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Application Process

In order to gain admission to Lincoln Memorial University's Richard A. Gillespie College of Veterinary Medicine, prospective applicants must demonstrate a comprehensive knowledge base of professional, personal, and academic development in pursuit of an education and career in the field of veterinary medicine.

The Richard A. Gillespie College of Veterinary Medicine completes a holistic review of all applicants to its DVM program. In addition to academic performance, applicants are evaluated on their previous veterinary experience, experience with animals, research experience, personal characteristics, leadership and extercurricular experience, essays, letters of recommendation, and interview. Lincoln Memorial University is committed to serving the Appalachian region. Extra consideration is given to applicants from Appalachia Regional Commission defined counties. Applicants are also given additional consideration if they are from rural communities, are first generation college students, or have completed a graduate program.

Spring Cohort Application Timeline

All applicants may be considered for either cohort. Submission of application according to the below timeline allows early interviews and decisions for the spring cohort.

Late January: First three quadrants of 2024-2025 VMCAS application open.
May 9: Colleges available for applicants to select and submit applications in VMCAS
June 30: VMCAS Application, LMU-CVM Supplemental Application, and CASPer submission deadline for applicants that prefer to begin studies in January. Applicants who have not submitted all information by this date may still be eligible for entry into the spring semester. Please note that failure to meet this deadline will result in acceptance offers/decisions that are later in the fall resulting in less time to prepare for classes to begin in January.
July-October: Interviews conducted.
August: Acceptance offers will begin to be extended. These offers will continue until the class is filled.
December 31: Official fall transcripts submission deadline. All transcripts must be sent directly from the applicant’s learning institution to LMU-CVM.

Applicants should ensure all required documents (eLOR, transcripts, etc) are submitted by the LMU June 30th deadline. Applicants who have not submitted all information by this date may still be eligible for entry into the spring semester. Please note that failure to meet this deadline will result in acceptance offers/decisions that are later in the fall resulting in less time to prepare for classes to begin in January.

Fall Cohort Application Timeline

January 23: First three quadrants of 2024-2025 VMCAS application opens.
May 9: Colleges available for applicants to select and submit applications in VMCAS.
August 15: Recommended VMCAS submission deadline.
September 16: Deadline for completing Casper assessment (for fall cohort).
September 16 @11:59PM EST: VMCAS Application and LMU-CVM Supplemental Application submission deadline.
Mid-September to January: Interviews conducted.
December-April: Acceptance offers are extended. Acceptances offers will continue until all slots for the incoming class have filled.
January 31: Official fall transcripts submission deadline.
April 18: AAVMC decision deadline.

Visit VMCAS for additional cycle dates and details.

Required Application Materials

Below you will find the application materials required for the LMU-CVM Class of 2029 . Prior to applying, we highly encourage all applicants to review the requirements to be considered for admission.

Veterinary Medical College Application Service (VMCAS)

LMU-CVM utilizes the Veterinary Medical College Application Service (VMCAS).

Applicants are responsible for monitoring their VMCAS application status . Incomplete and unverified applications will not be considered for admission.

Other Materials

Transcripts.

Official transcripts for all courses completed through summer must be submitted directly to VMCAS. If you need additional information, read more about the VMCAS transcript verification process . Coursework completed after the September 16 deadline must be reported via official transcript submission to the LMU-CVM by the dates noted above.

Updated official electronic transcripts can be sent to [email protected] .

Official updated transcripts can be physically mailed to the following address:

LMU-CVM Office of Admissions 6965 Cumberland Gap Parkway Harrogate, TN 37752

Letters of Recommendation

Applicants to the LMU-CVM are required to submit three letters of recommendation (LOR) through VMCAS. A letter must be submitted from each of the three parties noted below:

1 letter from a college professor
1 letter from a veterinarian
1 letter from a previous or current employer/supervisor

Letters of recommendation must be completed by individuals other than family members and articulately attest to an applicant’s capacities. Specific details on the (electronic letters of recommendation) process can be found on the VMCAS website. Letters of recommendation must be submitted through your VMCAS application. Letters sent directly to LMU-CVM will be not accepted.

Applicant Review Process

Curious to know what happens with your application after it has been submitted? The process below describes how applicants are reviewed and considered for admission into Lincoln Memorial University Richard A. Gillespie College of Veterinary Medicine.

Applications are processed by the Admissions Office following application verification by VMCAS. Please note that unverified applications will not be considered for admissions into the LMU-CVM.

The LMU-CVM conducts thorough holistic reviews of verified applications. These reviews specifically include but are not limited to evaluation of the items listed below:

Academic performance
CASPer assessment
Experience hours (animal, research, veterinary) - For clarification on listing these items within your application please visit VMCAS
Mission fit (Appalachia Regional Commission defined counties, rural communities, first generation college students, and/or pursuit of advanced education)
Leadership and extracurricular activities
Letters of recommendation
Essays (content and composition)

The LMU-CVM hosts virtual multiple-mini interviews (MMI). Applicants who are selected for an interview will be notified via email invitation. Interviews will occur throughout the year based partially upon the applicant’s preferred semester of entry into the program. Qualitative holistic application reviews will be conducted following completion of the interview.

