LOGAN — Utah State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) is now accepting applicants for its inaugural class of vet school students this fall.
USU announced the news in late March, after receiving a letter of reasonable assurance from the American Veterinary Medical Association Council on Education (AVMA COE), indicating the college is on track to receive accreditation. There are less than 35 accredited veterinary programs in the United States. This would be the first doctor of veterinary medicine program in Utah.
USU Interim President Al Smith said it is “an incredibly important milestone” for the future of the college program.
“Reaching this point speaks to the committed efforts of the faculty, staff and administrators in the CVM, USU leadership, and the many stakeholders across the state who fervently supported the establishment of the college,” Smith wrote in a statement issued with the announcement.
Students accepted into the program will begin courses during fall semester and become the first graduates of the program by 2029.
To be a licensed veterinarian, a person must graduate from a school with AMVA COE accreditation. The graduate program requires four years of study, which includes both pre-clinical and classroom-based instruction and clinical experiences.
“Receipt of the Letter of Reasonable Assurance puts us on the path to fulfill our commitment to graduating exceptional veterinarians who are not only skilled practitioners but also compassionate professionals, ready to take on the challenges of animal health with confidence and competence,” said Dirk Vanderwall, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine.
Despite USU’s initial plans to create a veterinary school in 1907, it wasn’t until 2011 that the Utah Legislature voted to create and fund a veterinary education program that was in partnership with Washington State University. Since that time vet students have spent their first two years at USU then needed to transfer to WSU to finish their final two years of the program. Now USU students will be able to complete the whole program without leaving the state. State leaders believe keeping students in Utah at the agricultural school will result in home-grown veterinary practitioners that will help small animal owners around the state and improve the Beehive state’s $1.82 billion agricultural industry.
USU plans to expand class sizes for the CVM in the future, capping at 80 students per year, after its new state-funded Veterinary Medical Education building is finished.
In June 2024, Utah Governor Spencer Cox helped break ground with legislators and educators for USU’s Veterinary Medical Education Building. It is currently under construction and scheduled to be completed by summer of 2026. The 106,000 square-foot building will have three stories, include new laboratories, classrooms, office and study spaces, and is located north of USU’s main campus at the corner of 1400 North and 1200 East in Logan.
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