Our BVetMed programme and graduate transition year follows a ‘spiral’ curriculum. This means that key concepts are presented repeatedly to you as you progress through the course, at deepening levels of complexity and in different contexts.

The progression of knowledge and understanding from preclinical basic concepts to clinical knowledge and reasoning skills is achieved by revisits to each strand at different stages of the course.

For example, when learning about the kidney, you will learn basic anatomy and physiology during the preclinical phase of the course and then learn about the common diseases of the kidney and how they are diagnosed and treated during the clinical phase. This is then enriched by working with animal patients presented with kidney disease in our first opinion and referral hospitals, or other practices, during clinical rotations and extra-mural rotations.

In Year 4 and 5 of the course, you will undertake intramural clinical rotations. These rotations will focus on:

• Observation, discussion and practical experience as a member of the clinical team in the College’s hospitals, and in clinical enterprises in which the College is a collaborating partner
• Placements in veterinary practices
• Attendance at lectures, seminars and workshops
• Completion of a major research project

Learning

This course is delivered through whole-class lectures, small group tutorials, group work in directed learning classes, computer-assisted learning, demonstrations, practical work in laboratory and dissection classes, practical classes utilising live animals, directed and self-directed reading, directed and self-directed practice in the Clinical Skills Centre, self-evaluation, animal husbandry placements, placements in veterinary practices, and production of project reports.

Self-directed learning

Outside of your timetabled lectures and practical sessions, you are expected to undertake self-directed learning. Typically, this involves reading journal articles and books, working on individual and group projects, undertaking research in the library, preparing coursework assignments and presentations, and preparing for examinations.

Teaching staff

The RVC has three outstanding academic and clinical departments. Lecturers in each department are not only world-class researchers and clinicians who are passionate about their field; they are highly qualified teaching professionals. All RVC students are assured teaching of the highest standard.

Assessment and feedback

In the final year of your course, your assessment will comprise:

• Assessment of knowledge, problem solving and professional behaviour on clinical rotations
• Examination of practical skills through OSCEs (objective structure clinical examinations)
• Completion of a 4000-word research project
• Written examination testing clinical and professional decision making

You will need to fulfil our requirements in each of the following areas to be considered for interview.

Academic qualifications

The standard academic requirements for entry to the BVetMed Accelerated Programme are outlined below.

Note: International applicants already holding a Veterinary Medicine degree who are seeking to practise in the UK are not eligible to apply for this course and should refer to the registration department of the RCVS.

Work experience

To apply for the BVetMed you will need to have prior work experience in order to have developed animal handling skills and obtained an insight into the work of veterinary surgeons. Before you apply, you must have completed the minimum requirements:

• A total of 70 hours (e.g. 10 full days) of work experience (paid or voluntary) in one or more veterinary practices
• A total of 70 hours in one or more non-clinical working environments with live animals (excl. the home environment/family business/pet ownership).

The above 140 hours must be obtained within the 18-month period directly preceding the application deadline. Earlier experience is welcome but will not count towards the 140 hour requirement.

We encourage you to think creatively about these environments and are interested to hear about any experiences that have helped to give you a sense of the veterinary role in the wider world. Examples of suitable non-clinical environments might include, but are not limited to: kennels, cattery, animal shelter, rural or city farm, stables, pet shop, lambing, intensive livestock, abattoir, animal research laboratory, wildlife park, zoo, etc. You do not have to have gained experience in all these areas.

NB: References will be required - we recommend collecting these as you go.

The RVC is offering a programme for those from underrepresented backgrounds who have not been able to fulfil our work experience requirements. You can find information about how to apply for this here:

https://www.rvc.ac.uk/study/undergraduate/bachelor-of-veterinary-medicine#tab-work-experience-support-programme

Work experience: Applicant Supplementary Form

All applicants applying through UCAS must complete the Applicant Supplementary Form. The form will be available in our application portal and applicants will be given access to this, and notified of the need to complete the form, via email on receipt of their application. The form must be submitted independently of, and in addition to, the UCAS application and within five days of your application being received by the RVC. The RVC will not contact applicants reminding them to submit the form before the deadline given.

