Veterinary Medicine & Surgery

for entry in 2025

Summary of entry requirements for Veterinary Medicine & Surgery

SQA Higher Entry Requirements (by end of S6)

• AAAAB Higher at end of S5 + BB Advanced Higher
• Additional requirements: Highers Chemistry, Biology and Physics or Mathematics. Advanced Higher Chemistry and Biology. Practical experience. Interview.

SQA Higher Adjusted Entry Requirements* (by end of S6)

• AAABB Higher at end of S5 + BB Advanced Higher
• Additional requirements: Highers Chemistry, Biology and Physics or Mathematics. Advanced Higher Chemistry and Biology. Practical experience. Interview. Successful completion of Reach.

* See Access Glasgow for eligibility.

A-level Standard Entry Requirements

• AAA
• Additional requirements: A-levels Chemistry and Biology. GCSE English at Grade B or 5. Practical experience. Interview.

IB Standard Entry Requirements

• 38 (6,6,6 HL)
• Additional requirements: HL subjects Chemistry and Biology. SL English and Physics or Mathematics at 6. Practical experience. Interview.

Graduates

Consideration will be given to Graduates who hold, or are predicted to gain a 2:1 (Hons) Science based degree in an appropriate subject, e.g. Zoology, Biology, Animal Science, Biochemistry etc. Candidates with a non-science degree will be considered if they have high grades in Chemistry and Biology at A level or equivalent.

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International qualifications

North American Applicants

Academic requirements

The School of Veterinary Medicine welcomes applications from candidates with a degree (or in their senior year) in an appropriate Biological or Animal Science Programme. All applicants are required to have completed the required prerequisite courses for the programme. Applicants should have an overall minimum grade point average of 3.4 (4 point scale). The School also welcomes applications from candidates with an alternative degree who have also completed the required prerequisites.

USA High School

3 Advanced Placement exams including chemistry, biology and maths/physics at grade 5.

Non-academic requirements

Applicants will be expected to have taken every opportunity to gain relevant practical experience of livestock husbandry and handling animals. In addition we would expect applicants to have shadowed a veterinary surgeon. We do not specify a required amount of work experience as it depends, to some extent, on the opportunities available to individual candidates. Experience gained in veterinary or medical laboratories is also encouraged to help candidates to appreciate the scientific basis of Veterinary Medicine.

The School does not insist on applicants having completed the Graduate Record Exam (GRE), however you may send your GRE scores directly to the School and these will be included in your application file.

How to Apply

Applications for admission should be made through the Veterinary Medical Colleges Admissions System (VMCAS)

We require at least one academic reference and one animal-related experience from all applicants.

Deadlines

You must apply by 15 September through VMCAS in the year before you want to enter the programme. We do not normally offer deferred places.

The Admissions Process

All applicants who are being considered for a place on the veterinary degree programme at Glasgow will be interviewed. Interviews have previously taken place between November - March on both the East and West Coast of the USA however for the past two years interviews have been conducted by zoom. International interviews will once again take place by zoom.

After interview successful applicants will be contacted as soon as possible and acceptances are required by 15 April. Following acceptance further detailed information on housing, visa requirements etc are sent to each applicant, and a deposit of £1,000 will be required to hold your place. This deposit is non-refundable, but it will be deducted from your tuition fees on entry. Deposits are required by the beginning of May.

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Other overseas applicants

A-Levels

• Standard academic entry requirements: AAA.
• Minimum academic entry requirements: N/A.
• Other mandatory requirements: Must include Chemistry, Biology and a third academic subject. General Studies or Critical Thinking are not accepted as third subjects. English GCSE at a minimum of Grade 5 or Grade B is required.

Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE)

• 3 elective subjects at grade 5*5* 5 to include Chemistry, Biology and one other elective subject plus grade 4 in core English.

Singapore Polytechnic Diploma

• We will consider applicants from Singapore Polytechnics who have a diploma in Veterinary Technology/Veterinary Bio-sciences or similar with a GPA of at least 3.4.

Canadian High School Diploma

• Secondary School Graduation Diploma with minimum of 85% in Year 12 Chemistry and Biology and 80% in Year 12 Maths/Physics and remaining Grade 12 subjects.

Overseas graduates

• You will need a minimum of a 2:1 honours degree or equivalent, normally in a Biological or Animal Science subject. Candidates with a non-science degree would normally be expected to have gained high grades in Chemistry and Biology at A level or equivalent.

