{"id":35,"date":"2015-08-06T18:42:10","date_gmt":"2015-08-06T18:42:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.msudenver.edu\/haysc\/?page_id=35"},"modified":"2026-05-18T15:38:54","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T15:38:54","slug":"pre-veterinary-advising-3","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.msudenver.edu\/haysc\/advising\/pre-veterinary-advising-3\/","title":{"rendered":"Pre-Veterinary Advising"},"content":{"rendered":"

Metropolitan State University of Denver <\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

Biology Department\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/h3>\n

Last updated October 2025<\/p>\n

Metropolitan State University of Denver does not have a veterinary school but does offer prerequisite courses for entrance to veterinary school.<\/p>\n

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INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITY April 29, 2026 (Primarily equine) AVFS Internship<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

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The veterinary program leads to a Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine, or D.V.M. 60 credits of prerequisite courses must be completed, followed by 4 years of professional studies. Here is a video of the first year facilities at Colorado State University<\/a> to get you excited.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Criteria for selection to The College of Veterinary Medicine at Colorado State University include: grades, quality of academic program (course load, challenging curriculum, honors), leadership, community and school activities, experience working with animals, contact with the veterinary medical profession, letters of recommendation, an essay and some schools require the G.R.E., but CSU does not. Applicants must apply online. \u00a0CSU applicants must submit BOTH the VMCAS application<\/a> \u00a0and a Colorado Supplemental Application by September 15, 2026<\/strong>. <\/span>\u00a0\u00a0All Transcripts must be sent to VMCAS before September 15, 2026.<\/strong>\u00a0 VMCAS will perform Transcript Verification<\/strong><\/a> on all submitted VMCAS applications and will make online copies of transcripts available to the veterinary schools.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0 VMCAS application & Colorado Supplemental Application<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0 You will need three letters of recommendation (at least one from a veterinarian)<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0 All final transcripts due by July 15.<\/p>\n

\u2022 NOTE:<\/strong>\u00a0 Interviews have been cancelled at CSU.\u00a0 But if you get an interview at a different vet school, refer to this handout for preparation. Interviews.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0The VMCAS Application <\/strong><\/a>. This opens in January and you may submit your application for submission mid May.<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0The CSA Supplemental Application <\/strong><\/a>opens in June.\u00a0 The deadline is Sept 15, 2026.\u00a0 Please note the Sample Application<\/a> for review purposes.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Consider keeping a journal through your undergraduate years. This will provide you with much information to draw upon when filling out your application. \u00a0Your application needs to be \u201cdripping\u201d with passion for this profession and avoid pointing out any of your weaknesses that the vet-school would see as a risk to accepting you.<\/p>\n

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PREREQUISITES: <\/b>An absolute minimum of 60 semester <\/b>hours is required, and the typical applicant is completing a baccalaureate degree in order to become a competitive candidate. (Prerequisites for vet. schools other than CSU may be found at AAVMC Schools.<\/a> \u00a0Prerequisites for CSU must include:<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
BIO 1080, 1090 General Biology \u00a0I with a lab<\/span><\/td>\n\u00a04<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
BIO 3600 or 3610 Genetics<\/span><\/td>\n\u00a04<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
CHE 1800 & 1801 General Chemistry I<\/span><\/td>\n5<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
CHE 1810 & 1811 General Chemistry II<\/span><\/td>\n5<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
CHE 4310 Biochemistry<\/span><\/td>\n\u00a04<\/td>\nNote, prerequisite for CHE 4310 is CHE 3100 & 3110 -Organic Chemistry I and II. Prerequisite for CHE 3100 is CHE 1800\/01, and 1810\/11. \u00a0Therefore, even though CHE 1810 and CHE 3110 are not required for CSU vet school, they’re needed as prerequisites for CHE 4310, which is required.\u00a0 (Many vet schools besides CSU require the 2 semesters of organic chemistry.)<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Physics with a lab (PHY 2010 and 2030, or<\/strong> 2020 and 2040,
\nor<\/b> 2311 and 2321, or<\/strong> 2331 and 2341)<\/span><\/td>\n		\u00a05<\/td>\nNote prerequisite for PHY 2010 is MTH 1120; See MSU Catalog for other prerequisites. Some vet schools require 2 semesters physics, but CSU only requires one.<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
ENG 1010 Composing Arguments<\/span><\/td>\n\u00a03<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Arts and Humanities\/Behavioral and Social Sciences<\/span><\/td>\n\u00a012<\/td>\nIncluded are art, dance, English – excluding ENG 1010 listed above, foreign Language, music, philosophy, speech, theater, anthropology, economics, geography, history, political science, psychology, and sociology<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
MTH 1210 Introduction to Statistics<\/span><\/td>\n\u00a04<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n\n\n\n\n
BIO 3050 (Cell Biology)<\/td>\n4<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
BIO 2310 and 2320 (Human Anatomy and Physiology I and II), or<\/strong> BIO 3360 (Animal Physiology), or<\/strong> BIO 3320 (Advanced Human Physiology)<\/td>\n4-8<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
9 credits of Upper Division Biomedical Science Courses**:\u00a0 Accepted courses include: BIO 3210 (Histology), BIO 3220 (Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy), BIO 3270 (Parasitology), BIO 3340 (Endocrinology), BIO 3350 (Immunology), BIO 3400 (Microbial Physiology), BIO 4070 (Biology of Cancer), BIO 4300 (Neurobiology), BIO 4440 (Virology), BIO 4450 (Pathogenic Microbiology), BIO 4820 (Developmental Biology).<\/td>\n9<\/td>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n