The RVC uses email as the primary method for contacting applicants about their application. Emails may be sent from either admissions@rvc.ac.uk or myapplication@rvc.ac.uk and applicants are strongly encouraged to take the necessary steps to ensure emails from these addresses do not end up in spam or junk inboxes, as the RVC cannot accept responsibility for any applications that are unsuccessful as a result of missed information or deadlines.

Mitigating circumstances

If you wish to make us aware of any mitigating circumstances related to your application please see our guidance on mitigating circumstances here: www.rvc.ac.uk/mitigatingcircumstances

Interviews

All applicants to this course must attend an interview if invited and cannot receive an offer without attending an interview. Our interviews are held in person. If invited, it is often not possible to rearrange an interview for a different date, so applicants must ensure they are available for interview before applying and inform us by email of any specific days within this time period when they are unavailable.  Interviews will take place in the following locations on the dates listed below:

North America:

Charlotte, North Carolina

Wednesday 13th November 2024

Thursday 14th November 2024

Friday 15th November 2024

Saturday 16th November 2024  

Fort Worth, Texas

Monday 18th November 2024

Tuesday 19th November 2024

Los Angeles, California

Friday 22nd November 2024

Saturday 23rd November 2024

Sunday 24th November 2024  

United Kingdom:

RVC Camden campus, London

Wednesday 4th December 2024 (priority for applicants to our Accelerated Veterinary Medicine course)

Thursday 5th December 2024 (priority for applicants to our Accelerated Veterinary Medicine course)

Wednesday 11th December 2024 (priority for international applicants studying in the UK)

Monday 16th December 2024

Tuesday 17th December 2024

Wednesday 18th December 2024

Thursday 19th December 2024

Friday 20th December 2024    

Asia:

Hong Kong

Wednesday 8th January 2025

Singapore

Saturday 11th January 2025

Sunday 12th January 2025 

All applicants invited to interview will need to provide their passport (in some cases another valid form of ID will be acceptable), original degree certificate (if already completed) and reference letters (see example) to cover the minimum work experience requirements as stated above.

English language requirements

• IELTS (Academic) score of 7.0 or above with minimum 6.5 in each component

All applicants must have an acceptable English Language qualification. Please see our English Language Requirements page for a list of qualifications we accept as alternatives.

How are applications assessed?

We have put together a document with advice on our process of selecting Veterinary Medicine students, from initial screening of applications through to making offers post-interview. This can be downloaded here.

What will I be able to do with my qualification?

You will be entitled to practise as a veterinarian as soon as you have earned your BVetMed degree and registered as a Member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS).

Our graduates go on to enjoy a wide range of careers in veterinary medicine, including positions in:

• Small animal practices
• Mixed practices
• Equine practices
• Farm/livestock environments
• Wild animal environments
• Wildlife conservation
• Military support
• Industry
• Research
• Government
• Academia

APPLY NOW Applications open - Deadline 20th September 2024

The RVC is offering this programme to give people from underrepresented backgrounds, as identified in our Access and Participation Plan, who have not been able to fulfil our work experience requirements, the opportunity to gain the necessary experience to join our BVetMed degree.  

Those successful in joining the programme will be exempt from meeting our work experience requirements when applying to the RVC's BVetMed or Accelerated BVetMed , as the programme's completion will be considered fulfilling these requirements. The programme is only open to those who will be applying to the RVC via UCAS in October 2024. If you plan to apply in future years, please revisit this page closer to the time to find out if the scheme is running for that year. Successful applicants will also be guaranteed an interview for the BVetMed/Accelerated BVetMed.

