Correlations between Pre-Veterinary Course Requirements and Academic Performance in the Veterinary Curriculum: Implications for Admissions

Abstract

This study addressed how students’ undergraduate science courses influence their academic performance in a veterinary program, and examined what implications this may have for the veterinary admissions process. The undergraduate transcripts and veterinary school rankings of current third-year veterinary students at Colorado State University were coded and analyzed. Because the study found no statistically meaningful relationships between the pre-veterinary coursework parameters and class rank, it could be concluded that veterinary schools may be unnecessarily restricting access to the profession by requiring long and complicated lists of prerequisite courses that have a questionable predictive value on performance in veterinary school. If a goal of veterinary schools is to use the admissions process to enhance recruitment and provide the flexibility necessary to admit applicants who have the potential to fill the current and emerging needs of the profession, schools may want to re-evaluate how they view pre-veterinary course requirements. One of the recommendations generated from the results of this study is to create a list of veterinary prerequisite courses common to all schools accredited by the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges. It is suggested that this might simplify pre-veterinary advising, enhance recruitment, and provide flexibility for admitting nontraditional but desirable applicants, without impacting the quality of admitted veterinary students.