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Top 18 Veterinary Scholarships in December 2022
Many people don’t know that in order to become a veterinarian, one must complete around eight years of higher education. This much schooling can be expensive. So, veterinary scholarships are all the more important in ensuring that students can reach their career goals!
Keep on reading to find out more about the top scholarships for prospective veterinarians, including eligibility criteria, awards, and deadlines!
Jump ahead to…
- Top veterinary scholarships
- How to win veterinary scholarships
- Resources for prospective veterinarians
- Frequently asked questions
- Additional scholarship categories to explore
18 Veterinary Scholarships in December 2022
The Scholarships360 Research Team reviews all scholarships individually and strives to exclude any scholarship where any of the below applies:
- The scholarship requires a fee to apply
- The scholarship provider’s privacy policy allows for the misuse of student data
- The scholarship requires paid membership in an organization (with certain exceptions for reputable trade organizations and others)
- Student are required to sign up for a site or service to apply*
- The scholarship seems primarily used for lead generation** or idea harvesting purposes***
- The scholarship website has many grammatical errors and/or advertisements
- The scholarship or scholarship providing organization seem untrustworthy
- There is no evidence the scholarship was previously awarded
- The scholarship has not been awarded in the past 12 months
- There is no available contact information
If you believe a scholarship has been published in error, please reach out to [email protected] and we’ll take a look!
* There are certain exceptions to this, for example if the sponsoring organization is a major corporation or nonprofit with its own scholarship application system.
** Lead generation scholarships will require students to sign up for an app or website and require minimal (if any) application requirements.
***Idea harvesting scholarships will require students to submit blog posts or other materials that companies may use for marketing purposes.
$10,000 “No Essay” Scholarship
Scholarships360 Exclusive
Easy scholarship open to all US-based high school, college, community college and graduate students.
$2,000 Nitro College Scholarship – No Essay
Sponsored
Easy scholarship open to all high school, college, community and graduate students.
Niche $50,000 “No Essay” College Scholarship
Sponsored
Open to high school and college students, as well as anyone looking to attend college or graduate school in the next year.
“Follow Your Own Path” Essay Scholarship
Scholarships360 Exclusive
Open to all postsecondary students, regardless of the type of training/education they are pursuing.
SAVMA Economics Initiative Essay Contest
Offered by American Veterinary Medical Association
Open to veterinary school students who submit an essay about how to alleviate students' financial stress.
VSTONE Scholar Award
Offered by Veterinary Scholarship Trust of New England
Open to New England residents in their final year of their AVMA-accredited veterinary school or college program.
SAVMA Teaching Excellence Award
Offered by American Veterinary Medical Association
Open to outstanding veterinary teachers. Must be nominated by a student who will receive the prize money.
Empowering Diversity in Veterinary Medicine Grant
Offered by American Veterinary Medical Association
Veterinary students who host diversity-based activities to facilitate conversations about diversity and inclusion in veterinary medicine.
Vince’s Pre-Veterinary Student Scholarship
Offered by Vince Kotchian Test Prep
Open to undergraduate students enrolled in a pre-veterinary or animal science program in the U.S.
Teddy Sarna Veterinary Medicine Scholarship
Offered by Rakesh Sarna Scholarship Program
Open to Veterinary Medicine students who write an essay about their career goals and why they deserve the scholarship.
$10,000 CollegeXpress Scholarship
Sponsored
Annual $10k scholarship from CollegeXpress open to all high school students.
Oxbow’s Veterinary Medicine Scholarship
Offered by Oxbow Animal Health
Open to students currently enrolled in veterinary school who demonstrate an interest in small and exotic pet medicine.
Oxbow’s Undergraduate Scholarship
Offered by Oxbow Animal Health
Open to current, U.S.-based undergraduate students who have demonstrated a career interest in companion animals.
Oxbow’s Veterinary Technology Scholarship
Offered by Oxbow Animal Health
Open to current and incoming students who will be enrolled full-time in a veterinary technology program this upcoming Fall.
