Veterinary Medicine

Studying Veterinary Medicine at Cambridge

UCAS Code: D100
How many are admitted to Cambridge every year: 73 in the 2023 cycle
Minimum offer: A*AA at A Level or 41-42 points in IB with 776 at Higher Level
Essential subjects: Chemistry; at least one of Biology, Physics, or Mathematics
You can’t apply to this course if you have failed or been excluded from another veterinary school

You will have the opportunity to learn core scientific foundations along with intensive yet supportive practical and clinical training.

The course lasts 6 years:

for the first 3 years you focus on scientific principles underlying veterinary medicine and develop your knowledge of the professional, ethical, financial, management and social responsibilities veterinary surgeons have
for the last 3 years you’ll apply your knowledge to clinical scenarios and clinical practice. This includes a whole year spent mainly undertaking clinical work

If you successfully complete the first 3 years of the course, you’ll graduate with a BA (Hons) degree.

If you then successfully complete the last 3 years, you’ll graduate with a BA as well as VetMB.

The Department of Veterinary Medicine is performing world class research and there are world leading clinical specialists among our staff. We have state-of-the-art equipment and a range of clinical facilities.

For more information visit the Veterinary Medicine Course page on the University of Cambridge’s website.

What can I do with a degree in Veterinary Medicine?

This course provides a thorough veterinary education, equipping you to pursue a wide variety of veterinary related career pathways. However, it also represents a hugely diverse subject that comprises all the science subjects along with practical and communication skills. Cambridge vets are over-represented at the top of the profession and enter a range of additional roles such as research and leadership.

For more information, please visit the University Careers Service website.

What we look for

We welcome applications from students of any age and background who have achieved the standard offer of A*AA at A Level (or equivalent), and/or who have completed a Degree/Masters/PhD to a high standard (details can be found on the admissions website). The scientific nature of the preclinical course means that a strong understanding of core science is important and so Chemistry is a required subject – either at A Level or with evidence of a good performance within a degree course. An additional A Level in Chemistry may be requested if this cannot be demonstrated. We are looking for students with the talent and motivation to achieve their full potential.

Studying Veterinary Medicine at St Edmund’s College

St Edmund’s offers the opportunity to become a vet for students who have already taken a degree subject or who have decided later in life that they would like to pursue the career. We feel strongly that Cambridge should produce graduates who reflect a diverse educational experience. St Edmund’s has a strong tradition of Veterinary Fellows being key members of the vet school and the wider vet community. Our current Director of Studies is a St Edmunds graduate who along with nearly twenty years’ experience as a small animal vet has also achieved a Diploma in Medical Education (he’s on the pathway to his Medical Education Master’s degree in 2025). As with all our supervisors, he is passionate about education and the support of the students.

St Edmunds is ideally situated for Vet students as its location is equidistant between the city centre departments and the vet school on Madingley Road. Its tradition as a ‘Vet’ College means we are lucky to be able to recruit strong academic staff for student support. We also work closely with the other mature Colleges to form a strong sense of a mature identity within the subject.

How to Apply

Applications for all courses are made through UCAS. You must apply by 15 October 2025 to be considered for entry in October 2026.

Applications for 2025 entry have already closed

Requirements

Tests

Interviews

The Interview format can differ depending on the number of applicants and the availability of the clinicians. The expected total interview time is 30-40 minutes, but this may comprise a single interview with a mixed panel or be divided over two panels. In both cases the interview will cover both scientific material and consideration of the course and the profession.

In preparation for the interview is it useful to consider the following parts of your application:

– Your personal statement

– Your experience within the field of animal care/veterinary medicine

– Scientific principles at the level of GCSE/A Level (covering Biology, Chemistry and Physics). If there is an area you haven’t studied or it has been a while, you might consider some revision of these areas.

– Finally, but importantly, it is worth practicing ‘thinking out loud’. The interview is as much about effective communication as it is subject material. It is therefore worthwhile to practice responding to questions and structuring an answer. Please be aware that you first answer does not need to be correct – but we would like to be able to understand how you came to it!

Deferred Entry

Affiliated students

If you have already completed or are in the process of completing a first undergraduate degree, you can apply for this course as an affiliated student. This means that you will complete the course in five years instead of the standard six. You will skip the third year of the course where non-affiliated students study another subject offered by the University for a year.

To apply as an affiliate student, you need to have achieved or be on track to achieve a 2.1 or higher in your first undergraduate degree. International equivalents can be found on the University website.

What is a typical Term’s work

During the first 3 years of the course you’ll have lectures and practical classes and small-group supervisions.

You can typically expect 20 to 25 teaching hours each week. You’ll also have 120 hours of dissection across the first 3 years.

During the last 3 years you’ll have lectures, practicals, group work in directed learning sessions, seminars, discussions and tutorials. You’ll also have practical clinical classes.

You will not have any lectures in the sixth year of the course.

People

Pre-clinical Director of Studies: Dr Stuart Eves
Clinical Director of Studies: Professor Lucy Davison, MRC Clinician Scientist Fellow

Fellows:

Dr Fernando Constantino-Casas, Tutor, University Pathologist
Dr Ian McCrone, University Physician (Farm Animal Clinical Team Leader), Department of Veterinary Medicine
Professor Michael Herrtage, Dean of the Veterinary School, Life Fellow