AVM Frequently Asked Questions

The AVM program balances lectures, hands-on activities, discussions and laboratories to provide participants with a better understanding of the veterinary profession and the demands of veterinary school. Hands-on animal activities include clinical skills that are part of basic physical exams. Participants will have contact with animals through large and small animal handling demonstrations.

All our programs are commuter programs. The Cummings School campus does not have student housing. Participants in the middle school, high school and college sessions are responsible for their own transportation and accommodations. Travel and accommodation information can be found here. 

Yes, we encourage you to reapply! You will need to complete a new application and provide us with updated transcripts and letters of evaluation.

AVM sessions are very popular and spaces are limited, so we discourage students from attending the same grade-level program more than once. For instance, if you attended a middle school session, we encourage you to wait until you are eligible for a high school program to reapply. If you do choose to reapply for a grade-level program that you have already attended, please note that the AVM office reserves the right to deny admission in order to allow other students the opportunity to participate.

Tuition is nonrefundable.

Yes, as per Tufts Policy, we require the following vaccinations. All participants must be current on these vaccinations and be able to provide physician’s documentation. If you/your child are missing any of the vaccinations indicated below, please follow up with your physician to ensure you are current before May 31. (For attendees of the April Session the immunization deadline is March 31.)

• Tetanus Diphtheria Acellular Pertussis (Tdap): One dose of the adult Tdap vaccine is required, unless current Td booster is less than 2 years old. If current Td booster is less than 2 years old wait to receive Tdap vaccine. (The Tdap vaccine is effective for ten years—if previous Tdap is from within the past ten years further vaccination is not required.)
• Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR): Two doses of measles, mumps and rubella vaccine or positive antibody titers.
• Varicella (chickenpox): Physician verification of year of disease, positive antibody titer, or two doses of varicella vaccine.
• Hepatitis B: Three doses of hepatitis B vaccine or positive surface antibody titer.
• The hepatitis B vaccine is a three-dose series that takes six months to complete. For participants who have not already started the series, documentation for two doses of the vaccine must be submitted by your program immunization deadline.
• Meningococcal: One dose of vaccine within five years before the start date.
   

Yes, students graded on a quarterly system are required to submit their midyear grades in January or February. These transcripts should indicate your First Semester (both 1st and 2nd quarter) grades and must be sent directly from your school.

Middle School and High School letters of evaluation are optional; the college session requires one letter of recommendation.

Each letter of evaluation should be uploaded to the online application system by your evaluator.

No. Standardized test scores are not required.

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis until slots are filled.

Yes. When a session becomes full, applicants may be placed on the waiting list.

Spaces do become available every year, and we encourage applicants to remain on the waiting list.

Applications go live each year in early December.

No, there are no application fees.

For 2026 programming, students currently in 9^th -12^th grade are eligible for the April session.