Veterinary medicine is one of the fastest-growing health professions in the United States, fueled by record rates of pet ownership, the rising importance of food-system biosecurity, and the expansion of the One Health approach connecting animal, human, and environmental health.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of veterinarians is projected to grow 19% from 2024 to 2034, much faster than the average for all occupations, with about 6,000 openings each year due to growth and turnover.
Choosing a strong Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) program is therefore essential for developing rigorous clinical skills, accessing meaningful research and externship opportunities, and preparing for competitive careers across companion animal practice, food animal medicine, public health, specialty care, and biomedical research.
In this blog, we list the top 10 colleges for veterinary medicine in 2026 based on two major ranking systems: U.S. News Best Veterinary Medicine Programs (national) and QS World University Rankings by Subject in Veterinary Science (global).
- What Are the Best Veterinary Schools in the US?
- University of California, Davis
- Cornell University
- Texas A&M University
- Colorado State University
- University of Pennsylvania
- The Ohio State University
- North Carolina State University
- University of Florida
- University of Wisconsin–Madison
- University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Takeaways
What Are the Best Veterinary Schools in the US?
To help you compare the best veterinary medicine programs at a glance, the table below summarizes each school along with its 2026 U.S. News veterinary medicine ranking and its 2026 QS World University subject ranking in veterinary science.
| Rank | School | U.S. News Veterinary Schools Ranking | QS World University Veterinary Schools Ranking |
| 1 | University of California, Davis | 1 | 2 |
| 2 | Cornell University | 2 | 3 |
| 3 | Texas A&M University | 4 | 5 |
| 4 | Colorado State University | 3 | 11 |
| 5 | University of Pennsylvania | 6 | 9 |
| 6 | The Ohio State University | 9 | 10 |
| 7 | North Carolina State University | 5 | 16 |
| 8 | University of Florida | 6 | 17 |
| 9 | University of Wisconsin–Madison | 6 | 20 |
| 10 | University of Minnesota, Twin Cities | 10 | 23 |
Note: Our ranking equally weights national and global veterinary rankings, averaging each school’s positions into a composite score and ordering them from lowest to highest. For tied scores, we use the national ranking as the tiebreaker. QS positions outside the published top 10 are based on the most recently disclosed institutional placements.
Let’s discuss each college one by one.
1. University of California, Davis
US News Ranking: #1
QS World Ranking: #2
Key strengths: Small animal medicine, large animal and equine medicine, wildlife and zoological medicine, aquatic animal health, One Health, comparative oncology, infectious disease, shelter medicine
Acceptance Rate: 42.1% (Class of 2028)
The UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine has held the No. 1 spot in the U.S. News rankings for the tenth consecutive year and has been named the world’s leading veterinary science program five times since the QS subject rankings began in 2015. It was renamed the Weill School of Veterinary Medicine in 2024 following a transformational gift, and remains the largest veterinary school in the United States by enrollment.
The four-year DVM program begins with two years of basic and clinical sciences, followed by two years of hands-on clinical rotations at the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital. As one of the nation’s busiest academic veterinary centers, the hospital handles about 50,000 patient visits each year across 34 specialty services.
Students can tailor their training through elective tracks in areas such as companion animal, equine, food animal, mixed animal, livestock, zoological medicine, aquatic animal health, and biomedical research. UC Davis also offers combined degree options, including the DVM/PhD, DVM/MPVM, and dual programs with medicine and public health.
Research opportunities are especially strong, spanning infectious disease, marine mammal medicine, regenerative medicine, forensic science, global animal health, and One Health. Students interested in research-intensive careers can also pursue early pathways like the Veterinary Scientist Training Program.
2. Cornell University
US News Ranking: #2
QS World Ranking: #3
Key strengths: Small animal medicine, infectious disease, immunology, oncology, shelter medicine, equine sports medicine, public and ecosystem health, laboratory animal medicine
Acceptance Rate: 8.38% (Class of 2029)
Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine is one of only three veterinary schools in the Northeast and consistently sits in the top tier nationally and globally. The college awarded the first DVM degree in the United States in 1876 and remains a research powerhouse, supported by the Baker Institute for Animal Health, the Cornell Feline Health Center, and the Animal Health Diagnostic Center, one of the nation’s largest veterinary diagnostic laboratories.
Cornell’s DVM curriculum uses tutor groups and a distributed clinical experience model that combines classroom instruction with early hands-on patient care. Students complete rotations at the Cornell University Hospital for Animals in Ithaca, Cornell Ruffian Equine Specialists on Long Island, and Cornell University Veterinary Specialists in Stamford, Connecticut.
Students can pursue dual-degree options such as the DVM/PhD, DVM/MPH, and combined programs in business and law. Cornell also offers formal tracks in zoo and wildlife medicine, public and corporate practice, and biomedical research, while the Leadership Program for Veterinary Scholars provides funded summer research for early DVM students.