Oxbow Nebraska High School Senior Scholarship
Offered by Oxbow Animal Health
Open to high school seniors from Nebraska who are interested in pursuing a career in the pet industry.
Merck Animal Health Veterinary Student Scholarship
Offered by American Veterinary Medical Foundation
Open to students in their second or third year of veterinary school in the United States, Canada, or the Caribbean.
$25k “Be Bold” No-Essay Scholarship
Sponsored
Easy scholarship open to high school students, college students, community college students, and graduate students.
Niche $2,000 “No Essay” College Scholarship
Sponsored
Easy scholarship from Niche open to all high school, college, and graduate students.
How to win veterinary scholarships
Now that you’ve got some great veterinary scholarship opportunities, it’s time to get applying! It’s important to put some real effort into each of your applications, as most opportunities receive many applicants. We can help you ace your applications with our guides on how to start a scholarship essay, how to write a winning scholarship essay, and how to respond to “Why do you deserve this scholarship?” prompts. Here are a few more guides worth checking out:
Resources for prospective veterinarians
International Veterinary Students’ Association
The IVSA boasts of being the largest veterinary students’ association in the world, so you know that they can offer some stellar networking opportunities. In addition to conferences, veterinary literature, and connections to scholarship opportunities, they also run international veterinary exchanges, allowing students to see the differences in veterinary practice across countries. Don’t miss out on this opportunity!
Student American Veterinary Association
The AVA (American Veterinary Association) has a special branch devoted entirely to helping students succeed in their education. They offer a variety of scholarships, access to journals, events, job opportunities, and financial planning resources, among other things. Check out their benefits page to get a full idea of all they can offer!
Frequently asked questions about veterinary scholarships
Can you go to vet school for free?
Yes! While there are ways to attend vet school for free, you should keep in mind that there are a few strings attached. For example, one can receive full tuition (plus a $2,000 monthly stipend!) while in school by serving in the Army as a veterinarian. Alternatively, if you’ve already graduated and then decide to sign up for the Army, you can partake in a loan repayment program that can pay off up to $50,000 of your student debt (over the course of three years). If you’d rather not serve in the army, you can also take part in the USDA’s Veterinary Medical Loan Repayment Program. For each year (for up to three years) that a student works in an area with a shortage of practitioners, they can receive up to $25,000 towards their student loans.
Additionally, if you aggressively apply for veterinary scholarships, you may be able to attend vet school for free through your collection of scholarship awards.
Is veterinary school expensive?
Unfortunately, yes. The cost of vet school largely depends on whether your school is public or private. Cost also depends on whether you reside in the state of your university. The estimated total cost of attendance for four years of vet school ranges from $150,000 to $420,000. To get a better understanding of cost, by location, we recommend checking out this helpful “Cost of Education Map” provided by the VIN Foundation.
How long does it take to become a veterinarian?
Most students take eight years of higher education to become a veterinarian; four for undergrad, and four for graduate school. It’s an intensive process that prepares students to care for the lives of animals and make the best choices for their health. Some students end up completing the degree in slightly less or more time, but on average, it requires eight years worth of courses.
Can veterinarians qualify for Public Service Loan Forgiveness?
Veterinarians who go on to work in the public service or nonprofit sector may qualify for Public Service Loan Forgiveness, meaning the remaining balance of their federal loans would be forgiven after ten years of payment. However, keep in mind that the rules to this program are strict, so if you plan on taking advantage of it, make sure to educate yourself on all of its caveats before taking out loans.
What should I major in in undergrad to go to veterinary school?
Typically, an undergraduate major in the hard sciences, especially one related to biology, is the best bet if you hope to attend veterinary school. The University of Massachusetts writes that students of all majors end up going to veterinary school, but they have to ensure they take the required courses, which typically fall under the categories of “sciences applied to working with animals (e.g., animal sciences, wildlife biology) or in basic sciences (e.g., biology, chemistry, biochemistry, microbiology, zoology)”.
