Updated October 24, 2026

Penn Vet Interview (VMD): Format, Dates and What They Look For

What happens at the Penn Vet interview, how you get one, and how it decides your offer.

Penn Vet invites a select number of VMD applicants to group interviews with its Committee on Admissions, held on Zoom in January and February. Invitations come with the mid-January status update, and every interviewed applicant hears by email by February 28. The interview looks at your commitment to veterinary medicine, communication, determination and interest in Penn Vet.

Practice the Penn Vet interview now How vet school practice works

Key facts (2027 entry)

Format: Group interviews with the Committee on Admissions, by invitation only. Penn Vet does not publish the length or group size.
Online or in person: Online. Interviews are required and held on Zoom.
When: Invitations with the mid-January 2027 status update. Interviews in January and February. Penn Vet will not reschedule your interview day.
What it assesses: Your understanding of and commitment to veterinary medicine, communication skills, determination and overall interest in Penn Vet.
Who is interviewed: A select number of applicants after the Committee on Admissions reviews every file. Penn Vet does not publish how many.
Decisions: Interviewed applicants are told by email by February 28. The VMD admissions page lists final decisions in late February 2027.
Tests: No GRE. Penn Vet no longer considers or accepts it for the VMD.

What happens on the day

Penn Vet's interview is a group interview with members of its Committee on Admissions, held on Zoom.

Group format. Penn Vet describes group interviews with the Committee on Admissions. It does not publish how many applicants share a session or how long it runs.
On Zoom. Interviews are required and held virtually on Zoom.
What they look for. Your understanding and commitment to veterinary medicine, communication skills, determination and overall interest in Penn Vet.
Your area of interest. Penn Vet asks applicants to name an area of interest. It is not binding, but you should be able to speak about it clearly and have vet experience behind it.

Short notice is possible. Penn Vet tries to give two weeks' notice, but some slots open inside that window. It will not reschedule, so keep January and February clear.

How you get an interview

The Committee on Admissions, a standing faculty committee, reviews every application from October to December and compares applicants against each other.

What the committee weighs most

Academic ability. All your grades and courses, with a focus on the sciences and especially upper-level science. Penn Vet recommends at least a 3.0 GPA, and the incoming class usually averages about 3.6.
Familiarity with the profession. No minimum hours, but Penn Vet strongly recommends at least 600 hours of vet experience. Routine care of family pets is not enough.
Recommendations. Three required: an academic (science strongly preferred), a veterinarian, and one of your choice. Penn Vet reads every letter you send, up to six.
Character and fit. Character, personality and general fitness and adaptability for a career in veterinary medicine.

Your essays

Penn Vet requires the VMCAS personal statement and its own essays. It wants depth: why you want to be a vet, which experiences shaped that, and what you can contribute.

Watch your recent grades. Penn Vet wants a last 45 GPA that has not dropped and is typically higher than your overall GPA.

How offers are decided

Penn Vet does not publish a weight for the interview. Interviewed applicants hear the committee's decision by email.

Comparative selection. There are many more applicants than places, so meeting every requirement does not guarantee an offer.
By February 28. All interviewed applicants are notified by email by February 28.
Deposit. Admitted students mail their forms and a non-refundable $500 tuition deposit by April 15. The page currently shows April 15, 2026 for the Class of 2030, so expect the 2027 date in your offer.
Class size. Penn Vet describes a starting class of 125 and takes most of it from outside Pennsylvania. Its 2030 class profile lists 132 students with an average GPA of 3.76.

Requirements and dates for fall 2027 entry

Your coursework does not have to be finished to apply. Penn Vet audits it only after you accept a place.

Key requirements

Supplemental Information Form. Opens in May. It takes about 10 to 15 minutes, cannot be saved partway, and comes with a $75 processing fee. Both are due by the VMCAS deadline.
Matriculation requirements. English, social sciences or humanities, physics with labs, general and organic chemistry, biology including genetics, microbiology, biochemistry, calculus and statistics, each with a C or better.
Junior-year applicants. Considered with 90 credits by matriculation, but fewer than 1% of entering students have not finished a bachelor's degree.

