Applying to Veterinary Medicine

UCD does not preference applications received via either route. The majority of applications are via VMCAS, but applying via VMCAS is not mandatory. Applicants that miss the September 15th VMCAS application deadline are encouraged to apply to UCD directly at www.ucd.ie/apply

Only applicants resident in the USA or Canada should apply via VMCAS. Residents of all other countries should apply directly at www.ucd.ie/apply

No, VMCAS is meant for students who have or will hold a Bachelor’s degree by time of entry who wish to enroll in our Graduate Entry Veterinary Medicine program. If you are in secondary school and wish to enter the Undergraduate Entry VTS1 course you should apply at www.ucd.ie/apply

VTS1 is the course code for Undergraduate Entry Veterinary Medicine. This 5 year course is intended for applicants who have not yet completed a bachelor’s degree.

VTS3 is the course code for the 4 year Graduate Entry Veterinary Medicine. This course is intended for applicants who hold at least an honours bachelor’s degree or equivalent.

You can view the VMCAS application dates on the VMCAS website

You can view the VMCAS application dates on the VMCAS website.

If you have missed the VMCAS application deadline you can apply directly to UCD at www.ucd.ie/apply.

Applications will remain open until the spring. However, we advise applicants to apply by November 1st as the first set of interviews take place in January and this is when the majority of offers are made.

Applications will remain open until the late spring. However, we advise applicants to apply by November 1st as the first set of interviews take place in January and this is when the majority of offers are made.

You should submit your most up to date transcript: your Final Transcript if you have finished university or Mid-Year Transcript if you have not completed your degree. This can be an unofficial transcript for review purposes but please note that you will be required to submit your final official transcript sent directly from your institution(s) to UCD prior to registration.

No, you can leave these questions blank and we will review your VMCAS Statement.

All Non-EU applicants should apply to Veterinary Medicine courses as first year students. Transfer credit may be awarded in some cases though likely will not reduce the degree length.

It may be possible to receive transfer credit for certain courses, though UCD cannot guarantee any transfer of credit. It is unlikely that transfer credit will reduce the years required to complete the course. Also in general your primary degree is an application requirement and cannot be then used for Prior Learning if admitted to the programme.

If you have completed an honours bachelor’s degree, or equivalent, you should apply to the VTS3 Graduate Entry course. If you do not meet the requirements for entry into the 4 year Graduate Entry course, you may be considered for entry into the 5 year course.

Just one or the other suffices.

You will be contacted directly by the School of Veterinary Medicine if selected for an interview. Interviews can begin in late fall and continue to early spring.

The Interview aims to gauge your knowledge of the profession and your interest in the UCD Veterinary Medicine programme. We recommend you familiarise yourself with the research activities and recent updates with the programme and the School of Veterinary Medicine. The interview will also help to assess how you will cope with the challenges of studying abroad.

You can contact VetAdmissions@ucd.ie

The minimum GPA requirement is 3.2 on a standard 4.0 grade point scale.

Entry Requirements vary depending on your secondary education programme. You can review guidelines for entry requirements to undergraduate entry Veterinary Medicine by country on the UCD Global Entry Requirements page.

Applicants should submit their most up to date secondary and college/university transcripts; copies of standardized test scores (ACT, SAT, IB, AP, or others you have completed); two academic reference letters; and a personal statement outlining the reasons for your interest in this programme at UCD Dublin, your particular strengths as a candidate and details of experience (max 600 words); evidence of animal handling experience.

Applicants should submit their most up to date college/university transcript; two letters of reference (one from an academic source, and one from a veterinary surgeon with whom they have worked/completed work experience); a CV/resume detailing animal handling experience; a personal statement outlining the reasons for your interest in this programme at UCD Dublin, your particular strengths as a candidate and details of experience (max 600 words).

Applicants must normally have at least 60 hours practical experience relevant to animal handling. This must have been undertaken in the last three years i.e. for entry in 2025, between 1st February 2022 and 5th July 2025, and all details must be submitted by 5th July 2025 to be taken into consideration. This must include experience with at least two of the following four animal categories: Pets, Horses, Farm Animals, Wildlife/Zoos. For full details and to complete your records of experience, please click here for more information.  

Yes, all relevant courses taken at university level can be counted toward prerequisites.

If you haven’t completed the prerequisite courses for the graduate entry course you can still apply. If you are issued an offer, it will be conditional upon completion of the required courses prior to registration in August.

An Academic Reference will be required from your primary degree university and evidence where possible of recent science courses taken to support the time gap from your primary degree to your application to a Veterinary Medical programme.

Updated course fees are available at the UCD Fees Website.

A non-refundable deposit of €2,000 must be paid at the time of acceptance. It is not possible to secure your acceptance without deposit payment.

You should first review the information on the How To Pay page. Then you can review common problems and solutions on the Problems Making Payments page. If that does not solve your problem please Contact Us.

In exceptional circumstances the School of Veterinary Medicine may allow offer holders to defer their offer to take up their place the following academic year. Deferral requests are evaluated on a case by case basis. If you are offered a deferral, you will need to meet all the conditions of your offer and submit the required €2,000 course deposit to secure your place in the course for the followign year. If you are interested in deferring, please Contact Us as soon as possible.

If you are issued a Conditional Offer, your conditions will be detailed in your online Offer Letter, available in SISweb. In most cases, we are awaiting copies of your final official transcript that confirms you have had your degree conferred and have met final GPA requirements. We will require final official transcripts to demonstrate you've met your offer conditions - in order for a transcript to be official, it needs to be sent directly from your university to NorthAmerica@ucd.ie - if your university can only send physical transcripts please have them sent to:

UCD does not currently offer scholarships for the veterinary medicine courses. UCD can accept third party scholarships if you receive them. Applicants are advised to carry out a financial plan for the period of their programme abroad and that the programme is a Full Time programme while in Dublin.

Yes, University College Dublin is approved by the U.S. Department of Education to certify loans under the ‘William D. Ford Direct Loan’ Program. Under this Program, eligible students can obtain federally supported Subsidized & Unsubsidized Direct loans and Direct PLUS loans.

Canadian students are eligible to use provincial student loans.

You can review more information on utilizing student loans on our North American Loans page.

Yes! Our MVB degree programme is one of only seven in Europe fully accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and many of our graduates return to North America to practice.

Feedback can be requested on unsuccessful applications to vetadmissions@ucd.ie

This means our courses have reached capacity. However, if accepted students withdraw prior to the start of term there may be additional offers issued. We cannot provide a timeframe for when this may happen and do not have the capacity to provide individual feedback.

Please Contact Us with any questions!