Diverse veterinary student enrollment at record high

According to the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges students from under-represented groups now make up 21.1 percent of students currently enrolled in DVM programs in the United States. 

AAVMC Senior Director for Institutional Research and Diversity Dr. Lisa Greenhill reports that growth among racial/ethnic minority students over the past five years has been swift. In 2014, under-represented veterinary medical (URVM) student enrollment made up just 13.5 percent of DVM student enrollment in the U.S. 

“There’s not a single strategy responsible for this, but certainly a collection of different activities,” said Dr. Greenhill. “More colleges are engaged in active recruiting of and general outreach to URVM applicants; they are also taking the long view by building relationships with prospective applicants while they are still in high school. Also, the evolution of admissions practices to more holistic methods has resulted in more offers of admission being made to URVM students.”

The fastest growing applicants and student enrolled populations are Hispanic and individuals who identify as multi-racial/multi-ethnic.

There is also a relationship with growth in the number of available seats. The growth in seats is not causing more diverse students to apply and enroll.

Some other key findings of her analysis:

• 22.2% of the pool for the class of 2024 identify as non-White.

• 28.2% received Pell Grants in undergrad, and 26.3% are first generation college attendees.

• The percentage of male applicants to veterinary school remains low at about 13%; however, the decline seems to have slowed in the last three years.