Minimum Academic Requirements for Admission
- At least 43 semester or 65 quarter units from a regionally accredited college or university. (If a student intends to practice in the state of New York, they require at least 60 semester units.)
- Minimum overall 2.8 GPA or higher in all coursework as calculated by VMCAS. Students not meeting these criteria, with a GPA of <2.8, who have demonstrated a commitment to academic excellence in the last 2 years of study or most recent 60 semester hours may be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Pre-Requisite Coursework for Admission
In order to fulfill the prerequisite, the coursework must meet the following criteria:
- Courses must be completed at a regionally accredited college or university
- Courses must be completed with a grade of a "C-" or higher. Final grades for all prerequisite courses must be verified by LMU-CVM.
- Courses for all science prerequisites must have been completed within the last 10 years of application. Science prerequisites include: Biology, Genetics, Biochemistry, Advanced Science Electives, Organic Chemistry, General Chemistry and Physics. Beginning with the class of 2027, Anatomy or Physiology will be required.
In Progress or Planned Courses
Prerequisites courses can be "in progress" or "planned" at the time of application submission; however, official transcripts reflecting successful completion of those prerequisites must be submitted to LMU by the published deadlines.
Advanced Placement (AP) Credits
AP credits will be accepted for prerequisite courses if they appear on an official college transcript with the subject and number of credits received and are equivalent to the appropriate college-level coursework. A generic listing of "AP credit" or "transfer credit" without the specific subject and number of credits will not be accepted.
Minimum Academic Requirements for Admissions |
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| LMU-CVM Pre-Requisite | Semester Units | Quarter Units | Notes |
| Biology | 8 | 12 | General biology series; lecture & lab. |
| Genetics | 3 | 4.5 | Lecture; Animal Breeding or Reproduction courses must be approved on a case-by-case basis. |
| Biochemistry | 3 | 4.5 | Lecture. |
| Anatomy or Physiology | 3 | 4.5 | Lecture or Lecture & Lab. Anatomy, Physiology, or Anatomy & Physiology courses. |
| Advanced Science Electives | 8 | 12 | Lecture. Courses must be 300 level or higher. Examples may include Anatomy, Cell Biology, Immunology, Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Physiology or Virology, depending on the school's course numbering. |
| Organic Chemistry | 6 | 9 | Lecture & Lab. |
| General Chemistry | 6 | 9 | Lecture & Lab. |
| Physics | 3 | 4.5 | Lecture (Algebra or calculus-based acceptable). |
| English | 3 | 4.5 | |
| Social Sciences | 3 | 4.5 | Potential courses include, but are not limited to: Anthropology, Economics, Geography, Philosophy, Political Science or Sociology. Also included: Ethics, Critical Thinking, Cultural Diversity, Social Responsibility, One Health, & Human-Animal Bond. |
| Minimum | 46 | 69 | |
Graduate Record Exam (GRE)
Applicants are not required to take the GRE.
Veterinary Experience
Applicants must demonstrate experience and knowledge of the veterinary profession. There is not a minimum number of hours applicants must complete. However, time spent actively participating in the profession is beneficial.
Casper
The LMU-CVM requires applicants to the DVM program to complete the Casper exam. Casper is an online assessment that effectively screens applicants for non-academic, soft skills, such as empathy, professionalism, self-awareness and ethics via situational judgement questions. The 60-90 minute assessment consists of twelve scenario-based prompts that will allow our program to gain a more in-depth and developed vision of an applicant's non-academic attributes. More information regarding Casper can be found at https:/ /takecasper.com.
Admissions for the Fall or Spring Cohort
All admissions to the DVM program will be processed through a VMCAS application. Within the VMCAS application, students can choose to apply to either the fall or spring cohorts or they can apply to both. Although the deadline for VMCAS applications occurs in September, any student with interest in applying for the spring cohort should plan to apply early so that their application can be reviewed in a timely manner by the admissions committee.