Foundational Course Requirements

Applicants for admissions to the College of Veterinary Medicine must have completed 55 semester credits by the end of the spring term of the year in which the applicant seeks to be admitted. If a course is repeated, the most recent grade received will be used in the GPA calculation and replaces any previous grades.

Minimum GPA Requirements

Cumulative undergraduate GPA – 2.5 on a 4.0 scale
Required Science GPA – determined yearly based on applicant pool. Transcripts submitted to VMCAS are used. No pending or planned coursework is considered in calculating this initial cutoff. (For 2025 cycle, the cutoff is 2.8 for all applicants).
Last 45 Credit GPA – no minimum required

Applicants must complete the following prerequisite coursework. Credit earned must be equivalent of the Iowa State University courses listed. Prospective students and applicants are STRONGLY ENCOURAGED to contact cvmadmissions@iastate.edu if there are questions concerning whether a course will fulfill the ISU-CVM requirement.

Please note: A Bachelor’s degree is not required for admission to Iowa State’s College of Veterinary Medicine unless it is being used to fulfill a requirement such as Oral Communication or three credits of English Composition. Applicants must complete the specified prerequisite courses at a regionally accredited college or university to fulfill the academic requirements.

*Science requirement – These courses are used to calculate the required science GPA.

Course and Title

English Composition – One year of composition or writing emphasis courses. May include business or technical writing. A Bachelor’s degree counts for one-half of this requirement.

ISU Course Equivalent: English 1500, 2500, 3020, 3090, 3120, or 3140
Semester/Quarter Hours Required: 6 sem/9 qtr cr

Oral Communication – May include public speaking, interpersonal communication, group or organizational communication or speaking emphasis courses. A Bachelor’s degree fulfills this requirement. Theater, acting, or oral interpretation of literature courses will not fulfill this requirement.

ISU Course Equivalent: Speech Communications 2120, 3120, Ag Ed 3110, Communications Studies 1010, 2140, 4500A, OR English 3120
Semester/Quarter Hours Required: 3 sem/4-5 qtr cr

General Chemistry I & II* – One year series (2 semesters or 3 quarters lecture) for biological science majors with one semester (2 quarters) lab

ISU Course Equivalent: Chemistry 1770, 1770L, and 1780 OR Chemistry 2010 and 2010L
Semester/Quarter Hours Required: 7 sem/11-12 qtr cr

Organic Chemistry I* – First semester of a two-semester series with lab (Organic Chemistry I with lab). Organic Chemistry II is no longer required. One semester overview organic chemistry courses will not fulfill this requirement.

ISU Course Equivalent: Chemistry 3310, 3310L
Semester/Quarter Hours Required: 4 sem/6 qtr cr

Biochemistry* – One semester (no lab required). Must be metabolic biochemistry and cannot be biochemistry of proteins and enzymes alone. Upper-level (junior or senior) course with organic chemistry as a prerequisite.

ISU Course Equivalent: BBMB 3010, BBMB 3160, BBMB 4040, or BBMB 4200
Semester/Quarter Hours Required: 3 sem/4 qtr cr

Physics I* – First semester of a two-semester series with lab (Physics I with lab). Includes mechanics, fluids, heat and thermodynamics, vibrations, waves and sound. One semester overview physics courses will not fulfill this requirement.

ISU Course Equivalent: PHYS 1310/1310L (Previously PHYS 111) or PHYS 2310/2310L (Previously PHYS 221) or Physics 1150/1150L
Semester/Quarter Hours Required: 4 sem/6 qtr cr

General Biology I & II (Organismal and Cellular)* – One year series with lab each term which includes both cellular and organismal biology (i.e Biology I and Biology II OR a single organismal biology course with lab and a single cellular biology course with lab. A Bachelor’s degree in biology also fulfills this requirement. If appropriate courses are taken, the grades in these courses will be used in GPA calculations even if a biology degree is earned. Microbiology will not fulfill the cellular semester of this requirement.

ISU Course Equivalent: Biology 2110, 2110L, 2120 and 2120L (previously Biol 201, 201L, 202, 202L)
Semester/Quarter Hours Required: 8 sem/12 qtr cr

Genetics/Animal Breeding* – Mendelian and/or molecular genetics (no lab required) or animal breeding course. A general genetics course is preferred, but animal breeding/livestock improvement courses will be accepted.

ISU Course Equivalent: Biology 3130 (previously Biol 301), Genetics 3200 or Animal Science 3520
Semester/Quarter Hours Required: 3 sem/4-5 qtr cr

Anatomy and/or Physiology* (no lab required) – Animal or human anatomy and physiology will fulfill this requirement but must cover all systems. Upper-level comparative anatomy or physiology or, upper-level vertebrate anatomy or physiology WILL fulfill this requirement. A single course in anatomy or physiology is recommended over an anatomy/physiology combined course. If you take an Anatomy and/or Physiology I course, you must also take the second course (Anatomy and/or Physiology II) in order to fulfill the requirement, although this gives you more credits than required. Avian and marine mammal anatomy and/or physiology WILL NOT fulfill this requirement.

ISU Course Equivalent: BMS 3290, BMS 5470, BMS 5380, Biology 1550, 2550 (previously Zool 155, 255), Biology 3350, 3510, or Animal Science 2140
Semester/Quarter Hours Required: 3 sem/4-5 qtr cr

NEW REQUIREMENT – Upper-Level Biomedical Coursework* – 9 semester credits – Upper division biomedical science courses (junior-level (300/3000) undergraduate courses or higher-level courses). Approved upper-level biomedical science courses which give the applicant the best required science course GPA will be used. Click below for a list of approved and not approved topics.

Arts, Humanities and/or Social Sciences – (Skill courses such as music lessons of any type, art courses such as drawing & painting, foreign language courses where you are specifically learning the language, etc. do not fulfill this requirement.)

Semester/Quarter Hours Required: 6 sem/9 qtr cr

Electives
Semester/Quarter Hours Required: 8 sem/12 qtr cr

*Science requirement – These courses are used to calculate the required science GPA.

All applicants, regardless of major, must complete these courses or their equivalents.

All science requirements should be fulfilled by the time of application or scheduled for completion by the end of the fall term in which the applicant applies. However, if necessary, the applicant may complete up to two required science courses after Fall grades are in (due January 20). Transcripts for any remaining courses and/or degrees must be received by July 1. There is no maximum number of non-science required courses that may be completed but the transcript deadline of July 1 applies. The July 1 deadline for transcripts and grades is firm.

All required coursework must be completed with a grade of “C” (2.00) or better to fulfill the requirement. A grade of C- (1.7) is not acceptable. Any required science course taken more than 10 years ago may be subject to review and the applicant may be asked for further information or to repeat the course.

In order to accommodate multiple institutions’ adaptations to grading as a result of COVID-19, coursework taken Pass/Fail in Winter/Spring 2020 through Spring 2021 will also fulfill the requirement if completed with a grade of “Pass.”

Advance Placement (AP) and College Level Examination Program (CLEP)

The specific courses to which the AP/CLEP credits were applied must show on your official transcript. If not, a signed letter on letterhead from the institution’s registrar must be submitted showing to which specific courses the AP/CLEP credits were applied. This letter must be emailed to cvmadmissions@iastate.edu.