Updated October 25, 2026

Auburn Vet School Interview: 30-Minute Virtual Format and Tips

What happens at the Auburn vet school interview, how you get one, and how it fits into your offer.

Auburn invites qualified applicants to a mandatory 30-minute virtual interview with members of its Admissions Committee. The interview looks at your communication skills, the depth and breadth of your work with veterinarians, and your professional potential. It is the third part of a process that starts with academic and personal reviews, which require at least 500 clinical hours with a veterinarian and a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for Alabama and Kentucky residents or 3.4 for at-large applicants.

Practice the Auburn vet interview now How vet school practice works

Key facts (2027 entry)

Format: A personal interview with members of the Admissions Committee. It is mandatory.
Length: 30 minutes.
Online or in person: Online. Auburn describes it as a virtual interview.
What it assesses: Communication skills, depth and breadth of experience working with veterinarians, and professional potential.
Who is interviewed: Qualified applicants, after an academic review and a review of personal credentials and animal work.
When: Auburn's pages do not publish interview dates. Follow your invitation.
Class size: About 130 a year: 41 Alabama residents, 38 Kentucky residents through a contract, and 51 other students.
Veterinary hours: At least 500 hours working in a clinical setting with veterinarians.

What happens on the day

You meet members of Auburn's Admissions Committee online for 30 minutes. Every admitted student goes through this step.

30 minutes, virtual. The interview is short and online.
Committee members. You talk with members of the Admissions Committee.
Three things. The committee wants to understand your communication skills, your experience with veterinarians and your professional potential.
Format details not published. Auburn does not say how many interviewers you will meet, whether they read your file first, or when interviews take place.

Thirty minutes goes fast. Aim for answers of about one to two minutes, so there is time for several questions and follow-ups.

How you get an interview

Auburn uses three parts: an objective review of your academics, a subjective review of your personal credentials and animal work, and the interview.

Academic review

Three GPAs. Overall GPA across every college, science GPA, and a trend GPA over your most recent 60 credits.
Minimums. A 3.0 cumulative GPA for Alabama and Kentucky residents and 3.4 for at-large applicants.
Rounding and repeats. Plus and minus grades round to the full letter. If you repeat a course, both grades count, and dual enrollment credits earned in high school are included in your cumulative GPA calculation.
No GRE. Auburn does not use the GRE.

Experience and letters

500 hours. You need at least 500 hours of experience working in a clinical setting with one or more veterinarians to qualify.
Large and small animals. Experience with both is encouraged.
Three letters. One from a licensed, practicing veterinarian. The other two from an employer, professor or advisor.

Hours start early. Auburn counts hours with a veterinarian from high school toward the hours you need.

How offers are decided

The committee looks at all three parts. Auburn does not publish how much each part weighs or when decisions go out.

Seats by residency. Alabama residents have priority for 41 seats, Kentucky contract students fill 38 seats as in-state students for tuition purposes at $32,662 in annual tuition and fees, and 51 seats go to other non-resident students at $56,638 in annual tuition and fees.
No international or transfer students. Only U.S. citizens and permanent residents are admitted, and students from other vet schools cannot transfer in.
$500 deposit. A non-refundable deposit secures your seat and is applied to tuition.

Requirements and dates

You apply through VMCAS and pay a separate processing fee on Auburn's website. Auburn does not accept late applications.

September 15, 2026. The VMCAS deadline for the 2027 cycle, 11:59 pm Eastern.
October 1, 2026. Kentucky residents must document residency with KHEAA before this date.
No early advantage. Submitting early gives no advantage, though VMCAS encourages submitting by August 15 for timely verification.
Prerequisites. Every applicant completes 37 semester hours in biological and physical sciences, and applicants without a bachelor's degree by June 15 of the year of matriculation complete 70 total semester hours including core courses. Pass-fail grades are not acceptable in required courses, AP or IB credits on a college transcript are accepted, no more than three prerequisites may be outstanding when you apply, and all must be finished with a C- or better by June 15 before you start.

How to prepare

Auburn tells you what the interview is for, so prepare around those three things.

Know your 500+ hours. Pick two or three cases or days from your clinical time and be ready to say what the veterinarian did and what you learned.
Show breadth. If you have both small and large animal time, have a story from each.
Practice talking with owners. Communication is one of the three things the committee looks at, and much of a vet's day is talking with clients.
Test your setup. Check your camera, sound and lighting, and pick a quiet room before the day.

Professional potential. Have a clear, honest answer about the kind of veterinarian you want to be and why Auburn fits.

Practice questions

Questions in the style of a Interview (virtual, 30 minutes) station, written for applicants to Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine. They are practice questions, not the school's own. Open one for what a strong answer does.

Why do you want to study veterinary medicine, given the long hours and hard days you have seen in a clinic?

Name a real hard day you saw in your clinical hours and explain why it made you more sure, not less.

While reviewing a chart, you realize the vet tech gave the wrong vaccine to a dog earlier today. The dog seems fine, but the tech begs you not to tell the supervising veterinarian because they are on a final warning. What do you do?

Put the patient and honesty first, encourage the tech to report it with you, and stay kind.

A family brings in a puppy that swallowed a toy, causing a life-threatening blockage. The surgery is expensive, and they can only pay a fraction of the cost. They ask if they should take the puppy home and see if it passes naturally. How do you respond?

Be honest about the risk, stay compassionate, and look at real options such as payment plans or humane euthanasia.

A family comes in to pick up their pet's ashes. The front desk is chaotic, phones are ringing, and a happy dog is barking loudly in the lobby. How do you handle the handover?

Show small, practical steps such as a quiet room, a calm voice and time to talk.

You are evaluating a senior cat with chronic kidney disease. The owner keeps asking, 'When is the right time to let go? Will I know?' What advice would you give them?

Give a simple way to judge quality of life, invite their feelings, and make clear it is their decision.

Often, treating animals means treating their owners. If you are drawn to this field partly because you prefer animals to people, how will you manage the client-facing side of the job?

Be honest, then give a real example of you building trust with a client or customer.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Auburn vet school interview like?

It is a 30-minute virtual interview with members of the Admissions Committee. It looks at your communication skills, your experience working with veterinarians and your professional potential.

Is the Auburn vet interview required?

Yes. Auburn's prospective student brochure says there is a mandatory interview with the college Admissions Committee.

Is the Auburn vet interview online?

Yes. Qualified applicants are invited to a virtual interview.

How many vet hours does Auburn require?

At least 500 hours of experience working in a clinical setting with one or more veterinarians.

How many students does Auburn vet school admit?

About 130 a year: 41 Alabama residents, 38 Kentucky residents through the Southern Regional Education Board contract, and 51 non-resident or non-contract students. Alabama and Kentucky applicants need a minimum overall GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, non-resident and non-contract applicants need a 3.4, and only U.S. citizens and permanent residents are admitted.

Sources

Official pages only, read on the date shown. Schools change their process every year, so check the school's own page before you apply.

Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine: Application Information · read October 25, 2026
Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine: Prospective DVM Student Brochure · read October 25, 2026
Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine: Costs and Aid · read October 25, 2026
AAVMC: Veterinary Medical School Admission Requirements (VMCAS 2027 cycle deadline) · read October 25, 2026