healthcare · United States edition
It’s easy to be a Veterinarian.
A veterinarian diagnoses and treats animal illness and injury, typically earning a median $130,100 a year (BLS, 2025). Becoming one requires a bachelor's degree plus a four-year Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) degree from an AVMA-accredited college, passing the national NAVLE licensing exam, and often a state jurisprudence exam — roughly eight years of schooling before independent practice.
Last verified Version 1By Editorial Team
Key facts
United States- Median salary (2025)
$130,100/yr
Range $73,920 – $215,700
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook
- Time to qualify
8–11 years
Most veterinarians complete a 4-year bachelor's degree (with required science prerequisites) followed by a 4-year Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) program — about 8 years of school before sitting the NAVLE and obtaining a state license. Those pursuing board certification in a specialty add a 1-year rotating internship plus a 2-3 year residency, extending the path to roughly 11 years.
- Cost to qualify
$200,000 – $275,000
Average total 4-year cost of a DVM program is more than $200,000 for in-state residents and about $275,000 for out-of-state/nonresident students (VIN Foundation figures, cited by NerdWallet), before any undergraduate debt. Costs vary widely by school and residency — the AAVMC's Cost Comparison Tool lets applicants compare tuition, living costs and institutional aid school-by-school. Among the class of 2025, average educational debt was $174,484 across all graduates (about 18% graduated debt-free) and $212,499 among those who borrowed — a debt-to-income ratio of roughly 1.4:1 against an average new-graduate starting salary near $129,000 (AVMA 2025 Senior Survey and Census of Veterinarians).
- Job outlook (2025-2035)
+9% growth
About 3,100 openings per year
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook
All figures apply to United States. Salaries, licensing, and timelines differ by country — where other editions exist, switch between them at the top of the page.
Is it easy for you?
Tell us where you are now and get a personalized gap analysis for becoming a Veterinarian — what you’ve already met, what’s left, and your likely remaining time. Computed from the sourced requirements on this page; nothing is stored unless you explicitly ask us to introduce you to a programme afterwards.
How to become a Veterinarian — step by step
- 1
Complete undergraduate prerequisites ~4 years
Earn a bachelor's degree (major is usually flexible) while completing the science prerequisite coursework nearly every DVM program requires — biology, general and organic chemistry, physics, biochemistry.
- 2
Build veterinary and animal experience ongoing through undergrad
Work or volunteer under a licensed veterinarian across settings (small animal, large animal/farm, exotics, research). Competitive applicants typically log several hundred to well over 1,000 hours before applying, even where a school sets no formal minimum.
- 3
Apply through VMCAS ~1 year before matriculation
Submit the centralized Veterinary Medical College Application Service (VMCAS) application, run by the AAVMC. Most schools weigh GPA, prerequisite completion, experience hours and letters of recommendation; only a small number of programs still require the GRE.
- 4
Complete the DVM program 4 years
The first three years cover pre-clinical coursework (anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, pathology) at an AVMA-accredited college of veterinary medicine; the fourth year is largely clinical rotations in a teaching hospital.
- 5
Pass the NAVLE final year of DVM
Sit the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination — 360 multiple-choice questions over roughly 6.5 hours, administered by the International Council for Veterinary Assessment — typically during the final DVM year's November/December or April testing window.
- 6
Obtain state licensure weeks to months after graduation
Apply to the state veterinary board, pass that state's jurisprudence exam if required, and clear any background/credential checks before being licensed to practice independently.
- 7
Optional: internship and residency for board certification 3-4 additional years
Vets seeking a specialty (surgery, internal medicine, oncology, etc.) typically complete a 1-year rotating internship followed by a 2-3 year residency and pass a specialty board exam through an AVMA-recognized veterinary specialty organization.
Requirements to be a Veterinarian
- Bachelor's degree with veterinary-school prerequisite courseworkeducationRequired
Most DVM programs require a substantial block of prerequisite coursework in biology, chemistry, physics and related sciences; almost all successful applicants complete a full bachelor's degree first (AAVMC/VMSAR).
- Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM or VMD) from an AVMA-accredited collegeeducationRequired
A 4-year professional degree. AVMA accreditation is required for graduates to sit the NAVLE and be eligible for licensure in every US state; graduates of non-accredited programs need an AVMA-recognized equivalency pathway (ECFVG or PAVE) instead.
- Hands-on animal/veterinary experienceexperienceOptional
Not universally mandated as a hard minimum, but almost all competitive applicants log several hundred to 1,000+ hours across small animal, large animal, exotic and/or research settings before applying; some individual schools do set explicit minimums.
- North American Veterinary Licensing Examination (NAVLE)licenseRequired
A 360-question, roughly 6.5-hour computer-based exam administered by the International Council for Veterinary Assessment (ICVA); passing is required for licensure in every US state and Canadian province.
- State jurisprudence/law examlicenseRequired
Most, though not all, state veterinary boards require a separate exam covering that state's veterinary practice law in addition to the NAVLE.
- State veterinary licenselicenseRequired
Issued by the state veterinary board after the NAVLE and (where required) the jurisprudence exam. Licenses are state-specific and must be renewed, though the AAVSB's VIVA service lets scores transfer for licensure in additional states.
