Admission Criteria

The Admissions Committee at Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University considers the following criteria when evaluating applications for admission to the DVM program.

1. Academic record, including cumulative undergraduate grade-point average, achievement in required preprofessional courses, advanced degrees, and academic honors.
2. Veterinary, animal, and/or health science experience. This may include the care, knowledge, and experience gained working in a veterinary, agricultural, research, human health, and/or biomedical setting. Such experience should be of appropriate breadth and depth and should entail more than having provided routine care and feeding of companion animals or family pets.
3. Letters of evaluation, which should be requested from those who know the applicant well, understand academic and professional demands, and have had the opportunity to evaluate the applicant's personal qualities and potential as a veterinarian and veterinary medical student. Three letters of evaluation, one from each of the following areas:
   1. A faculty member who taught you a course in your major or who taught you in a science course.  If you have completed graduate work, you should choose an appropriate graduate school faculty member who taught you in a course.
   2. A pre-veterinary, pre-medical, or pre-health professions committee representative, or from a dean, advisor, or second faculty member as described in (1.) above.
   3. A veterinarian or research scientist with whom you have had considerable experience.
4. Two essays. One essay (statement of purpose) is required for the VMCAS application and one additional essay is required for Tufts.
5. Extracurricular, community, and active citizenship activities, committees, leadership roles, and employment not related to animals.
6. Potential for contribution to, and advancement of, the profession.
7. An interview conducted only at the invitation of the Committee on Admissions or the dean. Based on the above criteria, approximately 400 candidates are selected for interview each year. Attributes evaluated during the interview include motivation, knowledge of the profession, communication skills, integrity, resilience, commitment, and leadership potential.
8. When making admission decisions, the admissions committee uses the following formula: 34% grade-point average, 33% interview, 27% holistic application review, 6% essays.

The Dean of the School is apprised of Admissions Committee recommendations and approves extending invitations for admission.

Cummings School is committed to identifying and enrolling qualified applicants who come from generally recognized culturally, socially, and economically disadvantaged backgrounds.