The University of Sydney Bachelor of Veterinary Biology/Doctor of Veterinary Medicine Undergraduate Apply To This Program Details University Location Sydney, New South Wales City Population 6 million Student Population 73,000 Int'l Student Population 10,600 Main Campus Camperdown / Darlington Program Campus Camperdown & Camden (1 hour from Sydney) Program Duration 6 years Estimated Annual Tuition $58,500 AUD (2023 fees; subject to increase)** Semester Intake February Next Available Intake 2024 Application Deadline TBA* International Places approx 40 (140 total) Apply To This Program Overview The Sydney School of Veterinary Science is the #1 vet school in Australia (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2023: Veterinary Science), and its faculty is recognized internationally as a leading provider of education and a key contributor to the world’s best practice in the care and welfare of animals. Veterinary Teaching Hospitals Sydney has three vet teaching hospitals: the Sydney Teaching Hospital, the Camden Teaching Hospital, and the Avian, Reptile & Exotic Pet Hospital. Veterinary teaching hospitals provide world-class clinical services and have the latest technology for the care of companion animals, wildlife, livestock and horses, while the faculty’s teachers and teaching programs have achieved acclaim for their quality and effectiveness. Program The Bachelor of Veterinary Biology/Doctor of Veterinary Medicine is a 6-year combined degree and allows you to enter the veterinary program directly from high school. As it encompasses the biological sciences aspect of studies prior to the DVM portion, it is perfectly designed for recently graduated high school students who are high achieving and ready to become knowledgeable and successful veterinarians. This vet program will provide you with both a scientific foundation and specialist clinical and medical experience. In the first and second years of the degree, you’ll learn the fundamentals of biomedical and animal sciences that underpin veterinary sciences. This learning will be done in an integrated, cross-subject way that sets you up for understanding real-world situations. Your third year of study will immerse you in real-world medicine. Sydney’s strong focus on clinical cases, applied problems, and practical experience means you will leave thoroughly prepared to launch straight into a career as vet. You’ll start training to be a professional by applying this knowledge in clinical settings, such as at our hospitals located on campuses in Sydney and Camden. Your final, lecture-free year will be spent entirely doing clinical rotations through a variety of placements. These will give you a taste of the many career options available, including small animal practice, rural mixed practice and government agencies, or more specialized options like equine and wildlife health. Program Structure Years 1 & 2 – Bachelor of Veterinary Biology Years 3–6 – Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. Once you begin the DVM in Year 3, you are subject to the DVM course fees. Campuses & Practical Placements During Years 1 and 2 of the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, students must travel to the university farms in Camden on a weekly basis. Camden is about 60 km southwest of Sydney and the location of all large-animal teaching facilities. Public transport to this site from the nearest railway station is infrequent and students requiring transport are encouraged to join a carpool on a shared cost basis. During Year 3, all teaching and practical classes will be based in Camden, and students are advised to either keep the same travelling arrangements as in previous years or to make on-campus living arrangements. During Year 4, you’ll experience intramural placements at both the University of Sydney Veterinary Hospital based in Camperdown as well as the University of Sydney Veterinary Hospital based at Camden. You’ll also have extramural placements at a partner site. Admission Requirements 1. Completed high school diploma The undergraduate-entry Bachelor of Veterinary Biology / Doctor of Veterinary Medicine program at the University of Sydney is only open to those who have not undertaken any college or university studies. You must have a secondary school diploma and must demonstrate an aptitude for science-based study (chemistry, mathematics and physics. Biology is recommended). You must have a minimum average of 86% in your Grade 12 year: BC – A average across all Grade 12 courses, except Grad Transitions Ontario – Grade average of best 6 Grade 12 courses, including English International applicants will be assessed based on academic performance, CASPer and their demonstration of a commitment to the health and welfare of animals. 2. Situational judgement test The Sydney Bachelor of Veterinary Biology/DVM applicants must complete an online Situational Judgement Test (SJT) via CASPer. Sydney recognizes that skills and attributes such as resilience, critical thinking, and communication are essential for veterinarians, but are not always reflected in academic performance alone. The situational judgement test will be used to select and identify applicants who are best suited to the rigors of veterinary science and the profession. 