FAQs for DVM Admissions

You do not have to complete your undergraduate work in a specific major or in a pre-veterinary program in order to be considered for admission to Cummings School. Applicants who have explored various fields such as humanities, fine or performing arts, social sciences, engineering, zoology, biology, agriculture or other areas are encouraged to apply. Regardless of major, these undergraduate prerequisite courses must be fulfilled before enrollment.

Applicants must have attended a regionally accredited college or university. Applicants are encouraged to choose schools and courses that will best prepare them for a rigorous veterinary medical curriculum. The strength and quality of an applicant's academic background will be considered when evaluating application for admission.

We accept AP credit to fulfill prerequisites courses as long as that credit appears on your undergraduate transcript. Contact the admissions office if you wish to discuss further.

If you've taken any recent coursework to fulfill our prerequisites, you may request a letter from one of those professors.  Contact the admissions office if you wish to discuss further.

In general, three letters of evaluation are sufficient. In special circumstances, an applicant may want to submit more than three letters. Submit only additional letters which you feel will add another dimension to your candidacy.

No. There are five colleges in Massachusetts, which offer either veterinary technology or veterinary assistant programs:

Becker College
Holyoke Community College
Massasoit Community College
Mount Wachusett Community College
North Shore Community College

State residency is determined based upon a candidate’s permanent address. Permanent address is defined as the location in which a candidate is living and working for the full year immediately prior to matriculation at Cummings School.  Generally, the candidate’s residency is determined by their parents’/guardians’ permanent residency, unless the candidate has been living independently for the full year prior to matriculation.

Tufts University reserves 30% of the entering DVM class for MA residents.  To be considered a MA resident for the purpose of admission to the DVM program, the candidate must meet one of the following:

1. The candidate is a full-time undergraduate student either in MA or outside of MA, is a permanent resident of MA, their parents are living in MA during the year prior to enrollment, and their parents claim the candidate as a dependent.
2. The candidate is living in MA and is a part-time student taking less than a half-time course load.
3. The candidate is living and working in MA and is not enrolled in coursework.

Candidates must claim one state as their residence when applying through VMCAS in any given application cycle; an applicant cannot claim in-state residency in two or more states.

Candidates must be able to prove Massachusetts residency through voter registration, driver’s license, employment records, or other documents upon request.

For the purposes of financial aid, a candidate’s state residency cannot change once enrolled in the DVM program for duration of the degree program.  In the case of deferment, an applicant’s state residency does not change during the deferment year.