DVM vs VMD: Accreditation, Licensing, and Penn Vet Guide

If you are choosing where to apply or checking a veterinarian's credentials, the letters after the name reflect the awarding university rather than a different tier of medical training.

Both pathways use the same centralized application system, answer to the same accrediting council, and prepare graduates for the same careers. According to the American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC), veterinarians keep the nation's food supply safe, control the spread of disease, and conduct research that benefits both animals and humans. The AVMA's Veterinary School Admission 101 guide adds that veterinarians work in clinical practice as well as public health, government, and the uniformed services, spending much of their clinical day communicating with animal owners.

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On its VMD Admissions page, the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine states that the VMD degree is designed to prepare students for careers in veterinary practice, research, and public health. Training spans two main clinical facilities. Ryan Hospital at 3900 Spruce Street in Philadelphia cares for cats, dogs, and other companion animals. New Bolton Center Hospital at 382 West Street Road in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania cares for horses and livestock or farm animals. The school's academic departments cover Biomedical Sciences, Clinical Sciences and Advanced Medicine, Clinical Studies at New Bolton Center, and Pathobiology.

Penn Vet connects clinical training with research centers and programs including the Penn Vet Working Dog Center, the Penn Vet Cancer Center, the Institute for Infectious and Zoonotic Diseases, the Center for Stewardship Agriculture and Food Security, the Shelter Medicine and Community Engagement Program, and the Wildlife Futures Program. The school also offers online graduate programs in Animal Welfare and Behavior, certificates, and continuing education. Students in the veterinary program can apply to one of seven dual degree programs listed on Penn Vet's VMD Admissions page.

• VMD / PhD
• VMD / MSW
• VMD / MPH
• VMD / ML
• VMD / MBA
• VMD / MES
• VMD / MSTR

According to the AVMA's Accredited Veterinary Colleges directory, AVMA COE accreditation represents the highest standard of achievement for veterinary medical education and is earned through peer review by an external panel of practitioners and academics. The AVMA COE directory is updated biannually and serves as the only official online list of accredited veterinary schools and programs. Every college in the directory is held to the same licensing exam benchmark: the Council on Education expects that 80% or more of each college's graduating senior students sitting for the NAVLE will have passed at the time of graduation. If no program graduates take the NAVLE, the Council uses other student educational outcomes listed in section 12.11.1 of the Accreditation Policies and Procedures of the AVMA Council on Education to assess compliance.

In the AVMA COE directory, the University of Pennsylvania holds full Accredited status (last evaluation in 2023, next evaluation in 2030) and has an active Student AVMA (SAVMA) chapter. By our count from the AVMA COE directory, there are 42 U.S. institutions across five accreditation classifications, plus 5 accredited Canadian colleges (Université de Montréal, University of Calgary, University of Guelph, University of Prince Edward Island, and University of Saskatchewan) and 16 accredited foreign colleges in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, France, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Korea, and the West Indies.

• Accredited: Granted for up to seven years to a college with no deficiencies in any Standards. These colleges submit annual interim reports. U.S. colleges holding this status without deficiencies include the University of Pennsylvania, UC Davis, Colorado State, Cornell, NC State, Ohio State, and Texas A&M.
• Accredited with minor deficiencies: Granted when a college has one or more minor deficiencies that have minimal or no effect on student learning or safety and can reasonably be addressed in one year. Colleges submit reports twice a year, and uncorrected deficiencies lead to Probationary Accreditation for one additional year. 5 U.S. colleges (Midwestern University, Western University of Health Sciences, Purdue University, University of Minnesota, and Lincoln Memorial University at Harrogate) carry minor deficiencies alongside Accredited status.
• Probationary Accreditation: Granted when a college has one or more major deficiencies with more than minimal impact on student learning or safety. These must be corrected in two years, with reports every six months. 1 U.S. college (Tuskegee University) is listed under Probationary Accreditation.
• Provisional Accreditation: Granted to a new program holding Reasonable Assurance on the date its initial cohort begins class. Interim reports are required every six months for no more than five years, after which a non-compliant program may be placed on Terminal Accreditation. 7 U.S. colleges (Arkansas State, Lincoln Memorial at Orange Park, Rowan, Long Island University, Universidad Ana G. Mendez, Clemson, and Utah State) hold Provisional Accreditation.
• Letter of Reasonable Assurance: A pre-accreditation step before the first class starts. 1 U.S. school (University of Maryland Eastern Shore) is listed in this category.

