s eligibility for certain awards. 

 

  • Assistantships - Cornell a few different programs available for students. The Federal Work Study Program increases opportunities for student employment by reimbursing employers on campus. There is also the veterinary student employment program that offers wage-subsidy jobs to students in the professional curriculum employed in certain types of veterinary-related position at the college. These jobs are first-come, first-served and on a need based. 

 

  • 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 Cornell
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