Navigating UK Vet School Admissions: Acceptance Rate Insights

Introduction

Getting into a UK vet school, is not only challenging but also requires lots of additional extra curricular work in order to maximise chances of a successful application. In this blog I will discuss the average university acceptance rates, including some tips and tricks to implement in order to maximise you chances of getting into a UK Vet school.

How hard is it to get into Vet School?

Acceptance rates for UK Vet schools currently sit at around 50%, which have significantly increased in recent years. Multiple factors have contributed to this increased acceptance, including a  recent shortage in UK Vets during the COVID-19 pandemic which has resulted in an increased number r of Universities providing a Veterinary Medicine Course. Three of the most recent Universities include Harper and Keele Veterinary School, The Aberystwyth School of Veterinary Science (in collaboration with the Royal Veterinary College) and University of Central Lancashire.

This should come as great news to prospective Veterinary students as your aspiration of becoming a Veterinary surgeon, although still challenging, appears to be more attainable than ever before.

It should also be noted that different universities accept a different cohort size each year, therefore each have different prospective student acceptance rates. Below I have listed the current acceptance rates for each university, as this may influence your decision when deciding what school to apply to. 

 

University	Yearly cohort size	Number UK applicants per place	Number non-UK applicants per place	% applicants receiving an interview
University of Bristol	180	9	11	n/a
University of Cambridge	75	5.5	9.5	80%
University of Edinburgh	110	13	8	40%
University of Glasgow	137	9	7.6	n/a
University of Surrey	150	7	44	100% students passing threshold interviewed
Harper & Keele Vet School	90	8	n/a	52%
University of Liverpool	165	6	18	80%
Royal Veterinary Collage	175	9	4	40%
University of Nottingham	300	10	14	1000 students interviewed

 

Challenges of the UK Vet School Application Process? 

There a numerous barriers a prospective student must surpass for a successful application into Vet school in the UK. Below is have listed some of the main challenges each prospective student will face, as being aware of these challenges will place students in a better position to deal and surpass them. 

• Work Experience Requirements
• A level Grade Requirements – (grade requirements and required subjects vary on specific university basis, although vital subjects include Biology (grade A) and Chemistry (grade A)
• Personal Statement 
• Tests and Questionnaires prior to interview 
• Successful Interview Process – (around 50-80% of successful applicant will be interviewed, which consists of a MMI style interview process).

For more information and detail regarding these challenges and how to optimise your chances of getting into vet school, please see my other blog posts. 

 

How can I maximise my chances of Vet School acceptance? 

If you would require more information or support with your Veterinary School application than feel free to contact me. I from a current 4th year Vet student studying at the University of Surrey and offer personalized tutoring, interview preparation and personal statement advice to enable aspiring students become future Veterinary Surgeons. I provide all my students with the necessary knowledge, skills and advice needed to increase your chances of getting into Vet school in the UK.