Louisville's Pre-Veterinary Program

The Pre-Veterinary program at the University of Louisville is not a degree program, but a pre-professional program designed to assist undergraduates preparing for admission to veterinary school.

Students planning to apply to colleges of veterinary medicine can fulfill pre-veterinary course requirements at the University of Louisville. Since schools may vary somewhat in their requirements, students interested in the veterinary profession should select schools to which they have an interest in applying and contact the Department of Biology (after exploring this website), so that they can schedule courses to meet requirements for those schools. Completing the pre-veterinary curriculum takes approximately three to three and a half years, so obtaining an undergraduate degree could be completed in the fourth year. A Bachelor's degree is not a requirement to gain acceptance into a veterinary school, but some students pursue a degree to strengthen their application to vet school, as well as provide alternative career options. However, applying to veterinary colleges without an undergraduate degree can save students a significant amount of money.

There is not a school of veterinary medicine in Kentucky. The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a member of the Southern Regional Education Board Contract Program and has contracts with the following schools in Alabama to reserve spaces for students who are legal residents of Kentucky: Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine (37 spaces) and Tuskegee University School of Veterinary Medicine (2 spaces). Admission is competitive with selection made by the respective schools. Students admitted to either the Auburn or Tuskegee program will be charged in-state tuition, with Kentucky making a payment for each enrolling student for up to four years. The University has an approved pre-veterinary curriculum for Auburn consisting of approximately three to three and a half years of college coursework with a heavy concentration in the natural sciences. In the event the student is not admitted to professional school, the fourth year may be spent in completing requirements for a bachelor’s degree with biology or chemistry obvious choices. The Graduate Record Exam is required for all Auburn and Tuskegee applicants.