Dates for fall 2027 entry

September 15, 2026. VMCAS deadline, 11:59 pm Eastern. The Supplemental Information Form and fee are due the same day.
October to December 2026. Application review. Everyone gets a receipt email by December 5.
Mid-January 2027. Status update for all applicants, with interview invitations.
January and February 2027. Interviews on Zoom.
By February 28, 2027. Decisions for interviewed applicants.

Other routes

VMD-PhD. A separate application due November 1, alongside the September 15 VMD application.
VMD+ dual degrees. Current VMD students can add an MES, MPH, MBA, law, MSTR or MSW degree, applying between October and December.

How to prepare

A group interview on Zoom rewards clear, brief answers and real listening to others.

Practice with others. Run a mock group session with friends on video. Take turns, build on what others say, and avoid talking over people.
Know why Penn. Overall interest in Penn Vet is one of the things the committee assesses, so have specific reasons tied to your goals.
Own your area of interest. Be ready to explain the area you named, what experience supports it, and where you see your career going.
Set up your space. Test your camera, sound and connection, use a quiet room and look at the camera when you speak.

Depth over hours. Penn Vet says the point of vet experience is to mature your thinking. Bring examples that show what you understood, not just what you saw.

Practice questions

Questions in the style of a Group interview (online) station, written for applicants to University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine (Penn Vet). They are practice questions, not the school's own. Open one for what a strong answer does.

Walk us through how you decided to pursue veterinary medicine, from your first interest to today.

Keep it to a few clear turning points, and end with what you understand about the job now that you did not at the start.

Some people argue that funding for expensive veterinary oncology research should go to human pediatric oncology instead. How would you justify the value of advanced research and treatment for companion animals?

Respect the other view, then make a calm case using One Health and comparative medicine, with one concrete example.

You diagnose a parrot with psittacosis, which can spread to people. The immunocompromised owner refuses to give up the bird or change their close contact with it. How do you proceed?

Show empathy for the bond, explain the human health risk clearly, and offer practical ways to reduce risk while respecting the owner's choice.

What role do veterinarians play in educating the public about diseases that urban wildlife, like raccoons or bats, can pass to pets and families?

Give a specific example such as rabies, and explain how vets connect animal and public health in everyday practice.

A pharmaceutical rep offers to sponsor your struggling clinic's staff party if you commit to prescribing a set volume of their new broad-spectrum antibiotic. What do you do?

Decline clearly, explain the conflict of interest and the resistance risk, and suggest other ways to lift team morale.

Why veterinary medicine, when you have seen how often owners can't afford the care their animals need?

Acknowledge the hard reality honestly, then show what still draws you to the work and how you would handle those conversations.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Penn Vet interview online?

Yes. Penn Vet says interviews are required and held virtually on Zoom.

What type of interview does Penn Vet use?

Group interviews with the Committee on Admissions, by invitation only. Penn Vet does not publish the length or the number of applicants in each group.

When does Penn Vet send interview invitations?

With the status update every applicant gets in mid-January. Interviews run in January and February, and Penn Vet will not reschedule your interview day.

How many vet hours does Penn Vet want?

There is no minimum, but Penn Vet strongly recommends at least 600 hours of vet experience and wants your essays to show what you learned from it.

Does Penn Vet require the GRE?

No. Penn Vet no longer considers or accepts the GRE for VMD admissions.

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.

University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine: Admissions Timeline · read October 24, 2026
University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine: How to Apply · read October 24, 2026
University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine: VMD Admissions · read October 24, 2026
University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine: 2030 VMD Class Profile · read October 24, 2026
University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine: Admission to Dual Degree Programs · read October 24, 2026