A major strength is Maddie’s Shelter Medicine Program, which trains students in high-volume spay/neuter, behavior, and community animal welfare. Cornell faculty are also known for major contributions to canine genetics, FIV, FeLV, leptospirosis, and equine respiratory disease.
3. Texas A&M University
US News Ranking: #4
QS World Ranking: #5
Key strengths: Large animal and food animal medicine, equine medicine, rural and production medicine, biomedical research, emergency response, veterinary forensics, comparative oncology
Acceptance Rate: 51.66% (Class of 2029)
The Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences (VMBS) climbed to its highest-ever U.S. News ranking in 2026 and posted the single largest year-over-year rise among the global top 10 on the 2026 QS list, jumping five spots to No. 5. It is the only veterinary college in the SEC ranked in the top 10 worldwide.
Texas A&M’s DVM program is one of the largest in the U.S., admitting about 180 students each year. Aggie graduates also perform strongly on the NAVLE, with pass rates of 96% for the Class of 2025 and 99% for the Classes of 2023 and 2024. About 80% of graduates who enter practice remain in Texas, helping support the state’s major livestock and companion animal industries.
Fourth-year students complete clinical training at the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital in College Station, Texas’ only veterinary teaching hospital, which treats more than 26,000 patients annually. The program also offers distinctive rotations through the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and the VERO program in Canyon, where students gain experience in rural and production medicine.
Texas A&M is also known for affordability. Aggie DVM students graduate with an average of $64,000 less educational debt than the national average, helped by $3.2 million in scholarships awarded during the 2024–25 cycle.
4. Colorado State University
US News Ranking: #3
QS World Ranking: #11
Key strengths: Comparative oncology, equine orthopedic surgery and sports medicine, infectious disease, public health, food animal medicine, zoological medicine
Acceptance Rate: 88.63% (Class of 2029)
The Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences has held the No. 3 spot nationally in U.S. News for years, remaining behind only UC Davis and Cornell. CSU receives roughly 1,500 DVM applications annually and admits about 142 students, with strong emphasis on hands-on clinical training across companion, food, and equine species.
CSU is home to the Flint Animal Cancer Center, one of the largest and oldest veterinary oncology centers in the world. Faculty there pioneered limb-sparing surgery for osteosarcoma and lead translational cancer trials that often inform human pediatric oncology research. The James L. Voss Veterinary Teaching Hospital handles more than 42,000 cases each year, and the Equine Orthopedic Research Center is a global leader in joint and tendon biology.
The DVM program offers tracks in companion animal, mixed animal, food animal, and equine medicine, and CSU is one of the few institutions that lets DVM students pursue combined degrees in MBA, MPH, or PhD pathways alongside the DVM. Outside the classroom, students gain field experience through partnerships with the Wildlife Pharmaceutical Center, the Animal Population Health Institute, and Diagnostic Medicine Center.
Fort Collins also offers a uniquely accessible setting for large animal, wildlife, and ranch work, with proximity to the Rocky Mountains supporting field externships in wildlife and equine medicine.
5. University of Pennsylvania
US News Ranking: #6
QS World Ranking: #9
Key strengths: Equine medicine and surgery, comparative oncology, cardiology, regenerative medicine, working dog research, large animal medicine, and translational research with Penn Medicine
Acceptance Rate: 4.87% (Class of 2029)
The University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine (Penn Vet) is the only Ivy League veterinary school and the only U.S. vet school co-located with a fully integrated human medical school, the Perelman School of Medicine. This proximity enables an unusually deep translational research environment, especially in oncology, cardiology, and gene therapy.
Penn Vet operates two teaching hospitals: Ryan Hospital in Philadelphia for companion animals, which handles more than 50,000 cases annually, and the New Bolton Center in Kennett Square—a 700-acre large animal hospital and research facility recognized globally for equine surgery, sports medicine, and reproduction. The school launched a modernized VMD curriculum with the Class of 2026, restructured around active learning, early clinical integration, and competency-based assessment.
Penn Vet’s Working Dog Center trains detection dogs and conducts research on canine performance, scent detection, and even medical diagnostics, including studies on whether dogs can detect cancer and infectious disease. Joint degree options include the DVM/PhD, DVM/MBA with the Wharton School, and DVM/MPH.
Tuition is among the highest in the country, but Penn Vet awards substantial scholarship and grant aid, and graduates have strong placement into specialty internships, residencies, and academic medicine.