What to expect

The programme has been crafted based on our years of experience working with applicants and students, drawing on the expertise of our veterinary and animal handling experts to provide you with a high-quality experience that will be advantageous for both your interviews and during your studies. Students who join the programme will spend their time in the RVC’s state-of-the-art clinical facilities and at our working farm, where you will gain experience in the handling and husbandry for a range of species, an opportunity to see practice and an insight into the veterinary profession. You will also receive online and in-person support sessions to help you reflect on your experience and prepare for your interviews and future studies. 

Initially, you must commit to joining us for one of the weeks detailed below. You will be offered further placement days if you later receive an offer to study on the RVC’s BVetMed course and you will need to commit to the number of additional days detailed as a condition of your offer.  

The dates for the 2024 programme are as follows: 

• Monday 21st October - Friday 25th October 2024
• Monday 28th October – Friday 1st November 2024
• Monday 17th February– Friday 21st February 2025  

Anyone applying to the scheme must be able to commit to at least one set of the above dates in full. Start and finish times will vary but you should expect this to be between 7:30am and 6pm each day. The nature of the programme means you cannot mix and match dates. Anyone who fails to attend the full programme will not be permitted to continue and their RVC application will be made unsuccessful.  

Please note the work experience is unpaid, and we will not be able to provide any funds to cover travel or accommodation costs to join this programme. Students will need to be able to cover any costs associated with travelling to the RVC in Hertfordshire and attending the programme. Lunch will be provided each day, as will transportation between RVC sites. The nearest train station is Potters Bar and a regular shuttle service runs to and from campus.

Note:

The programme will involve farm work and therefore you should expect to be outdoors, regardless of the weather conditions. The RVC will provide necessary protective clothing and equipment, but students are expected to come dressed in appropriate attire to ensure that they can move around easily and are warm and comfortable.

Eligibility

To apply to join the programme you must meet the criteria below:   

• You are a UK/Irish national resident in the UK or have settled status (including permanent residence or indefinite leave to remain) in the UK. 
• You will be submitting a UCAS application to the RVC’s BVetMed or Accelerated BVetMed course by 15 October 2024 (the application does not need to be submitted when you apply but if you are successful, it will be subject to the application being received).     
• You have already completed 35 hours of work experience (clinical or non-clinical) but have not completed the required 140 hours to join the course.
• You must have already met, or be predicted to meet, the academic entry requirements to apply for the BVetMed or Accelerated BVetMed.  

You must also meet one of the following criteria:      

• You will be under 21 when you join the programme, attended a state-funded mainstream school, and received free school meals during your secondary education. 
• Your ethnicity is Asian or Asian British; Black, Black British, Caribbean or African; Mixed or multiple ethnic groups; or the Other ethnic group category on the gov.uk list of ethnic groups.  

If the programme is oversubscribed, we will give priority to those who meet all or most of the following criteria: ·      

IMD Quintile score: If your home address is in an area with an Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) quintile score of 1. You can check this using one of the following links, depending on which country you live in: 

• England: http://imd-by-postcode.opendatacommunities.org/imd/2019  (an IMD “Decile” score of 1 or 2 given here is equivalent to “quintile 1” above, and Decile 3 or 4 is equivalent to “quintile 2”). 
• Wales: https://statswales.gov.wales/Catalogue/Community-Safety-and-Social-Inclusion/Welsh-Index-of-Multiple-Deprivation  
• Scotland: https://simd.scot/ 
• Northern Ireland: https://deprivation.nisra.gov.uk/ (a Deprivation Rank in the top 20% most deprived is equivalent to “quintile 1” above, and top 40% is equivalent to “quintile 2”) ·      

TUNDRA MSOA score: 

• If your home address is in an area with a TUNDRA MSOA score of 1. You can check this via the Office for Students website. 
• Care Leaver: you have been looked after by a local authority for at least 13 weeks since the age of 14 (requires letter from relevant authority). This includes foster care, residential care, kinship care as a formal agreement with the local authority or living at home under the supervision of the local authority.
• Level 2 School: If you are currently taking Level 3 (A-level or equivalent) qualifications, or have taken them within the last 12 months and the school at which you took your GCSEs is a school with an RVC contextual flag. You can check this here.    
• Level 3 School: If you are currently taking Level 3 (A-level or equivalent) qualifications, or have taken them within the last 12 months, and your school is a school with an RVC contextual flag. You can check this here.   
  
