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LSU Vet School Interview: Is There One, and How Admission Works

LSU decides each year whether to interview vet school applicants. Here is how it picks its class, and what the panel looks like when interviews happen.

LSU Vet Med decides each year whether to hold interviews, and it held none for the 2024 to 2026 cycles. You will hear in late December 2026 whether one is required. If held, a three-member panel interviews you between late January and early February, and your interview rank is combined with your folder review rank.

Start your free weekHow vet school practice works

Key facts (2027 entry)

Interview
Decided each year. Interviews were not held for the 2024 to 2026 cycles.
Format if held
A three-member panel: an Admissions Committee member, an LSU Vet Med faculty member and an outside practitioner.
Online or in person
Not fixed. Candidates are told in late December whether interviews will be virtual or in person.
When
If held, late January to early February 2027. You hear in late December 2026.
How applicants are ranked
A whole-file folder review. Items are not scored or weighted one by one.
Minimum GPA
None. Applicants at or below a 3.2 overall GPA first get a focused academic review.
Class
193 admitted for the Class of 2030 from 2,986 applications. About 51% of each class are Louisiana residents.

Will there be an interview day?

Maybe. The Faculty Committee on Admissions decides each cycle whether to hold interviews, and LSU tells applicants in late December.

  • None in recent years. LSU did not hold interviews for the 2024 to 2026 cycles.
  • Required if held. If interviews take place, you must take part to be considered for an offer.
  • Three on the panel. A member of the Admissions Committee, an LSU Vet Med faculty member and an outside professional practitioner.
  • Virtual or in person. LSU says it will tell candidates in late December which it will be.

What the panel may ask about

LSU lists the knowledge areas that interview questions may focus on.

  • The profession. Knowledge of animal health care and the profession.
  • You. Maturity and motivation, professionalism, and work ethic.
  • How you act. Communication skills and professional ethics.
  • The program. Awareness of the rigors of the professional curriculum.

Prepare anyway, lightly. The list of interview topics is also a good map of what your essays should show, so the same prep helps either way.

How you get in

Every application gets a folder review of all its parts as a whole. Teams of Admissions Committee members, LSU Vet Med faculty and outside veterinary professionals do the reviewing.

The folder review

  • No item scores. GPA, letters and other parts are not scored or weighted one by one. You are ranked against others in your residency pool.
  • Academic trends. Reviewers look for recent strong grades in upper-division biomedical or animal science courses.
  • Focused review. Applicants with an overall GPA at or below about 3.2 are first reviewed on academic trends. Strong recent trends return them to their pool.
  • Your journey. LSU says strong candidates can maturely express their experiences and their path to veterinary medicine.

Experience

  • No minimum hours. Admitted students have ranged from no experience to over 10,000 hours, with an average of about 2,000.
  • A goal for new applicants. LSU suggests 100 to 300 hours.

Residency pools

About 51% of the entering class are Louisiana residents and 49% are from out of state. Arkansas, Puerto Rico and out-of-state or international applicants are reviewed in separate pools for non-resident seats.

How offers are decided

Top candidates get an offer or alternate status based on their file and the seats in their residency pool. The Dean approves final offers.

  • No interview year. Offers, denials and alternate statuses are released in late December.
  • Interview year. Candidates are scored and ranked on the interview, and that rank is combined with the folder review rank. Interviewed applicants hear in late February.
  • April 15, 2027. Respond to an offer by this national deadline or it is rescinded.
  • Rank stays private. LSU does not release your application rank.

Requirements and dates

You apply through VMCAS and complete LSU's supplemental application there. You also pay a $100 processing fee to LSU.

What to submit

  • Three letters. One must be from a veterinarian. You can send up to 6, and all are read.
  • Your own words. Using a third-party service or AI to write essay answers is prohibited.
  • Coursework. At least 66 semester hours, with all prerequisites done by the spring before you start. No degree is required.

Dates for 2027 entry

  • September 15, 2026. VMCAS closes at 10:59 pm Central.
  • October 1, 2026. LSU's $100 processing fee is due by 11:59 pm Central.
  • Late December 2026. Decisions, and word on whether interviews will be held.
  • Late January to early February 2027. Interviews, if held.
  • April 15, 2027. Reply to your offer.

How to prepare

Your essays and letters do most of the work at LSU. Get them right first, then prepare for a panel in case one is held.

  • Tell your path clearly. Write about how you came to veterinary medicine with specific moments, not general statements about loving animals.
  • Know the school's values. LSU names innovation, compassion and integrity, plus a broad understanding of the profession and public service.
  • Show recent grades. If your GPA is lower, strong recent upper-division science grades help more than extra experience hours.
  • Rehearse the topics. For a possible panel, prepare a short answer on each listed area, from ethics to the rigors of the curriculum.

Watch for late December. That is when LSU tells you whether there is an interview and whether it is virtual or in person.

Practice questions

Questions in the style of a No interview in recent cycles (panel if held) station, written for applicants to Louisiana State University School 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 pursue veterinary medicine now, instead of taking more time to gain experience first?

Point to what your experience has already shown you and why you are ready for the workload now.

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

Name a hard day you actually saw and explain why it made you more committed, not less.

A pharmaceutical rep offers to fully sponsor your clinic's annual staff party if you commit to prescribing a specific volume of their newly patented, broad-spectrum antibiotic. Your clinic is struggling financially and morale is low. How do you handle this offer?

Decline clearly, explain the stewardship and conflict-of-interest problem, and suggest another way to lift morale.

You discover that a highly respected senior partner at your practice has been consistently under-dosing pain medication during routine surgeries to save the clinic money. How would you address this?

Check your facts, raise it directly and respectfully, and say what you would do if it continued.

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 of the ashes?

Show how you would protect the family's privacy and dignity with small, practical steps.

Owners' financial limits are a common source of stress for veterinarians. How do you prepare yourself for a career where you often won't be able to offer the gold-standard care because an owner can't afford it?

Show you understand a range of care options and how you would talk with owners without judging them.

Frequently asked questions

Does LSU interview vet school applicants?

Only in some years. The Faculty Committee on Admissions decides each cycle, and interviews were not held for the 2024 to 2026 cycles.

When will I know if LSU is holding interviews?

In late December 2026. LSU will also say then whether interviews will be virtual or in person.

What is the LSU vet interview format?

When held, a three-member panel of an Admissions Committee member, an LSU Vet Med faculty member and an outside practitioner interviews each selected applicant.

What GPA does LSU vet school require?

There is no minimum GPA. Applicants at or below a 3.2 overall GPA first get a focused review of their recent academic trends.

How many vet hours does LSU want?

There is no minimum. LSU suggests 100 to 300 hours as a goal for a new applicant, and admitted students average about 2,000.

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.

  1. LSU School of Veterinary Medicine: Folder Review and Interview · read October 25, 2026
  2. LSU School of Veterinary Medicine: Dates and Deadlines · read October 25, 2026
  3. LSU School of Veterinary Medicine: Applicant Selection Procedure · read October 25, 2026
  4. LSU School of Veterinary Medicine: Mission and Requirements · read October 25, 2026
  5. LSU School of Veterinary Medicine: DVM Admissions FAQs · read October 25, 2026
  6. LSU School of Veterinary Medicine: Residency Classification · read October 25, 2026
  7. LSU School of Veterinary Medicine: Previous Class Statistics · read October 25, 2026