The newest U.S. veterinary school will open in August 2021 with an inaugural class of 60 students from Texas and New Mexico.
The Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine is the nation’s 33rd DVM program. It follows in the footsteps of the University of Arizona and Long Island University, both of which began veterinary medicine classes in 2020.
The Texas Tech veterinary school is headquartered in Amarillo and is adjacent to the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. A satellite campus, Mariposa Station, is two miles away and will focus on livestock medicine.
“We are so fortunate we will get to work with a truly amazing group of students,” said Guy Loneragan, BVSc, Ph.D., dean of the School of Veterinary Medicine. “Texas Tech has worked for years and years to get to this point, to finally meet and welcome our very first class.
“It takes a team driven by a shared purpose to reach important milestones. Texas Tech, Amarillo, regional communities across Texas and our legislators are a wonderful team, and all get to share in the ownership and celebration of achieving the status of provisional accreditation. This is an amazing accomplishment for us all.”
The provisional accreditation, awarded by the American Veterinary Medical Association’s Council on Education, will stay “until we are near graduating the first class in 2025, at which time we anticipate receiving full accreditation status,” according to a website statement.
The total cost of attendance for first-year veterinary students is estimated at $41,790 for in-state residents and $52,590 for out-of-state residents. New Mexico students coming from border counties can apply for in-state tuition.
The selected students were chosen from among “hundreds of applicants,” the school reported.
Did you know a subscription to Today’s Veterinary Business is free to qualified veterinary professionals? All you have to do is sign up here (and renew each year). You also can sign up to receive the Today’s Veterinary Business weekly e-newsletter.