3. Animal handling experience Sydney expects applicants to the BVB/DVM program to have a minimum of 5 full days of hands-on experience at veterinary establishments. Those who have fewer than 5 days are still welcome to apply, although it is an advantage to have this experience. **Once you begin the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (Year 3) you are subject to the DVM course fees. Admission Timeline *Applications for the 2023 intake closed December 6, 2022. Applications are usually assessed as they are received (first come, first served). You are encouraged to apply as early as possible as this program can fill before the deadline. Related News View All 3 March 2023 · News Australian university applications are officially open! Australian university applications are officially open, and starting now means making your application as strong as possible. Here’s how. Read More 1 November 2022 · News University of Sydney boasts five areas ranked in global top 50 in THE rankings The University of Sydney has five subjects in the top 50 globally and has improved its performance in seven of 11 subjects! Read More 27 July 2022 · News Financing your veterinary medicine degree Looking to study veterinary medicine internationally? Trying to understand how you’re going to finance it all? We have the answers! Let’s jump in. Is it… Read More Related FAQs Have a question? View All See below for some frequently asked questions. Still need answers? Send us a request for information or contact an admissions officer today. What if my degree is more than 10 years old? For competitive programs, many universities will only accept applications from students who have studied within the last 10 years. Universities want to make sure the knowledge that students have is still relevant and that students are prepared to take on additional studies. If you’ve studied more than 10 years ago, consider the following options: 1. Complete another degree If you haven’t completed a degree within the last 10 years and your program of choice requires it, you’ll need to complete another degree. For some universities, this may mean you can complete a master’s (or bachelor’s) degree in Canada and then apply again. University of Sydney DVM – You must be able to provide evidence that you’ve passed the prerequisite subjects with at least credit average by showing the official transcript with final mark. There is some flexibility for applicants who have stayed in scientific academia. University of Melbourne DVM – If you graduated more than 10 years ago, you’ll be required to demonstrate your capacity for continued study. Typically, this would mean demonstrating that your knowledge of the prerequisite subjects are still current by having achieved a mark of at least 70% in each of those subjects within the last three years. University of Queensland BVSc – Qualifications completed more than 10 years ago may be considered as basis for admission to undergraduate or postgraduate programs; however, credit will not be granted for studies completed more than 10 years ago. 2. Complete additional studies and re-apply University of Sydney DVM Must complete another degree – Where there are more than one completed degrees, the best GPA will be used. GPA is calculated over the entire duration of the degree and all years of study are weighted equally. Results from completed honours and postgraduate coursework degrees are included in the GPA calculation. Incomplete degree results will not be included. The discipline of the degree is not considered during the ranking process. University of Melbourne DVM Complete additional upper-level science courses – The University of Melbourne will consider upper-year science subjects (300- and 400-level courses), rather than cumulative GPA. Melbourne weights their science GPA 75:25 toward the 400-level subjects, meaning your 400-level courses are weighed 3 times as much as your 300 level. Subjects can be taken outside a degree (non-award) will be considered. Courses must be science subjects Melbourne defines a science subject as a subject dealing with the scientific basis of physical or biological sciences, but not including social sciences such as sociology, human behavior, history of science, economics, philosophy (including philosophy of science), and anthropology. This list is indicative and not comprehensive. What if my GPA doesn’t meet the minimum or I’m not competitive? If your GPA does not meet the minimum requirement for veterinary medicine, we’re not able to submit the application. University of Melbourne DVM Complete additional upper-level science courses – The University Melbourne will consider upper-year science subjects (300- and 400-level courses), rather than cumulative GPA. Melbourne weights their science GPA 75:25 toward the 400-level subjects, meaning your 400-level courses are weighed 3 times as much as your 300 level. Subjects can be taken outside a degree (non-award) will be considered. Courses must deal with the scientific basis of physical or biological sciences, but not including social sciences such as sociology, human behavior, history of science, economics, philosophy (including philosophy of