Detailed admissions information for the Atlantic Veterinary College can be found at: https://www.upei.ca/programs/doctor-veterinary-medicine/understanding-the-admissions-process All applicants are strongly encouraged to review this information.

Selection criteria

Applicants to AVC’s DVM Program are evaluated on both academic achievement and non-academic achievement and aptitude through two phases of admissions as follows:

Phase One (60% of overall admissions score):

20% = CASPer 2 (CSP-10211) test score

40% = Academic Achievement

Phase Two (40% of overall admissions score):

30% = Interview based on animal and veterinary experiences
10% = Personal essay

CASPer 2 (CSP-10211) Test Score

All applicants must complete the CASPer 2 (CSP-10211) – English test as part of the current Acuity Insights testing cycle.

The CASPer test, administered by Acuity Insights, evaluates important non-cognitive skills through an online situational judgment test lasting 100-120 minutes. The test utilizes open-response questions.

Please note that CASPer test results are only valid for one admissions cycle and may take up to three weeks to process. It is important that applicants schedule their test early enough to ensure the results are submitted before the application deadline. Test dates and availability can be found on the Acuity Insights website.

Applicants having taken the CASPer test in a previous admissions cycle, will need to retake it.

International applicants who have taken a different version of the CASPer test in the past, must complete the CASPer 2 (CSP-10211) – English test to be considered for admission to the DVM program at the Atlantic Veterinary College.

Once finalized, the deadline for non-Canadian applicants will be provided here.

To learn more about CASPer, visit this link: https://acuityinsights.app/faq/#prepare.

Please direct any inquiries on the test to the CASPer provider, Acuity Insights.

Academic Average

Your academic average constitutes 40% of the overall admissions score, and will be calculated based on your prerequisite course work (see section Prerequisites for Admission). When more than one course is available to satisfy a particular requirement, the highest eligible graded course will be used to calculate the academic average.

Academic Average Calculation = 50% (Average of 10 prescribed courses) + 50% (Average of most recent two full-time semesters; September through April).

A minimum cumulative average of 75% across the 10 prescribed courses is required for further consideration and acceptance into the DVM Program. Please note, this is an average across all the prescribed courses, not a requirement for each individual course. Applicants may have individual course grades below 75% as long as their overall average meets the 75% minimum.

Interview

Applicants ranking highly based on their Casper score and academic average will be invited for an interview. The interview accounts for 30% of the total admissions score and will draw on the applicant’s veterinary and animal experiences submitted as part of the application process. Applicants will be asked to expand upon the details they provided regarding their experiences and discuss how they have contributed to their understanding of the veterinary profession. Applicants should be advised that a failing score (less than 50%) in the interview will result in their removal from further consideration in the admissions process.

Animal and Veterinary Experience

All applicants are required to submit structured descriptions of their veterinary and animal experiences prior to application to the DVM program. The goal of these experiences is to provide applicants with insight into the breadth of the veterinary profession and assist them in making an informed career choice.

Veterinary experience must be obtained under the supervision of a qualified veterinarian working in the field of veterinary medicine. It may be paid or voluntary. Experiences may involve general or referral clinical practice and/or provision of veterinary care to animals in research laboratories, zoos, animal shelters, and animal rehabilitation facilities. Experience with veterinarians working in non-clinical capacities including regulatory or public health agencies is also acceptable. Veterinary experience should involve direct interactions with one or more veterinarians working in the field and should not be restricted to reception or administrative duties only. Applicants should be advised that there is no minimum number of hours required for application; however, it is advised to attain as many hours with as many different species (e.g., swine, cows, horses, exotic pets, dogs, cats, etc.) as possible. In most cases, veterinary experience within North America is recommended.

Animal experience may involve working with livestock, breeding or showing animals, working in a pet store, participating in equestrian activities, or any other animal related hobby or experience where a veterinarian is not always present and/or does not provide direct supervision. It may be paid or voluntary. Please note that animal experience for the purposes of application to the DVM program does not include pet ownership.

Personal essay

Applicants receiving an interview invitation will also be presented with an essay prompt designed to assess their understanding and/or experience with Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Veterinary Medicine. This essay will account for 10% of the total admissions score. Applicants will be expected to submit a well-structured, thoughtful response in the form of a 500-word essay. Essays will be evaluated separately from the interviews, and an applicant’s essay will be scored by different members of the admissions team than those who conducted their interview. Applicants will be provided with submission details and deadlines once they are invited for an interview.

English Language Proficiency

For applicants whose first language is not English, the UPEI English Language Proficiency Requirement must be satisfied for admission consideration.

The language of instruction at the University of Prince Edward Island is English. All academically admissible applicants, regardless of their country of origin or citizenship status, are required to demonstrate proficiency in the English language prior to undertaking studies at the University of Prince Edward Island.

Proficiency may be demonstrated by:

Three years of full-time study in English in Canada or in another country where English is a principal language (as recognized by UPEI); OR
Submission of an official test score at or above the acceptable minimum, such as:

Test	Acceptable Minimum for the DVM Program
IELTS (Academic)	Overall score of 7 with 7 in writing and speaking; 6.5 in reading and listening
TOEFL paper-based test	600 with minimum TWE of 6
TOEFL internet-based test	100 with a minimum of 25 in speaking and writing, 22 in reading and listening
TOEFL essentials	Not accepted
CAEL (including CAEL Online)	70
Pearson Test of English	66
Cambridge B2 First, C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency	Overall score of 185 with 185 in writing and speaking; 176 in reading and listening
GTEC CBT	1250 and above

Applicants without English proficiency test scores (if applicable), or with scores below the minimum are not eligible for consideration for the DVM Program.

Atlantic Veterinary College at the University of Prince Edward Island

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