An inaugural class of 110 students is expected to enroll in the University of Arizona College of Veterinary Medicine in August 2020 when UA and Long Island University launch the nation’s 31st and 32nd DVM programs.
The incoming class at Arizona includes 91 women and 46 in-state residents. Tuition is estimated at $45,000 annually for Arizona residents and $70,000 a year for out-of-state students.
UA’s three-year, nine-semester program will provide clinical training at partner veterinary hospitals, including the VCA, Banfield, Blue Pearl, Compassion-First, Lakefield and WellHaven networks.
“This program is like no other in the nation, and students will receive one of the most innovative learning experiences possible, based on our team-based learning model over a rigorous three-year program,” said the college’s dean, Julie Funk, DVM, MS, Ph.D. “The pandemic highlights the vital role of veterinarians in understanding emerging diseases, and this class will be immersed in the issues at the crossroads of animal and human health.”
Arizona reported receiving 518 applications for entry into the inaugural class, 244 of whom were interviewed. The average age of the admitted students is 26 and 35% of them identified as an underrepresented minority, the university stated.
The state will have two DVM programs in 2020: one at UA in Tucson and a second at Midwestern University, a private institution in suburban Phoenix.
The University of Arizona received a letter of reasonable assurance of accreditation from the American Veterinary Medical Association’s Council on Education. Long Island University, near New York City, was granted a letter of reasonable assurance in October 2019 and provisional accreditation April 14.
The Long Island University College of Veterinary Medicine, which will charge annual tuition of $55,000 as part of a four-year program, has not announced the makeup of its anticipated 100-student class.
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