Texas A&M Leads The Nation In Veterinary Licensing Pass Rates For Second Consecutive Year

Story by Jennifer Gauntt, VMBS Marketing & Communications

January 6, 2025

A veterinary student is embraced by professors at a graduation ceremony. — DVM Class of 2024 graduation

For the second consecutive year, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) students in the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences have carried on the legacy of Aggie veterinary excellence by achieving the highest pass rate in the United States on the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination (NAVLE).

Like their colleagues in the DVM Class of 2023, 99% of the Class of 2024 passed the examination, which is taken by DVM students from all 33 colleges of veterinary medicine in the country in their final year of study.

“This success rate is no fluke,” said Dr. John R. August, the Carl B. King Dean of Veterinary Medicine at the VMBS. “We admit highly talented students; we have a very dedicated instructional faculty and staff and a very effective new curriculum; we have expectations of academic rigor for our students; and we enjoy strong support from our university.”

As noted in the American Association of Veterinary Medical College’s (AAVMC) 2024-2025 Institutional Data Report, released in December, the Aggie veterinary pass rate exceeds the national average pass rate of 88% among all AAVMC-accredited institutions in the U.S. Passing the NAVLE is a requirement for licensure to practice veterinary medicine in the United States and Canada.

This achievement is all the more impressive considering that the most recent DVM class was the third-largest class of veterinary students in the United States. 90% of those students were Texas residents, and each graduate had an average of three job offers.

“This continued success with the NAVLE is evidence of the work our students put into their education, the engagement of our faculty, and the effectiveness of our curriculum,” said Dr. Karen Cornell, VMBS’ associate dean for the DVM Professional Program. “The NAVLE measures content knowledge and critical assessment of data but doesn’t assess hands-on skills or the ability to communicate effectively with team members or clients. We believe, and this is confirmed by the employers of our graduates, that our curriculum also prepares our students to excel in these areas as well.”

Texas A&M enrolls one of the largest veterinary classes in the country, with 180 students joining the Aggie veterinary program each year; this includes 162 at the College Station-based campus and 18 at the Veterinary Education, Research, & Outreach campus in Canyon, Texas, who are participating in the 2+2 DVM program, which was established in 2021.

The VMBS was recently ranked 7th in the world and 4th in the United States in veterinary science, according to the 2024 Quacquarelli Symonds World University Rankings by Subject. This latest round of NAVLE results further demonstrates the quality and value that Aggie veterinarians bring to the profession.

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For more information about the Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, please visit our website at vetmed.tamu.edu or join us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Contact Information: Jennifer Gauntt, Director of VMBS Communications, Texas A&M College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, jgauntt@cvm.tamu.edu, 979-862-4216

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