science), and anthropology. This list is indicative and not comprehensive. University of Sydney DVM Must complete another degree – For the University of Sydney’s DVM program, where there are more than one completed bachelor’s degrees, the best GPA will be used. GPA is calculated over the entire duration of the degree and all years of study are weighted equally. Results from completed Honours and postgraduate coursework degrees are included in the GPA calculation. Incomplete degree results will not be included. The discipline of the degree is not considered during the ranking process. Undergraduate veterinary degrees (Sydney BVB/DVM and UQ BVSc) Take college/university studies – The GPA requirement is lower for applicants with a year of more of post-secondary studies (uni or college). Consider another program If you’re interested in working with animals, but the other options won’t work for you, consider completing a degree in veterinary technology, zoology, animal or environmental conservation, etc. instead, as long as your GPA meets the minimum requirements. What if I don’t meet the veterinary prerequisites? If you haven’t taken courses in the required prerequisite areas, but you are still interested in applying to the program, you will need to make up for this course on your own. Enroll in the missing prerequisite(s) You’ll need to provide a transcript showing that you have enrolled in the missing prerequisite(s) before we can submit your application to the university. This will allow the university to proceed with your primary assessment. Once you’ve successfully completed your course(s), you’ll need to provide a final transcript so the university can complete your assessment. Melbourne and Sydney DVM Take an intro-level university course – Generally, introduction courses work best for the prerequisite requirements as they cover a broad range of understanding. University of Queensland BVSc Take a high school-level calculus course – Many students do so either through summer school, at another institution, or online. Keep in mind, the course must be a full calculus course. Pre-calculus and math courses which cover only some calculus content will not suffice. Take an intro-level college or university calculus course – You will need to provide the course outline for this subject for a prerequisite assessment to confirm comparability. Read more about overseas equivalents for UQ’s Bachelor of Veterinary Science. Be sure to provide the course outline before you enroll! We can ask UQ to assess a course before an app is submitted to confirm the course will meet the requirements. Take a course through Unilearn – Offers a self-paced online course, Senior Mathematics (UNL32), which satisfies the Mathematics B prerequisites requirement as noted in the Bridging Subject table. The Unilearn course allows you to enroll at any time and typically takes 18–26 weeks to complete. What if I lack animal-handling experience? Some Australian veterinary programs require animal-handling experience as part of their entry requirements: Sydney BVB/DVM Requires 5 days of animal-handling experience, which can be part of a paid position, volunteer work, or part of a courses. On the supplementary application, you’ll need to briefly describe your experience and outline the specific tasks/experiences you gained. Sydney DVM Requires a minimum of 28 days of relevant work and animal-handling experience. A substantial portion of this must have been completed within 2 years prior to application. You’ll need to include supporting documents for experience, e.g., reference letters, certificates, or forms that provide evidence of the number of hours you worked or volunteered. Consider applying to the following intake What a difference a year can make! If you lack animal-handling experience, consider gaining some in the following areas: Animal production industries such as sheep, cattle, pigs, goats, horses, and poultry Veterinary clinical practice Other relevant animal-industry experience including government bodies, charities, and research organizations Some examples of what the committee might look for in an applicant include breadth of experience across a variety of species, or depth of experience in a particular species; research experience; overall experience and length of experiences; commitment and interest in the profession; and rural experiences. How do I know if my courses meet the DVM prerequisites? Introduction courses work best for the prerequisite requirements because the universities are looking for a wide range of understanding and not necessarily specific content often covered in the higher-level courses. For the University of Melbourne’s DVM prerequisites, the university has done a pre-assessment on biochemistry courses at some Canadian universities. The university has only pre-assessed courses for their medicine, dentistry, and physiotherapy programs, and not for the DVM, although it gives DVM applicants an idea of which courses will likely be approved for the DVM biochemistry prerequisite. Melbourne does not do a pre-assessment for the general biology/cell biology prerequisites; however, typical biology and cellbiology courses don’t seem to have issues meeting the requirements. The