From a hybrid teaching model to uncertainty about the potential resurgence of COVID-19, our incoming students will be living through unusual times. Read on for details about the students who will be arriving.

Maintaining student safety during the COVID pandemic is the College’s top priority. Faculty have prioritized flexibility by offering learning experiences in various formats to help protect the safety and health of all students, faculty, and staff. Some classes will be online, some will be in person, and some will be a blend. The College is adhering to physical distancing guidelines from the Minnesota Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which significantly limits classroom capacities. Plans are in place for each classroom to be regularly cleaned and sanitized. There will also be sanitizing wipes in each room to wipe down surfaces before and after each use.

The College is welcoming 105 students for its DVM program. Our incoming DVM Class of 2024 is composed of 91 self-identified females and 14 self-identified males. Of these, 86 describe themselves as white; 11 as Asian; 4 as Hispanic; 2 as American Indian, and 2 did not specify.  Five VetFAST candidates and one VetLEAD participant join the class of 2024.

The College’s graduate programs are welcoming nine students over the course of the academic year. Three of them are enrolled in the Comparative and Molecular Biosciences program and six are in the Veterinary Medicine program. The new arrivals include two international students. “We are supporting the international students as much as possible,” says associate dean for graduate programs, Mark Rutherford, PhD, “and we want them to know we have their back. This is a stressful time for them.” More than 85 students are currently enrolled in the College’s graduate programs.

Admissions closed earlier this summer for the DVM Master’s of Public Health program, which is jointly offered with the University's School of Public Health. Twenty-nine new students joined the program from seven different veterinary schools. “Applications increased a bit this spring,” says program coordinator Sarah Summerbell, “possibly due to the increased interest and visibility of public health coupled with the well-established online nature of our program.” Program leaders are anticipating similar strong interest as the DVM-MPH program shifts to a rolling admissions cycle next Spring.