Iowa State vet school acceptance rate

How the Iowa State rate is worked out

Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine does not post how many people apply, so we don't give a rate and don't estimate one. What it does publish is its class size: 166 students. For schools that do publish applicant counts, see the table of vet school acceptance rates by school.

We only use numbers the school posts on its own site. National VMCAS and AAVMC tables count applicants differently, so they are left out.

What Iowa State asks of applicants

• Applicants need at least a 2.5 cumulative GPA on a 4.0 scale and a 2.8 required science GPA, with no minimum for the last-45-credit GPA. The 50% academic review weights the ISU-CVM science prerequisite courses GPA and last 45 credit GPA equally, uses the most recent grade when a course is repeated, and updates GPAs with Fall grades before final decisions. Source
• Applicants are expected to have at least 200 hours of voluntary or paid veterinary, animal or research experience, though it is not a strict cutoff. Multiple experiences across companion animal, equine, production animal, research or zoological veterinary medicine are encouraged, and pet ownership and educational coursework do not count as experience. Source
• Three electronic letters of evaluation are required and up to six are accepted through the VMCAS ELOR system, with at least four letters and at least one letter from a veterinarian strongly recommended and no letters accepted from family members related by blood or marriage. The online ISU Veterinary Medicine Supplemental Application opens May 16, 2026 for the 2026-27 admissions cycle, and its final deadline is September 15, 2026 at 11:59 pm EDT. Source
• The entering class's average science GPA 3.54 (Class of 2030, required science GPA). Source

The Iowa State vet school interview

Iowa State does not interview DVM applicants, and the CASPer test is no longer used in admissions criteria effective for the 2025-26 admissions cycle. Half of the decision comes from a 50% academic review of GPAs and half from a 50% application review of essays, letters and experience, and the Dean approves admission in the order applicants are ranked by the Admissions Committee. Source

About Iowa State's DVM program

• The Class of 2030 has 136 Iowa State students and 30 students in the UNL Professional Program in Veterinary Medicine. Source
• Thirty Nebraska residents a year take the first two years at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the last two at Iowa State, paying Iowa resident tuition. Source
• Iowa State has a contract with North Dakota, which has offered 4 positions a year in recent years at Iowa resident tuition, with an application deadline of October 15 of the year you submit your College of Veterinary Medicine application. Source

Questions people ask

Compare other vet schools

• Tennessee vet school acceptance rate · 4.2%
• Washington State vet school acceptance rate · 4.4%
• Virginia-Maryland vet school acceptance rate · 5.0%
• Colorado State vet school acceptance rate · 5.1%
• Kansas State vet school acceptance rate · 5.4%
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