LSU School of Veterinary Medicine’s mission is to create a dynamic community dedicated to saving and changing lives and finding cures. Read on to see how LSU Vet School accomplishes this!

Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM)

The Veterinary Teaching Hospital sees patients for emergency, referral, specialty and primary care 24 hours each day. Students are instructed with primary, secondary and tertiary care caseloads. The hospital is divided into a Large Animal Clinic and a Small Animal Clinic which are both supported by diagnostic services. Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine is located in Baton Rouge. The LSU campus covers over 2,000 acres and is bordered by the Mississippi River. The School of Veterinary Medicine is located on the west side of campus in the Veterinary Medicine Building, which was first occupied in 1978. This facility houses the veterinary academic departments, veterinary library, Veterinary Teaching Hospital and Clinics.

The LSU School of Veterinary Medicine has three main academic departments:

1. Comparative Biomedical Sciences – Veterinary Anatomy, Cell Biology, Physiology, Pharmacology and Toxicology
2. Pathobiological Sciences – Bacteriology, Epidemiology, Immunology, Parasitology, Pathology and Virology
3. Veterinary Clinical Sciences – Diagnosis, Treatment, and Control of Animal Diseases

Contact

Office of Student and Academic Affairs
Phone: (225) 578-9537
Fax: (225) 578-9546
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.vetmed.lsu.edu/

Louisiana State University
School of Veterinary Medicine
Skip Bertman Drive
Baton Rouge, LA 70803

 

Quick Facts

1. Application Deadline
Applications are due October 2nd.

2. GRE or MCAT
The GRE is required; MCAT is not permissible as a substitute. The new GRE General Test which started in August 2011 is required; the old format is not acceptable. Results must be electronically reported by November 15. GRE scores must have been taken within the past five years.

3. Students
Approximately 340 students are currently enrolled in the four year DVM program.

4. Four-year Total Tuition Cost
Based on 2011-2012 tuition rates for the DVM degree
In State Tuition: $78,400 ($19,600/year)
Out of State Tuition: $181,600 ($45,400/year)

5. Accreditation
LSU School of Veterinary Medicine was given full accreditation status by the American Veterinary Medical Association. The last site visit was in 2010 and the next site visit scheduled is 2012.

NAVLE Minimum Pass Rate to remain in Good Standing: 80%
NAVLE pass rate for Oregon State Veterinary School: 98% (Class of 2012)
NAVLE – North American Veterinary Licensing Examination

6. School Rank
LSU School of Veterinary Medicine was ranked #22 by US News and World Reports in 2011.

7. School History
LSU School of Veterinary Medicine graduated its first class of 36 Louisiana students in 1977.

8. Transfer Students
Accepted

 

Admissions Information

Evaluation Criteria

1. Folder/Application Review – includes review of:

• Letters of Recommendation
• Personal Characteristics
• Work and Animal Experience
• Knowledge of Animals and Function of the Profession
• Quality of Written Statements/Communication Skills
• Contribution to Class Diversity
• Transcripts (Course Load, Withdrawals, Quality of Courses, etc)
• Awards, Honors, and Extracurricular Activities

2. Interviews

Those who are qualified are interviewed by a three-member panel. Please note that not all applicants are interviewed. The applicant is evaluated on the following during the interview:

• Knowledge of Profession
• Knowledge of Animals
• Maturity/Motivation
• Professional Image
• Oral Communication Skills
• Professional Ethics
• Entrepreneurial/Business Knowledge
• Awareness of Rigors & Stress of Curriculum
• Work Ethic

Evaluation Weighting

Objective Components (65%)

• Required Course GPA – 29 points
• Last 45 Credit GPA – 18 points
• GRE Score – 18 points

Subjective Components (35%)

• Folder Review – 15 points
• Interview Score – 10 points
• Committee Discretion – 10 points

Letters of Recommendation/Evaluations (a total of 3)

• Veterinarian (at least 1 is recommended)
• Others of student’s choice

 

Acceptance Rate
11% (87 accepted out of 798 applicants – Class of 2016).

Out of the typical 87 of the accepted incoming students at LSU Vet School:

• 55-60 are for LA residents
• 9 are for AR contract students
• 18 are for non-residents

 

Timetable

• GRE Test Deadline – Oct 1
• VMCAS Application Deadline – Oct 2 at 1:00 pm EST
• Supplemental Application Deadline – Oct 15
• GRE scores due – Nov 15
• Interviews take place in January/February
• Acceptances Mailed –mid-March

Before you Apply
If you plan on applying to LSU School of Veterinary Medicine, you will need to complete all courses by the end of the spring term prior to matriculation. A bachelor’s degree is NOT required; however a minimum of 66 credit hours are required. LSU Vet School requires that the following courses must have been taken within the past six years: organic chemistry, one biology course (preferably microbiology), and one physics course. The other prerequisite classes do not have a time limit or expiration; however all pre-requisite courses must be completed with a C or better.

 

Pre-requisite Course Requirements

Math and Science Prerequisite Courses

• Biology 1 and 2 and labs
• General (Inorganic) Chemistry 1 & 2 and labs
• Organic Chemistry
• Physics 1 & 2
• Microbiology and lab
• Biochemistry
• College Algebra and Plane Trigonometry, OR College Algebra and Trigonometry, OR • Analytic Geometry and Calculus I

General Education Requirements (semester hours)

• English Composition (6)
• Speech Communications (3)

 

Required Experience

Veterinary Experience
Veterinary medical experience is not required, however it is strongly recommended for applicants to LSU Vet School. As a general rule, the more experience the application may have and the greater the variety of those experiences, the better for the applicant. Experience can be a part of clinical, medical, agribusiness, health science or medical related scientific research experience.

Statistics for the Admitted Class of 2016

Total Applications…………………………798
Number of LA Residents……………………154
Number of AR Residents…………………….39
Number of PR Residents…………………….26
Number of Non-Resident………………………579
Mean required course GPA……………………3.76
Last 45 credit hour GPA……………………….3.75
Number of students without a degree.……61
Average Age…………………………………………23.7
Male/Female Ratio………………………9/69 (0.27)

 

Degrees Offered

Graduate (M.S.)

• Comparative Biomedical Sciences
• Pathobiological Sciences
• Veterinary Clinical Sciences

Doctorate (Ph.D.)

• Comparative Biomedical Sciences
• Pathobiological Sciences
• Veterinary Clinical Sciences

Dual-Degree

• DVM-PhD