A day in the life of a Veterinarian
Most days mix scheduled appointments — wellness exams, vaccinations, diagnosing illness and injury — with surgery, dental cleanings, and emergencies that reorder the schedule without warning. Veterinarians in clinical practice spend much of the day talking directly with pet owners or livestock producers, interpreting lab and imaging results, and, several times a month, guiding a client through an end-of-life decision. Non-clinical veterinarians instead work in research, public health, food-safety inspection, or regulatory roles for state and federal agencies.
Is it worth it to be a Veterinarian?
Veterinary medicine suits people who want hands-on clinical work with animals and can accept a debt-to-income ratio tighter than most other doctoral professions: 2025 DVM graduates carried average educational debt of $174,484 across all graduates ($212,499 among those with debt) against an average starting salary near $129,000 — roughly $1.40 owed for every $1 earned (AVMA). It is a poor fit for anyone chasing the debt-adjusted earning power of human medicine or a shorter STEM path, or anyone unprepared for the emotional weight of the job: euthanasia decisions and client grief are routine, and a 2019 JAVMA study of veterinarian deaths from 1979-2015 found male veterinarians died by suicide at 2.1 times, and female veterinarians at 3.5 times, the rate of the general US population. Anyone considering it should weigh a specific school's total cost and their target practice area's starting pay before enrolling — the debt math varies enormously by state residency and by school.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Underestimating total debt by focusing on sticker-price tuition alone and ignoring living costs and interest that accrues during school — the real 4-year total commonly exceeds $200,000 in-state and $275,000 out-of-state.
- Choosing a non-AVMA-accredited or offshore program without confirming full AVMA accreditation (or ECFVG/PAVE equivalency eligibility) — graduates of non-accredited, non-equivalent programs cannot sit the NAVLE or be licensed in any US state.
- Applying with too little hands-on veterinary/animal experience — even where a school sets no formal minimum, competitive applicants typically log several hundred to well over 1,000 hours across varied settings before applying.
- Treating GPA prerequisites as a formality — most programs set a hard floor (commonly around a 3.0-3.2 cumulative/science GPA) below which an application is not reviewed at all, regardless of other strengths.
- Not budgeting for the emotional toll — burnout, compassion fatigue and routine euthanasia decisions are a documented occupational hazard, and students rarely plan for it the way they plan for tuition.
- Picking a specialty track (surgery, oncology, etc.) without accounting for the extra 3-4 years of internship and residency at trainee pay before specialist-level earnings begin.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to become a veterinarian?
Typically about 8 years of school after high school — a 4-year bachelor's degree plus a 4-year DVM program — followed by passing the NAVLE and, in most states, a jurisprudence exam. Pursuing a specialty through an internship and residency adds roughly 3-4 more years.
Do I need a specific undergraduate major to get into veterinary school?
No. Most DVM programs accept any major as long as you complete their required prerequisite science coursework, so pre-vet students commonly major in biology or animal science but aren't required to.
Is the GRE required to apply to veterinary school?
Rarely. Only a small number of AVMA-accredited US programs still required it as of the 2023-24 cycle; most schools instead weigh GPA, veterinary/animal experience hours, and letters of recommendation.
Is veterinary school worth the debt?
It depends heavily on expected debt load and specialty. Class of 2025 graduates averaged $174,484 in educational debt across all graduates ($212,499 among those who borrowed) against an average starting salary near $129,000 — a debt-to-income ratio of about 1.4:1, tighter than in most other doctoral professions.
Can I attend a Caribbean or other international veterinary school and practice in the US?
Only if the school holds full AVMA accreditation, or you complete an AVMA-recognized equivalency program such as the ECFVG or PAVE. Graduates of non-accredited, non-equivalency programs cannot sit the NAVLE or be licensed in the US.
What's the difference between a general practice veterinarian and a board-certified specialist?
A general practitioner is licensed after the DVM, NAVLE and state exam alone. A board-certified specialist (surgery, cardiology, oncology, etc.) has also completed a 1-year rotating internship and a 2-3 year residency and passed a specialty college's board exam.
Sources
Every figure on this page traces to one of these primary sources.
- 1Cost Comparison Tool — Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) · accessed September 7, 2026
- 2DVM Applicant Checklist — Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine · accessed September 7, 2026
- 3How Much Is Vet School? What Students Pay for a D.V.M. — NerdWallet (citing VIN Foundation / AAVMC data) · accessed September 7, 2026
- 4North American Veterinary Licensing Examination (NAVLE) — International Council for Veterinary Assessment (ICVA) · accessed September 7, 2026
- 5Suicide among veterinarians in the United States from 1979 through 2015 — Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA) · accessed September 7, 2026
- 6Veterinarians — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · accessed September 7, 2026
- 7Veterinarians (SOC 29-1131.00) — O*NET OnLine / National Center for O*NET Development · accessed September 7, 2026
- 8Veterinary Medical School Admission Requirements (VMSAR) — Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) · accessed September 7, 2026
- 9What Is the Average Student Loan Debt for Veterinarians? — SoFi (citing AVMA 2025 data) · accessed September 7, 2026