6. Ohio State University
US News Ranking: #9
QS World Ranking: #10
Key strengths: Veterinary cardiology, oncology, food animal and dairy production medicine, public health (Veterinary Public Health program), infectious disease, theriogenology, comparative orthopedics
Acceptance Rate: 60.57% (Class of 2029)
The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine has been a perennial top-10 veterinary college for more than two decades. As the only veterinary college in Ohio, it admits approximately 162 students per class and serves a vast clinical caseload through the Veterinary Medical Center, which treats more than 78,000 patients annually across four hospitals.
Ohio State’s DVM program offers six tracks: small animal, equine, food animal, mixed animal, zoo and exotic animal, and the Veterinary Scientist Training Program for students combining research and clinical training. The college is also a major training ground for veterinary public health, with an MPH-VPH dual-degree program that ranks among the largest ACVPM-certified programs in the country.
Research strengths include molecular virology, immunology, comparative oncology, food safety, infectious disease epidemiology, and One Health. Faculty are especially active in coronavirus and influenza surveillance, rural veterinary workforce development, and programs supporting large animal and rural practice.
Students also gain exposure to advanced clinical research through the Blue Buffalo Veterinary Clinical Trials Office, particularly in oncology, cardiology, and ophthalmology. The college’s large animal services support Ohio’s dairy, swine, and poultry industries, giving students practical experience in production medicine.
7. North Carolina State University
US News Ranking: #5
QS World Ranking: #16
Key strengths: Companion animal medicine, equine medicine, food supply medicine, laboratory animal medicine, veterinary scholars and clinician-scientist training, ophthalmology, dermatology
Acceptance Rate: 41.73% (Class of 2028)
The North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine has remained in or near the top five of the U.S. News rankings for more than a decade despite being one of the newer programs in the country (founded in 1981). The college recently expanded its incoming class from 100 to 125 students per cohort following state legislative action, and it draws nearly 2,000 applicants each year.
The NC State Veterinary Hospital and the Randall B. Terry Jr. Companion Animal Veterinary Medical Center together treat more than 28,000 patients annually. The 180-acre campus includes a working farm that serves as the Teaching Animal Unit, essentially an on-campus working lab for livestock medicine and animal husbandry.
NC State’s Clinician Scientist Training Program is one of the most established in the country for DVM students pursuing PhD-level training and academic careers. The House Officer Program offers one- to three-year internships and residencies in more than 20 clinical specialties, with one of the highest specialty placement rates nationally.
Beyond the classroom, NC State runs distinctive outreach initiatives, including a free virtual veterinary club for North Carolina middle and high school students and the Veterinary Academic Leaders Program, which trains residents specifically for academic careers in response to the national shortage of veterinary educators.
8. University of Florida
US News Ranking: #6
QS World Ranking: #17
Key strengths: Small animal medicine, aquatic animal health, marine mammal medicine, shelter medicine, veterinary forensic sciences, equine sports medicine, infectious disease
Acceptance Rate: 24.2% (Class of 2028)
The University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine has been a top-10 program for nearly a decade, climbing from No. 14 in 2015 to No. 6 in 2026. UF CVM is the only veterinary teaching hospital in the state of Florida, and the UF Small Animal Hospital has the largest caseload of any academic veterinary hospital in the United States, with UF Veterinary Hospitals collectively treating about 122,000 animals annually across the Gainesville, UF PETS, and World Equestrian Center (Ocala) sites.
UF’s DVM program has expanded to 150 students per cohort, or about 600 students total, as part of a broader response to the U.S. veterinarian shortage. The curriculum emphasizes early clinical exposure and offers concentration options in small animal, equine, food animal, aquatic animal health, and zoological medicine.
The college also stands out for specialized distance-learning programs in aquatic animal health, shelter medicine, and veterinary forensic sciences, areas not commonly offered at the DVM level. Its Comparative Biomedical Sciences graduate program adds MS and PhD pathways for students pursuing research careers.
UF’s location creates strong externship opportunities in marine mammal medicine, wildlife rehabilitation, equine sports medicine, and shelter medicine through partners such as SeaWorld Orlando, the Florida Aquarium, Ocala-based equine programs, and Operation Catnip.
9. University of Wisconsin–Madison
US News Ranking: #6
QS World Ranking: #25
Key strengths: Airy production medicine, comparative oncology, infectious disease, food safety, wildlife and zoological medicine, equine sports medicine
Acceptance Rate: 45.17% (Class of 2028)
The University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Veterinary Medicine has been ranked in the U.S. News top 10 throughout its modern history. As one of the youngest top-tier veterinary colleges in the country (founded in 1983), UW–Madison admits approximately 100 students per class and maintains a roughly 3.5:1 student-to-faculty ratio, among the most personalized in the field.
UW–Madison is especially strong in dairy production medicine, reflecting Wisconsin’s central role in the U.S. dairy industry. The school also works closely with the Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, the UW Carbone Cancer Center for comparative oncology research, and its nationally recognized Pet Loss Hotline for client support.