Other overseas graduates

• In any study programme which you are undertaking we would require high grades in the subjects of Chemistry, Biology and either Maths or Physics studied to a very high level. For entry requirements not listed above please contact [email protected]

Non-Academic Requirements

Applicants will be expected to have taken every opportunity to gain relevant practical experience of livestock husbandry and handling animals. In addition we would expect applicants to have shadowed a veterinary surgeon. We do not specify a required amount of work experience as it depends, to some extent, on the opportunities available to individual candidates. Experience gained in veterinary or medical laboratories is also encouraged to help candidates to appreciate the scientific basis of Veterinary Medicine.

How to Apply

Applications for entry are made through UCAS (The Universities and Colleges Admissions Service), details can be found at www.ucas.ac.uk. The closing date for applications is 15^th October for entry the following year.

The Admissions Process

Applicants from South East Asia have previously been invited to attend an interview in Hong Kong or Singapore however interviews will be conducted again by zoom between January – March

After interview successful applicants will be contacted as soon as possible. Following acceptance detailed information on housing, visa requirements etc. are sent to each applicant. If the offer is unconditional a deposit of £1000 will be required to hold your place. This deposit is non-refundable but will be deducted from your tuition fees on entry. For conditional offers, confirmation of exam results will be required as soon as possible after they have been published. The offer will then be made unconditional and the deposit will apply.

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Code of Professional Conduct

This Code of Professional Conduct is available:

• Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons: Code of Professional Conduct
• Royal College of Veterinary Surgeions App

There will be an opportunity to ask questions about this information during induction week if you are admitted to the Programme.

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Veterinary Student Health: Important Information

We are committed to ensuring equality of opportunity for disabled students and those with health conditions. One way in which that can be achieved is to find out about your requirements as soon as possible. We also have to be assured that we can help you practise safely in training and in employment.

The School will provide all reasonable support to enable disabled students or those with health conditions to complete their studies. Appropriate support can be provided for many circumstances even if the effects of disability or ill health are substantial and it is important to know that no health condition in itself would automatically preclude a student from studying veterinary medicine and we consider any disability or health condition on an individual basis. However, because of a requirement to ensure patients, clients and colleagues are not harmed through involvement in veterinary training, if you have a condition which would make it impossible for you to work safely with patients, clients or colleagues, or to acquire the skills necessary to complete training, even with adjustments and support, then you cannot be accepted onto the undergraduate veterinary medicine programme.

You should not assume that your disability or health condition will prevent your take-up of a place and we would be pleased to speak with you, in confidence, at the earliest opportunity about any concerns you may have. Please contact the BVMS Admissions Office (details below) for further advice and support about disability, health, fitness to practise and confidentiality issues or if you have any queries about the Health Screening process.

The University will only refuse a student a place on the grounds of their disability where:

• the chosen course of study leads to a professional qualification and the relevant professional body has regulations which would preclude membership by people with impairments (see HEOPS guidance below).
• there are overriding health and safety concerns.
• in rare circumstances when a necessary reasonable adjustment cannot be made

Please note that it is a requirement of the BVMS programme curriculum that all students are instructed in elements of Public Health. This will involve time in a post-mortem room which is not possible for anyone who is pregnant and can also be a risk for any individuals who are immunocompromised. While the school can and will make reasonable adjustments to reduce risk for such individuals, fulfilling this RCVS requirement may delay or prevent completion of the programme.

Additional information:

• Day One Competencies, Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons
• Higher Education Occupational Physicians/Practitioners (HEOPS) document outlining the fitness standards expected of veterinary students

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Practical Work Experience Requirements

In addition to the academic standard detailed, evidence of motivation is required. It is recommended that applicants to the veterinary programme have a minimum of one week's work experience in a veterinary practice.

Please ensure you complete a work experience form once you have made a UCAS application to Veterinary Medicine.

• Veterinary Medicine Work Experience form

The form should be completed and uploaded as a pdf on your Applicant Self Service portal by 22 October and we ask that you only upload one sheet and do not duplicate or resubmit this.

Full details regarding your Applicant Self Service portal will be emailed to you upon receipt of your UCAS application. Additional details are available at:

• Applicant Self Service

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Interviews

Candidates seriously considered for admission to the BVMS programme will normally be interviewed before a final decision is reached. Members of the Admissions Committee conduct these interviews between December and February each year.