\nCheck with your current MSU Denver Catalog<\/a> for prerequisites needed for all classes.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

**Courses not accepted as upper division biomedical science courses include Animal Behavior, Issues in Conservation Biology, Ecology, Evolution, Mammalogy, Zoology, Ornithology.<\/em><\/p>\n

Evaluators carefully assess the quality of an applicant’s academic history in terms of relative academic strengths and promise, including the number and quality of upper division science courses – especially if they have been taken recently. Evaluators try to determine if the academic history is stable, erratic, inconsistent, or improving over time. Short term declines can often be justified in the Special Circumstances section of the application (illness, injury). There is not a limit on the age of acceptable course work. However, if the majority of courses are older than 10 years, some indication of current proficiency in genetics and biochemistry may be required. Grades must be at least C- or above, but the majority should be A’s and B’s.<\/span><\/p>\n

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<\/div>\n

EXPERIENCE: <\/b>The average applicant has spent a minimum of one summer (500-1000 hours) working with a veterinarian and another 500-1000 hours working with animals in other capacities.<\/p>\n

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FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS:<\/strong> The cost of attending veterinary school is very high and it is important to consider your financial situation before going to veterinary school. Your debts need to be minimal (e.g. paying off all credit cards) before you enter veterinary school. Please look at this link to see the cost of veterinary school and Financial Aid opportunities<\/a><\/p>\n

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Profile of 2025 Entering Class
\n<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\u00a0Total Applications<\/b><\/span><\/td>\n3160<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00a0Admitted Total*<\/span><\/td>\n154<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00a0Admitted Men<\/span><\/td>\n11%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00a0Admitted Women<\/span><\/td>\n89%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Average Age<\/td>\n25<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Average GPA**<\/td>\n3.56<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Accepted upon first time applying<\/td>\n109<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

*Once the new CSU veterinary teaching hospital<\/a> is complete (2025 to 2026), admitted students will increase by 30.<\/p>\n

**Note: Few applicants are accepted with a GPA less than 3.2<\/p>\n

Note that Outstanding Veterinarians:<\/span><\/p>\n

1-have developed insights about the veterinary profession, animals and owners;<\/span><\/p>\n

2-understand the importance of and participate in socially relevant community service;<\/span><\/p>\n

3-are good leaders;<\/span><\/p>\n

4-possess good social\/people skills;<\/span><\/p>\n

5-have excellent communication skills;<\/span><\/p>\n

6-have a strong work ethic;<\/span><\/p>\n

7-are problem solvers and actively seek to be life-long learners;<\/span><\/p>\n

8-possess the basic qualities of integrity and honesty.<\/span><\/p>\n

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What do you do if you do not get accepted your first time to vet\u00a0school?\u00a0<\/strong>Contact the vet schools to see if they have suggestions to strengthen your application. Strengthen what you consider to be the weakest parts of your application. \u00a0Improve your interview skills for schools requiring interviews. Take more rigorous upper division science courses, or consider, a Master\u2019s Program. Obtain additional veterinary and animal experience. \u00a0Do science research, volunteer work, community outreach, internships and leadership activities. \u00a0Some of these opportunities may be found at\u00a0career pathways to science.<\/a><\/p>\n

One Year Master’s Program in Anatomy<\/a><\/p>\n

Consider the new Master of Science in Veterinary Clinical Care program at CSU to become a Veterinary Professional Associate.<\/a><\/p>\n

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Resources<\/strong><\/p>\n

Colorado State University: \u00a0Office of the Dean
\nCollege of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
\nColorado State University 1601 Campus Delivery
\nFort Collins, CO 80523-1601
\n(970) 491-7052<\/span><\/p>\n

CSU Pre-vet advising questions, e-mail DVMAdmissions@colostate.edu<\/a>
\nColorado State University Veterinary<\/a> has more information on CSU Veterinary School, choose Professional Veterinary Medicine Program, under Academic Programs. CSU veterinary school also has combined programs with MBA, MPH, and PhD. CSU Veterinary website<\/a>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Check out veterinary programs other than CSU with this resource: Apply to Vet School<\/a><\/p>\n

MSU Denver Biology Pre-Vet Advisor: Dr. Hays, (303)615-0777, haysc@msudenver.edu<\/a>;<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Metropolitan State University of Denver Biology Department\u00a0 Last updated October 2025 Metropolitan State University of Denver does not have a veterinary school but does offer prerequisite courses for entrance to veterinary school. INTERNSHIP OPPORTUNITY April 29, 2026 (Primarily equine) AVFS … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":270,"featured_media":0,"parent":32,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-35","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.msudenver.edu\/haysc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/35","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.msudenver.edu\/haysc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.msudenver.edu\/haysc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.msudenver.edu\/haysc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/270"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.msudenver.edu\/haysc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sites.msudenver.edu\/haysc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/35\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.msudenver.edu\/haysc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/32"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.msudenver.edu\/haysc\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}