Admissions decisions are made following careful evaluation of the comprehensive application package. Decisions will be conveyed electronically and may include offers of acceptance, placement on the applicant waitlist, or denial. Please note that decisions are made and conveyed on a rolling basis throughout the year based on deadlines and starting semesters.

Applicants are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the licensing requirements that are applicable to the states or commonwealths in which they may opt to practice veterinary medicine. The requirements for Tennessee and Virginia can be browsed using the following links:

Tennessee Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners

Virginia Board of Veterinary Medicine

State boards information

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Applying to Penn Vet

You've made the decision to apply. What's next? Here's a checklist that will help you get through the application process. You can check out what you need to matriculate by learning about our requirements. You can get application tips for the VMCAS, and, finally, you'll have a direct link to our Supplemental Information Form , a requirement of your application.

As always, if you have questions, call or email us. We're here to help!

Contact Admissions

Call 215-898-5434
[email protected]

Hear from Penn Vet Students!

Please contact our team if you are interested in Penn Vet.

For International Applicants

Penn Vet welcomes international applicants. Currently, Penn Vet accepts the majority of the starting class of 125 students from outside the state of Pennsylvania. This includes all other states within the U.S., U.S. territories and internationally. Academic qualifications for admission are the same for international students as for U.S. citizens. All international students must have their foreign transcripts evaluated by World Educational Services (wes.org) and sent electronically to VMCAS prior to the deadline date. VMCAS will not accept paper versions of the evaluation.

Get more information on required matriculation courses ...
Visit our FAQ section for more information on our applications ...

All applicants whose primary language is not English are required to submit scores from the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language). Scores for each section of the test are expected to be at the 90th percentile or above. For those applicants who have earned undergraduate or graduate degrees from a college or university where English is the language of instruction, the TOEFL may be waived. The TOEFL is administered by the ETS (Educational Testing Service, www.ets.org ) through testing centers worldwide. For VISA information, please go to the website of the Office of International Programs (OIP) at the University of Pennsylvania, www.upenn.edu/oip/isss .

Once We Receive Your Application

Once you've completed your application, the next step will be the internal review by the Penn Vet Committee on Admissions of all of applications. We will then invite a select number of applicants for an interview.

Check out our timeline to learn more about that process and additional next steps...

About the Penn Vet Committee on Admissions

All applicants to Penn Vet are reviewed by our Committee on Admissions, a standing faculty committee. Applicants are selected on a comparative basis. Because there are many more applicants than places in each class, meeting all requirements for admission does not ensure acceptance.

When making its selections, the committee considers all aspects of an applicant's file. Those we consider to be the most important include: academic ability; familiarity with the profession and resultant sincerity of interest; recommendations of academic counselors, science faculty and veterinarians; character; personality; and general fitness and adaptability for a career in veterinary medicine.

The obligation to understand and meet Penn Vet’s admissions requirements rests solely with the applicant.

Tips & Details

A grade of C (2.0) or better must be earned for any courses that will be considered towards our Matriculation Requirements. The Matriculation Requirements do not need to be complete upon application submission in order to be considered for admission. In fact we don't audit requirements until an accepted applicant deposits to attend Penn Vet. Pass/Fail courses can be used towards Matriculation Requirements, but accepted students depositing to Penn Vet must provide an email/letter from and advisor to confirm the number grade of the course (C or above required).

For prospective applicants at colleges/universities on a Quarter system, please pay special attention to the conversion to Semester credits. Quarter conversions must be at or above the Semester credit requirement. Anything short, even if by the smallest of fractions, will not meet the requirements. (Penn Vet conversion is: Qtr Units x .66 = Semester Credits).

While we do consider junior year applicants (90 credits to matriculate), the more academic course work you have completed, the stronger the application specifically in science based (bio) courses. Students entering (not applying to) Penn Vet without completing the bachelors degree is less than 1%.

AP credits will be accepted toward matriculation requirements, however the course and credits given must itemized on your official college transcript.

The choice of additional courses (other than the above requirements) is left to you and your required curriculum set forth by the degree granting institution. We recommend taking as many science-based as possible prior to applying to Penn Vet (mainly biology as the spectrum of available courses is closely related to medicine). Many of our applicants have at least 15 semester hours in biology and in many cases significantly more. Upper level biology courses with solid grades not only help show academic ability, but also help broaden your knowledge base.

While courses in the sciences are important for the application, we recommend that students also broaden their college years by taking courses in the humanities and social sciences. These courses don't replace those recommended in the sciences, but supplement learning and growth that should be gained in your undergraduate studies.

Questions? Always Welcome!

If you have questions about our matriculation requirements, or about any part of the application process, we're here to help. Call us, email us, get in touch!