You should be aware that the BVMS programme is heavily over-subscribed. We receive approximately 800 applications each year, and competition is fierce, but despite the demand, we are only able to offer 72 places to UK applicants.

We interview around 250 applicants for the 72 places and offers will be made to less than half of those called for interview.

There are additional full-fees places for graduates, and overseas students. At present, the total yearly intake is approximately 135. We receive around 800 applications from overseas, and we aim to interview around 300.

All applications are considered on merit. Every year we must disappoint many able candidates, although candidates are welcome to reapply, providing they achieve the necessary A-level, Advanced Highers (or equivalent) qualifications. We aim to make the admissions process as fair as possible, with equality of opportunity irrespective of social or racial background, or gender. Candidates are selected based on all-round ability and personal qualities appropriate to a career in veterinary science. Academic capability is important; the programme is long and demanding, and we aim to select individuals who can sustain a demanding study programme.

UK interviews will take place in person at the School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine whilst International & Overseas interviews will take place via zoom. Your application will go through an initial screening based on the information provided on your UCAS form. If we wish to consider your application further, we will send you details to complete an on-line ethical reasoning test. If your test scores are acceptable we will invite you to attend an interview. Most decisions on the outcome of the interview are made by the end of March. This exercise is not necessarily something you can prepare for in advance, but the scenarios are based on situations you are likely to come across, either in practice or your daily life, and you are asked to state what you would need to consider if you are faced with these circumstances. The test should take about 45 minutes to complete.

There will be two Admissions Panel members present at all interviews which will last approximately 20/25 minutes, with time at the end for any questions you may have. You will be asked about your work experience, either undertaken in person, or virtual, your hobbies and interests and how you plan and cope with your schoolwork. You should have a good knowledge of the profession as a whole and what would be expected of you as a veterinary surgeon. We not only assess the breadth of candidates' knowledge of what working with livestock and companion animals and their owners entails, but we also examine personal attributes which demonstrate responsibility, self-motivation, a caring ethos and resilience. We are interested to hear of candidates’ special interests, or hobbies, outside veterinary science. You should be aware of any current topical veterinary issues, so it is advisable to keep up to date with Media information.

The Admissions Committee have an extremely difficult task when selecting candidates for interview, and it is equally difficult, when the applicant pool is so competitive, to be able to give you constructive feedback and for that reason we are unable to provide detailed feedback to any individual applicant, however, I provide below a summary of our admissions process:

1. Applications are screened in line with our published entry requirements
   
   
2. Candidates complete the on-line test, followed by interview. Offers are then made to the required number of applicants based on interview performance, and the results of the ethical reasoning test.
   
   
3. Additionally, we require to manage the number of students admitted to our programme in line with targets set by the Scottish Government and the Scottish Funding Council.

The School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine will not respond to enquiries from individuals other than the applicant as the information held is considered personal and confidential. The Admissions Committee review all our applications and their decision is final and cannot be revisited.

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Practical experience requirements

In addition to the academic standard detailed, evidence of motivation is required. It is recommended that applicants to the veterinary programme have a minimum of one week’s work experience in a veterinary practice.

The School of Biodiversity, One Health & Veterinary Medicine runs a requisite widening participation programme for the recruitment and support of under-represented groups of students; see:

• Access Glasgow

Admissions guidance

• Find out more about entry requirements and alternative qualifications

Glasgow International College

International students with academic qualifications below those required should contact our partner institution, Glasgow International College, who offer a range of foundation certificates.

International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic module (not General Training)

• 7.0 with no sub-test under 7.0
• This must be a recent test: the required score must have been achieved within the last two years at the point we consider your complete application (NMC, 2020)
• IELTS One Skill Retake accepted.

Pre-sessional courses

The University of Glasgow accepts evidence of the required language level from the English for Academic Study Unit Pre-sessional courses. We also consider other BALEAP accredited pre-sessional courses:

• School of Modern Languages & Cultures: English for Academic Study
• BALEAP guide to accredited courses

Visa requirements and proof of English language level

It is a visa requirement to provide information on your level of English based on an internationally recognised and secure English language test. All test reports must be no more than 2 years old. A list of these can be found on the UK Border Agency website. If you have never taken one of these tests before, you can get an initial idea of your level by using the Common European Framework self-assessment grid which gives you a level for each skill (e.g. listening B1/writing B2 etc.) However, please note that this is not a secure English language test and it is not sufficient evidence of your level of English for visa requirements.

Further information about English language: School of Modern Languages & Cultures: English for Academic Study