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University of Illinois 

Admissions Contact Information

Phone: 217-265-0380
Email: admissions@vetmed.illinois.edu
Address: 3505 Veterinary Medicine Basics Sciences Building, 2001 South Lincoln Avenue Urbana, IL 61802
Website: http://vetmed.illinois.edu/

Background Information

  • When was the school founded? The school was founded in 1948.

  • What is the mission of the institution? We aspire to be a leader in veterinary and comparative biomedical education, scholarship, and public engagement in the University of Illinois system, in the state, in the nation, and around the world.

  • Is it a public or private University? Public

  • Do they have any special programs? They have some special advanced training programs such as the interdisciplinary environmental toxicology program and the NIEHS environmental toxicology training program. These programs can be found at the following website: http://vetmed.illinois.edu/asa/other_programs/index.html.

  • Do they have any special facilities? They have various departments and facilities for the staff and students at Illinois. They have a veterinary small and large clinical hospitals, diagnostics laboratory, and teaching hospital.

​Ranking​

  • U.S. News and World Report Ranking: 19th

  • Accreditation: ​Yes, they are fully accredited. 

​Required Coursework

They have two prerequisite pathways, termed Plan A and B.  Plan A is for those applicants who already have their undergraduate degree by the time of DVM matriculation. The second Plan is for students who will not have finished their undergraduate degree.
 
Plan A
- 8 semester hours of biological sciences with labs
- 16 semester hours of the chemical sciences (including inorganic, organic, and biochemistry)
- 8 semester hours of physics with labs
 
Plan B
- Must complete at least 60 semester hours, including 44 credits of science courses
- 8 semesters of biological sciences with labs
- 16 semester hours of chemical sciences (inorganic, organic, and biochemistry)
- 8 semester hours of physics with labs
- 3 semester hours of English composition or speech
- 12 semester hours of humanities and or social sciences
- 12 semester hours of junior/senior level science courses in addition to those not listed above. 

 

​Coursework Criteria​

  • In order to be considered for the program you must have a cumulative GPA of 2.75 and a science GPA of 2.75. All prerequisite courses as laid out above must be completed for a grade. All of these courses must all be completed by the end of the spring term of the year prior to matriculation, with no more than two prerequisite courses may be incomplete during the spring term.  

​​Veterinary Program​

  • How many years is the program? 4 years 

  • What is the start date? Orientation week is from August 19th-23rd and classes start after that.

  • What is the average class size? 120

  • What concentrations are offered? In small animal medicine they have internships in anesthesiology, cardiology, dermatology, emergency and critical care, oncology, ophthalmology, medicine, radiology/imaging, and surgery. In large animal medicine they have Equine Medicine and Surgery section, and the Farm Animal Reproduction, Medicine, and Surgery section.

  • What other degrees are offered? DVM, DVM/MPH, and DVM/PhD. They also have various graduate programs such as comparative biosciences, pathobiology, and veterinary clinical medicine. There are also advanced training programs such as interdisciplinary environmental toxicology program and NIEHS environmental toxicology training program.

  • What are the residency placement options? They have residency programs in anesthesiology, dentistry, equine, food animal, imaging and radiation therapy, ophthalomology, anatomical pathology, toxicologic pathology, clinical pathology, zoological pathology, production medicine, small animal medicine, small animal specialty medicine, small animal surgery, toxicology general, zoological and aquatic animal residency.

  • What is the NAVLE pass rate? 97%

  • What are some student activities? They have various internships, organizations, and volunteer based activities on and off campus that students can get involved with. There is also the general campus that is always teeming with things for students to do.

  • What professional development do they offer graduates? The veterinary school offers more than 100 hours each year of educational programming for veterinarians, veterinary students, and animal-owning public. Some of these programs include veterinary education online, canine and feline dental techniques for practitioners, microsurgery training laboratory, and the list goes on. They also have the Executive Veterinary Program which is a series of comprehensive interdisciplinary certificates programs that are meant to improve the business, management, and medical skills of veterinarians.

