A first for N.J.: Applications now open for inaugural class at Shreiber School of Veterinary Medicine

The first veterinary school in New Jersey, the Shreiber School of Veterinary Medicine of Rowan University, is now accepting admission applications for its inaugural class.

In what is a critical step in the school’s multi-step accreditation process, the American Veterinary Medical Association’s Council on Education last week issued a Letter of Reasonable Assurance to the Shreiber School.

The letter paves the way for the school to begin accepting applications for its inaugural class, which will begin studies in fall of 2025.

According to Dr. Matthew Edson, founding dean of the Shreiber School, the “Letter of Reasonable Assurance is a status awarded to developing schools and colleges in the U.S. and Canada that allows the school to pursue its plan for the veterinary program and to admit students.

“With this action, the Shreiber School of Veterinary Medicine is able to receive provisional accreditation when students matriculate next fall, allowing students to complete their training and be eligible to sit for the National Veterinary Licensing Examination.”

Students interested in applying to the inaugural class of 70 students at the Shreiber School will do so via a Rowan-specific application portal on the school’s website. Applications are being accepted now through Dec. 31.

Learning more about the admissions process

A virtual workshop for interested applicants is slated for Thursday, Oct. 17, at 6 p.m.  

“Registering for the workshop is the best first step for Shreiber School applicants,” says Kate Jackson, the school’s associate director for admissions.

“At the workshop, we’ll cover admissions requirements, policies to know, important deadlines, a step-by-step process for completing the application and answer any questions interested students may have up front.”

While admissions for the inaugural class will go through a Rowan-specific site, students applying for admission for the school’s second class and beyond will apply through the Veterinary Medical College Application Service portal. The school eventually expects to admit 90 students annually.

With the addition of the veterinary school, Rowan will be one of only two universities in the nation to offer three medical degrees: DVM, DO and MD.

Educating New Jersey’s veterinarians

The Shreiber School will address the critical need for veterinary professionals in New Jersey and across the nation. Moreover, it will help keep New Jersey residents seeking veterinary careers in the state while, also, attracting out-of-state students. Currently, there are only 34 veterinary schools in the nation.

A ceremony on Rowan’s West Campus in September marked the half-way point in the construction of the veterinary school. The Shreiber School and the Virtua Health College Research Center both will be housed in the $176.4 million facility on a 300-acre tract on the West Campus.

The largest academic facility at Rowan, the 162,000-square-foot building includes space for classrooms, a teaching hospital with clinical services to serve the community, and research and diagnostic labs.

Innovative curriculum

Shreiber students will study in an innovative curriculum, one that combines teaching, research, hands-on clinical training and evidence-based approaches to develop veterinarians prepared for the rigors of the profession. The health of animals, humans and the environment is the unifying theme for the school, according to Edson.

“We want our students to learn to be confident veterinarians with hands-on experience from Day One, and leave feeling equipped to begin practicing,” he says. “Our teaching hospital is going to be a phenomenal resource for both these students and the community. We don’t have a lot of access here in South Jersey for emergency care, for specialty care, and we’re looking forward to filling these critical needs in our area.”

In addition to the DVM, the Shreiber School will offer related programs designed to shape the future of veterinary medicine and animal health care in the state.

In April of 2023, during a groundbreaking ceremony for the school, South Jersey business leader and philanthropist Gerald B. Shreiber announced a $30 million gift to the institution to support scholarships for students.

In 2021, the New Jersey Legislature approved $75 million to construct the school’s primary academic and clinical facility.