Professional doctorate

Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) Program

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign · College of Veterinary Medicine · Urbana, Illinois, United States

Official program page Official admissions Request information

Official award: Doctor of Veterinary MedicineDVM
Pathway: Veterinary medicineStated for United States
Format: On campusFour years
Tuition: Not published

About this program

Four-year DVM program on a quarter-style calendar with 156 credit hours (148 core, 8 elective), rotations from the first year and a final professional development period.

Subject: Veterinary medicine
Department: College of Veterinary Medicine
Awarding body: Not stated on the pages we checked

Qualification and professional pathway

Pathway is classified only from a statement on an official page. An award title such as DVM, BVSc, BSc or MSc does not decide it, and no degree, accreditation or listing by itself grants permission to practise anywhere.

Degree level: Professional doctorateA professional doctorate that is itself the entry qualification (for example the DVM or VMD). It is listed separately from research PhDs and is not equivalent to them.
Pathway: Veterinary medicinePrograms the source describes as the academic and clinical qualification toward becoming a veterinarian in the stated jurisdiction. Registration or licensing normally requires further steps, and a qualification from one country does not guarantee registration in another.
Why we classify it this way: The college explains that the AVMA Council on Education accredits the DVM program and publishes NAVLE outcomes at graduation, i.e. the program leads to veterinary licensure examination.“The COE requires that all accredited Colleges of Veterinary Medicine publish their average pass rate for the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination (NAVLE).”Source
Prior degree required: No

Entry routes and duration
Route	Duration	Credits	Requirement
After a bachelor’s degree	four-year program (Plan A: B.S. or B.A.)	156	Plan A: B.S. or B.A. in any major plus 8 s.h. biological sciences, 15 s.h. chemical sciences and 8 s.h. physics with labsSource
After pre-veterinary coursework	four-year program (Plan B: no undergraduate degree)	156	Plan B: minimum 60 semester hours including 44 hours of science courses, plus the same science prerequisitesSource

Accreditation, evaluation and recognition

Recorded for this program and campus, with the authority’s role. Program accreditation, evaluation status, professional-body recognition, eligibility toward registration, institutional recognition, directory listings and memberships are different things; none of them is automatic permission to practise, and recognition in one country does not guarantee registration in another.

Verified in official recordAVMA Council on Education (COE)Program accreditationFull statusUS
Scope: University of Illinois (Urbana) DVM program as listed by the AVMA COE; last evaluation 2020, next evaluation 2027 (as printed). The college reports the next COE site visit scheduled for March 21-25, 2027.

Study structure

Delivery: On campusTaught at the listed campus.
Study mode: Full-time
Duration: Four years
Credits: 156 credit hours (quarter-style eight-week courses)Credit systems differ between countries and institutions.
Clinical components: Clinical Practice courses (rotations) occur in each year; a Professional Development period at the end of year four provides species-focused capstone experiences
Laboratory work: Clinical Skills Learning Center (1,600 square feet) used for skills training
Intakes: Not published
Campus: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign College of Veterinary Medicine2001 South Lincoln Avenue, Urbana, IL 61802

Teaching language

Taught in: Not stated on the pages we checked
English: English teaching not verifiedAn English-language website does not mean a program is taught in English.
Published language requirements: International applicants: TOEFL iBT 103, IELTS Academic 7.5 or Duolingo 135 (exceptions for approved degrees)

Admissions

Animal or veterinary experience

Not publishedThe FAQ says no specific number of experience hours is required; experience with a variety of species and veterinarians is encouraged.

Interview

Not published

Previous qualification

Cumulative GPA 3.00 and cumulative VMCAS science GPA 3.00; prerequisites completed by the end of the spring before matriculation, at most two incomplete in spring; C- or better

Science prerequisites

8 semester hours biological sciences with labs; 15 semester hours chemical sciences incl. general, organic and biochemistry; 8 semester hours physics with labs

Prior degree

Plan A (degree) or Plan B (60 semester hours incl. 44 science hours)

Tests explicitly required

GRE is optional but used in academic calculations if provided before September 1.

Documents

VMCAS application; Illinois processing fee ($60, $75 for international applicants); at least three letters of reference (one from a practicing veterinarian, one from a professor)

Deadlines

VMCAS application deadline September 15, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. EDT · this date has passed; check the current cycle

Official instructions

Application instructions

Fees and costs

Original currency is authoritative. Each price keeps its basis (per year, per credit, whole program), academic year and student category, and is never converted. Annual tuition and whole-program tuition are different figures.

The institution does not publish tuition for this program on the pages we checked. Ask for current fees, what they include and whether clinical or laboratory charges, equipment and protective clothing, travel, placement expenses and insurance are extra.

Sources and verification

Not published on the program’s source pages: tuition, intakes, animal or veterinary experience requirement, clinical placement details.

Sources and how this was checked

Last checked 19 October 2026. Each fact carries a verbatim quote that is re-checked against the live page. Research methodology.

Sources (checked 19 October 2026)

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