  • What academic support programs do they have? They have a veterinary medical alumni association veterinary career partnership program which allows alumni to give back to students and the profession by sharing their experiences and knowledge with a student.

  • What is the curriculum? Illinois has a unique curriculum in that students starting their first year begin clinical rotations increasing with experience. In their first year students will go through 23-to-27 diverse clinical experiences for a total of 8 weeks. They also heavily emphasize the clinical learning due to their new Clinical Skills Learning Center. Here students learn, practice, and refine clinical skills under the guidance of experienced instructors. See the link below for more information.

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Admissions Statistics

General Statistics 

# of applications received per year - 841

# of students accepted - 120

% of applicants accepted - 14.3%

% of in-state students enrolled - 75%

% of out-of-state students enrolled - 25%



GPA Statistics

Required cumulative GPA - 2.75

Avg. cumulative GPA of admitted students - 3.59

Avg. science GPA of admitted students - 3.49



GRE Statistics

Avg. composite percentile - 63%

 

Subjective Review Components

The selection of students for the Illinois veterinary school is a three-phase process that is generally completed by mid-February with letters gong out shortly after.  

 

Phase One – Cognitive Evaluation

- this is the initial assessment that ranks applicants numerically based on GRE score, cumulative GPA, Science GPA, and the rigor of the undergraduate academic experience.

 

Phase Two – Non-cognitive evaluation

- the second phase is the non-academic evaluation of the VMCAS application and supplemental application by the Admissions Advisory Committee. This is done by three members who have not seen the information from Phase One.

- the school is determined by: VMCAS personal statement, supplemental essay, animal-related experiences, veterinary-related experiences, other experiences (such as research, international studies), community service/citizenships, leadership, initiative/enterprising activities, special recognitions, and the letters of reference.

 

Phase Three – Interview

- the final phase of the process is the interview in which around 300 students are offered the opportunity to be a part of the personal interview process. During the interview each student will meet with a team of interviewers composed of faculty, veterinarians, and fourth year students. It is a behavior-based interview that is meant to assess skills, knowledge, attitudes, and aptitudes pertinent to veterinary medicine success. 

 

Tuition and Fees

  • In-state tuition = $25,740

 

  • Out-of-state tuition = $43,204

 

  • Is there an enrollment deposit required? A $500 deposit that is non-refundable is due by April 15th.

 

​Funding Options​

  • The only funding that I could find through their website took me to the general Illinois University website financial aid page. Much of this financial aid will not be available for veterinary students as most of it is meant for undergraduates. 

  • For the best results in searching for funding opportunities I would start with your advisor and call the university you are looking at attending. 

 

 

 

Helpful Links
​Admissions General Information​

  • Professional Application Service:  VMCAS

  • VMCAS Deadline: October 2nd

  • Do they have a supplemental application? They have a supplemental essay that is sent out through email.

  • Do they have interviews? Yes, they hold interviews for students by invitation. An Admissions Advisory Committee basis a student’s application based on three different factors. They look at interpersonal skills (how they build relationships, establishing connections, acts in an authentic manner, makes others feel comfortable, and develops a network of colleagues), self-management (if they act autonomously and confidently, drives for results, demonstrates integrity, pursues professional development, and demonstrates adaptability and resilience), and communication abilities.

  • Are AP credits accepted? Yes, AP credits are allowed if they appear on the college transcript. AP credits can be used for the physics prerequisite as long as 8 hours are awarded along with courses in biology and chemistry as long as they are followed up by more advanced college level courses in that area.

  • Do they require a pre-professional curriculum? There is not a specific curriculum that has to be followed besides the prerequisites. However, they do recommend that if you are a liberal arts or other non-science major you should take science course beyond the minimum requirements.

  • ​What professional test do they accept? GRE

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