University of Sydney does not pre-assess courses for any of the prerequisite areas. If you are curious you can compare the course content of your courses to Sydney’s courses with the links provided in the table below. DVM Prerequisite requirement – University of Sydney Unit that meets this requirement General chemistry (physical and inorganic) – CHEM1111 Chemistry 1A or CHEM1911 Chemistry 1A (Advanced) Organic chemistry – CHEM1112 Chemistry 1B or CHEM1912 Chemistry 1B(Advanced) Biology – BIOL1006 and/or BIOL1007 Biochemistry – VETS1032 or BCMB2001 or BCMB2002 Why do I need to submit course outlines to apply to Sydney DVM and Melbourne DVM? Applicants must have completed certain prerequisite units of study at bachelor’s degree level to be eligible for entry into the DVM programs. Applicants are asked to submit official course outlines to prove that they’ve completed these program prerequisites. These prerequisites are assessed by the university to determine whether they fit their requirement and the universities use these official course outlines to do this assessment. The university will be looking for the detailed course outlines, such as the ones that are handed out at the beginning of the course which must contain a lecture schedule. If you do not have these on hand, please contact the faculty from which you undertook these courses. How will the university assess my vet application? Undergraduate-entry Programs UQ BVSc Applicants will be assessed primarily on their academic achievement in their final year of high school or cumulative average in their post-secondary studies if they have a year or more of studies. Admissions for the BVSc program run on rolling admissions, which means applications are assessed in the order they are received, and applicants are assessed against the requirements and not against other applicants. Sydney BVB/DVM Sydney’s BVB/DVM program assesses applicants primarily on their academic achievement in their final year of high school or cumulative average in their post-secondary studies if they have a year or more of studies. The applicant’s commitment to the health and welfare of animals will also be considered in the assessment. Applications are assessed on a rolling admissions basis and applicants are assessed against the requirements and not against other applicants. Graduate-entry Programs Melbourne DVM Selection into the Melbourne DVM will be primarily based on your upper-year science subjects (300- and 400-level courses), rather than cumulative GPA. Melbourne weights their science GPA 75:25 toward the 400-level subjects, meaning your 400-level courses are weighed 3 times as much as your 300 level. Melbourne defines a science subject as a subject dealing with the scientific basis of physical or biological sciences, but not including social sciences such as sociology, human behavior, history of science, economics, philosophy (including philosophy of science), and anthropology. This list is indicative and not comprehensive. Applicants with a 75% average and above in these courses should apply. In ranking applications, Melbourne’s Selection Committee will consider your prior academic performance and your personal statement. Admissions for this program run on a rolling-admissions basis, which means applications are assessed in the order they are received, and applicants are assessed against the requirements and not against other applicants. Sydney DVM The GPA is calculated over the entire duration of the bachelor’s degree and all years of study are weighted equally. Only results from completed bachelor’s and postgraduate coursework degrees are included in the GPA calculation. Sydney does not consider the discipline of the bachelor’s degree during the ranking process. Admissions run on a pooled-application process, where applicants are pooled and assessed against one another after the application deadline. Applicants who have achieved the minimum GPA (and other admission requirements) are then ranked on academic performance. Entry is highly competitive in this program so meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee entry. The higher your GPA, the better your chances of receiving an offer. What is considered a competitive GPA for veterinary medicine? Melb DVM: Applicants with a 77% average and above Syd DVM: Applicants with a 75% average and above Undergraduate vet programs: Applicants with previous university studies: 70% average and above; directly from high school: 85%–86% average and above Admissions OfficerMeghan Publow Traveller, nighthawk, social butterfly. Has a major sweet tooth. Loves tea, music, dogs. ESFP. #FOMO Meghan works with vet science, medicine, and all the other undergraduate and postgraduate programs like arts, business, and sciences, helping to make the application process easier, and making sure everything stays on track. If you’re a high school counsellor or a parent and interested in any of the programs Meghan works with, please reach out! Food: Tacos Drink: Her own trademark (vodka, soda and peach schnapps) Movie: Superbad , State of Play Music: A little bit of everything! Country, classic rock, rap, top 40 Book: The Girl on the Train Superpower: Healing Email: [email protected]