Like most veterinary schools, Penn Vet uses the centralized Veterinary Medical College Application Service (VMCAS) run by the AAVMC. Applicants can also use the AAVMC's Veterinary Medical School Admission Requirements (VMSAR) directory to review prerequisites, tuition, and test policies across U.S., Canadian, and international member schools, as well as AAVMC public data reports on faculty, students, applicants, and tuition.

The AVMA's Veterinary School Admission 101 guide explains that the veterinary curriculum is demanding, routinely running 18 credit hours or more each semester of high-level science courses. Beyond required prerequisites, the AVMA notes that undergraduate courses in anatomy, physiology, zoology, microbiology, animal science or animal production, nutrition, histology, and business management can strengthen your foundation for veterinary school. The AVMA also groups applicant experiences into six categories: veterinary experience under the supervision of a veterinarian in clinical or nonclinical settings, animal experience such as 4-H, FFA, shelters, farms, or kennels, research experience, paid employment outside the veterinary field, unpaid volunteer work outside the veterinary field, and extracurricular activities.

On its How to Apply page, Penn Vet states that its Committee on Admissions (a standing faculty committee) selects applicants on a comparative basis. The committee weighs academic ability, familiarity with the profession and sincerity of interest, recommendations from academic counselors, science faculty, and veterinarians, character, personality, and general fitness and adaptability for a career in veterinary medicine. If you are not admitted on your first attempt, the AVMA notes that many veterinarians applied multiple times before acceptance and advises reaching out to admissions staff for feedback to strengthen a reapplication.

For Fall 2027 entry, Penn Vet's VMCAS application and Supplemental Information Form are both due September 15, 2026 at 11:59 PM EST. After internal review by the Committee on Admissions, a select number of applicants are invited to interview early in the year, with status updates in mid-January 2027 and final decisions in late February 2027. For Fall 2028 entry, Penn Vet lists a mid-September 2027 deadline, mid-January 2028 status updates, and late February 2028 final decisions. Use our checklist below to complete both parts of a Penn Vet VMD application.

• Log experience hours and line up 3 to 6 VMCAS eLORs: Record dates, supervisor contacts, responsibilities, and hours across veterinary, animal, research, employment, and volunteer categories (aiming for Penn Vet's recommended 600+ veterinary hours). Request at least one science faculty/advisor eLOR (who does not need to have taught you in class, but must compare your abilities to other students), one veterinarian eLOR, and a third reference of your choice.
• Send official transcripts and submit VMCAS first: Send official transcripts to VMCAS (VMCAS-Transcripts, PO Box 9126, Watertown, MA 02471), complete the VMCAS Personal Statement and Penn Vet essays, and submit VMCAS. You need your submitted VMCAS ID before you can access Penn Vet's supplemental form.
• Complete the Supplemental Information Form in one sitting: The supplemental system opens in May and takes 10 to 15 minutes. You cannot save and re-enter the form once you start.
• Pay the $75.00 processing fee by September 15, 2026: For credit card payments, use the exact permanent address on file. For check payments, mail a $75.00 check payable to The Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania (with your full name and VMCAS Application Number) to the Penn Vet Admissions Office at 3800 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104. Returned checks incur an extra $35.00 fee.
• Confirm your seat if accepted: Accepted students (for the Class of 2030 cycle, due April 15, 2026) must mail the signed Student Data Form, Required Technical Standards form, Prerequisite Course Check-Off Sheet, and a non-refundable $500.00 tuition deposit check to 3800 Spruce Street, Rosenthal Building. Penn Vet strongly advises using UPS or FedEx rather than USPS so your packet goes directly to Penn Vet.

Why are you applying to Penn Vet's VMD program alongside other accredited veterinary programs, and how have your veterinary experiences shaped what you want to do here?

• Penn Vet: VMD Admissions and Timeline
• Penn Vet: How to Apply and Admissions Requirements
• Penn Vet: Tuition and Aid
• AVMA: Accredited Veterinary Colleges (COE Directory)
• AVMA: Veterinary School Admission 101
• AAVMC: Becoming a Veterinarian and How to Apply
• AAVMC: Cost Comparison Tool