  

FAQs  

When will I know if my application has been successful?  
We aim to let the successful applicants know by Monday 30 September. 

I cannot make the dates listed; can I apply anyway? 
Unfortunately, due to the nature of the programme we can only offer it for the dates listed and can only take people who can attend on all the days in the weeks listed and for the additional days offered subsequent to that. 

Can I specify which animals I work with? 
We are unable to accommodate specific requests to work with specific animals or what type of practice you see. 

I live too far away to attend; will you be offering anything closer to where I live?
We do not have any plans to at the moment, although we may look to widen the scheme in future years, if it is successful. 

What does a guaranteed interview mean? 
You will automatically be invited to interview for the Accelerated/BVetMed if you are chosen to participate in this programme. 

Will I get a guaranteed offer of a place? 
No. Your interview performance will be considered alongside all other applicants, and this will be used to determine who receives an offer. 

I haven’t submitted my UCAS application yet, can I still apply? 
You can apply for the programme before you have submitted your UCAS application, but you must submit your UCAS application by the 15 October 2024 and apply to the BVetMed or Accelerated BVetMed programme at the RVC for you to be eligible to join the course.  

I have over 140 hours of work experience but would like to do work experience at the RVC, can I do this programme?
No. This programme is aimed at supporting those who be unable to gain the necessary experience to join the RVC and therefore we are not able to accept those who meet our requirements in full. 

I have more than 35 hours experience but not the full 140, can I do this programme? 
We would encourage you to apply and will consider applications from those in this situation. Applications will be scored on a number of factors, including the amount of experience you already have and therefore having more will not necessarily prevent you from being considered. 

I don’t meet the eligibility criteria, but I have mitigating circumstances for why I haven’t been able to gain the required work experience hours, can I apply? 
We are unable to consider applications from people who do not meet the eligibility criteria. If you have mitigating circumstances you may wish to read our mitigating circumstances policy 

I want to apply to the Gateway course at the RVC, can I apply to this programme? 
The Gateway course does not require work experience and therefore you are not eligible for this programme.

Tuition Fees

The tuition fees for students commencing the course in 2025/26 are as follows:

Tuition fee amounts are subject to increase each academic year, please be aware of this when making your calculations and planning how much money you will require.

• Students from countries outside the UK who wish to undertake full-time study at the RVC are required to pay the international fee for their programme of study (please see Fee status section).
• Information on Fees & Funding can be found here
• UK students considering studying on the BVetMed Graduate Accelerated or the BVetMed as a second degree are entitled to a variable means tested living cost loan and RVC bursary. Please see Maintenance Loan and RVC Bursary.
• Please note  BVetMed Graduate Accelerated and students studying BVetMed as a second degree are not eligible for tuition fee loans so please consider how you will pay the tuition fees for each year before enrolling.

The following course-related costs are included in the fees:

• Student membership of the British Veterinary Association for course duration
• Access to books and journals essential to your course (print and digital)
• Open access and bookable IT equipment such as PCs and laptops
• Largely paperless curriculum plus £10 p.a. printing allowance

• Annual membership of College gym (both campuses)

The following course-related costs are not included in the fees:

• Specialist clothing and equipment £600
• Travel to AHEMS and EMS placements
• Some AHEMS and EMS placements will also require students to pay for board and lodging
• Travel to tracking rotations

Accommodation and living costs are not included in the fees. Our Housing Advice pages provide further information on College and private housing.