Veterinary Gateway Programme

This Veterinary Gateway course is aimed at students who want to study veterinary medicine but who might not otherwise meet our entry requirements. The programme integrates an additional preparatory year designed to equip you with the knowledge and skills you need to study veterinary medicine.

This course is open to UK students only, who come from a 'widening participation' background.

The programme focuses on developing your analytical, problem solving and practical skills in the biological sciences; improving your study, team working and communication skills; and introducing you to the handling and husbandry (control and management) of animals, most of them farm animals. If you successfully complete the year, you will automatically progress onto our Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine degree programme. You will also be eligible to apply to continue at other UK vet schools for their D100 programmes. The following universities currently guarantee interview to those on the RVC's Gateway year: Bristol, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Liverpool. 

The course is primarily delivered at our Camden Campus, with some practical elements of the course undertaken at our Hawkshead Campus.

Upon successful completion of this six-year course, you will graduate with a degree in veterinary medicine. 

Our graduates go on to enjoy a wide range of careers in veterinary medicine, including positions in:

• Small animal practices
• Mixed practices
• Equine practices
• Farm/livestock environments
• Wild animal environments
• Wildlife conservation
• Military support
• Industry
• Research
• Government
• Academia

Global careers

You will be entitled to practise as a veterinarian as soon as you have earned your BVetMed degree and registered as a Member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS). The RVC's accreditation status with the European Association of Establishments for Veterinary Education (EAEVE) and the reciprocal arrangement between the RCVS and the Australasian Veterinary Boards Council Inc (AVBC) allows BVetMed graduates to register to practise in Europe, Australia and New Zealand without requiring any further qualifications.

In addition, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) will recognise your degree as equivalent to those awarded by veterinary colleges in the United States. Some of the USA's major veterinary employers recruit actively among our final year students. Please note, however, that you will be required to sit the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination (NAVLE) if you intend to work in North America after qualifying, just as those studying at US universities do. 

If you would like to apply for undergraduate studies, you must complete an application through the general undergraduate application process using the University and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS), unless you are applying as a North American College applicant to our Veterinary Medicine course, in which case you must apply through VMCAS (see here for further details).

Please consult undergraduate course information for individual course entry requirements. Qualifications and procedures vary depending on the course you apply for.

The RVC no longer requires any applicants to sit the Biomedical Admissions Test (BMAT) when applying to the Veterinary Medicine programme, or any other RVC course.

For any further questions regarding undergraduate courses, please contact our Admissions Office: [email protected].