The DVM curriculum offers six tracks: small animal, equine, food animal, mixed animal, government and corporate practice, and research. Students can also pursue combined degrees such as the DVM/PhD and DVM/MPH through UW Population Health Sciences. Clinical training takes place through UW Veterinary Care, which sees more than 30,000 cases each year and is undergoing a major expansion to nearly double its capacity.
UW–Madison also stands out in wildlife and zoological medicine through partnerships such as the Wisconsin DNR Wildlife Health Laboratory. Faculty are known for work in bovine reproduction, infectious disease epidemiology, and One Health surveillance.
10. University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
US News Ranking: #10
QS World Ranking: #25
Key strengths: One Health, public and population health, swine and food animal medicine, raptor medicine, infectious disease, veterinary epidemiology, comparative medicine
Acceptance Rate: 79.74% (Class of 2028)
The University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine is one of the most respected programs in the country for One Health, public health, and population medicine. The college admits roughly 110 students per class and is a leader in food animal medicine, particularly for the swine and poultry industries that anchor the upper Midwest.
The Veterinary Medical Center sees more than 40,000 patient visits annually, with strong specialty services in oncology, internal medicine, and emergency care. The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota is one of the world’s premier programs for the medical care and conservation of birds of prey, treating more than 1,000 raptors each year and training veterinarians from around the world.
Minnesota’s DVM curriculum offers nine emphasis areas: swine, poultry, dairy, equine, small animal, mixed animal, public health, raptor medicine, and research. The college is especially strong in epidemiology and infectious disease, supported by the Center for Animal Health and Food Safety and the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, both known for work in disease surveillance and biosecurity.
Its Veterinary Population Medicine Department trains students to approach animal health at the herd, flock, and ecosystem level. Students can also pursue DVM/PhD and DVM/MPH pathways, while the Twin Cities location creates internship opportunities with major animal health and agribusiness employers such as 3M, Cargill, and Boehringer Ingelheim.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What are the best veterinary schools in the US?
UC Davis, Cornell, Texas A&M, Colorado State, Penn, Ohio State, NC State, Florida, Wisconsin–Madison, and Minnesota. Based on a composite of U.S. News and QS World University subject rankings, UC Davis and Cornell top both lists, while Texas A&M posted the largest jump in 2026, rising five spots in QS to No. 5 globally.
2. What are the best veterinary schools in the world?
Based on the 2026 QS World University Rankings for Veterinary Science, the top schools globally are: Royal Veterinary College (University of London, UK), UC Davis (USA), Cornell University (USA), University of Guelph (Canada), and Texas A&M University (USA).
3. What should I look for when choosing a veterinary school?
Look at species emphasis (companion vs. equine vs. food animal vs. exotic/wildlife), clinical caseload at the teaching hospital, NAVLE pass rates, residency placement, in-state vs. out-of-state cost differences, and the kinds of tracks or dual-degree options offered. Geographic fit also matters more than in most graduate programs, since fourth-year rotations and externships are typically local.
4. What careers can you pursue with a veterinary medicine degree?
Private clinical practice (small animal, equine, food animal, mixed, or specialty) is the most common path, but DVMs also work in academia, biomedical and pharmaceutical research, public health, food safety and regulatory affairs (USDA, FDA, CDC), the military, zoo and wildlife medicine, laboratory animal medicine, and industry roles with companies like Zoetis, Merck, and Boehringer Ingelheim.
Takeaways
- The strongest veterinary programs each have a distinct identity. UC Davis and Cornell lead in nearly every dimension and are particularly strong in small animal, wildlife, and One Health work. Penn Vet’s integration with a human medical school makes it uniquely positioned for translational research.
- Program structure matters as much as reputation. Most top programs offer species-specific tracks, but how those tracks are structured varies. NC State and Cornell formalize clinician-scientist training pipelines, while Minnesota and Ohio State stand out for DVM/MPH and public health integration.
- Location is an underrated factor. UC Davis and Cornell give you access to the largest academic caseloads in the country, Texas A&M and Colorado State open doors to enormous ranching and equine economies, Florida is unmatched for aquatic and marine mammal medicine, and Minnesota and Wisconsin anchor the country’s largest food animal industries.
- In-state cost differences are significant. Public veterinary schools often charge half (or less) of out-of-state tuition for residents, and Texas A&M graduates leave with substantially less debt than the national average. If you’re a resident of a state with a top-ranked public vet school (California, Texas, Colorado, North Carolina, Ohio, Wisconsin, Florida, Minnesota), the financial advantage of attending in-state is often decisive.
- If you’re serious about earning a seat at one of these top DVM programs, AdmissionSight’s Private Consulting Program gives you one-on-one guidance to build a compelling application, from positioning your pre-vet background and research experience to crafting personal statements that stand out at the most selective veterinary schools in the country.
