Free Veterinary MOOCs: The Wider-Reading Directory

Most are. The majority of courses in the directory are free to access and learn: those from Alison and OpenLearn (The Open University) are completely free with no paywall, and those on FutureLearn, Coursera and edX are free to enrol on and study, with only the optional certificate costing money. We also include a smaller number of optional paid courses (for example some Udemy courses) where they are genuinely useful, and every one is clearly labelled with a 'Paid' tag so you can filter them out in one click. You can build an excellent application using only the free courses.

We include a few paid courses simply because some useful veterinary content, such as clinical assistant training or veterinary neurolocalization, sits on paid platforms, and we would rather show you the full picture. This is an independent list: we are not affiliated with any course, platform or university, we receive no payment, commission or affiliate income if you enrol, and listing a course is not an endorsement. Prices change often and paid courses (especially on Udemy) are frequently discounted, so always check the current price on the provider's own site. If you would rather only see free options, use the cost filter.

The University of Edinburgh's EDIVET: Do You Have What It Takes to Be a Veterinarian? is the standout free taster, giving a first-year-vet-degree view of body systems, animal care and clinical skills from the Royal (Dick) School. Nottingham's Introduction to Studying Veterinary Medicine is the other must-do, built specifically to support vet-school applicants, and some vet schools accept it as a form of virtual work experience. Strong follow-ups include Edinburgh's Animal Behaviour and Welfare, The Truth About Cats and Dogs, and a One Health course. Choose one or two, reflect on them, and be ready to discuss them at interview.

A MOOC is a Massive Open Online Course: a free online course, usually made by a university or a respected organisation, that anyone can take. They are typically self-paced or run over a few weeks, use short videos, readings and quizzes, and cover a specific topic such as animal welfare, One Health or farm-animal health. For applicants they are one of the most accessible forms of super-curricular learning, because you can do them from home for free.

Both, and this directory includes 28 genuinely vet or animal-specific courses. These cover the profession itself (EDIVET, Introduction to Studying Veterinary Medicine, veterinary assistant training), animal behaviour and welfare, and animal health and disease (poultry health, animal viruses, livestock and equine care). Around these sit vet-relevant biomedical and One Health courses on physiology, microbiology, zoonoses and antimicrobial resistance that a vet applicant can reflect on just as credibly. Genuinely clinical vet MOOCs are scarcer than for medicine, so the mix is deliberate. Use the theme filters above to jump straight to the vet ones.

It is a complement, not a replacement. Nottingham's Introduction to Studying Veterinary Medicine is explicitly designed as application support and some vet schools accept it as virtual work experience, and courses like EDIVET give real insight into the profession. But vet schools place huge weight on genuine hands-on experience across a range of species and settings (small animal, farm, equine, and often abattoir or research), because it tests your commitment and understanding. Treat online courses as a way to deepen and evidence your interest alongside real placements, and use our free work experience finder to arrange them.

They can, but only if you reflect on them rather than just list them. Admissions tutors are not impressed by the number of courses you have completed. They are looking for evidence of genuine curiosity and the ability to think about veterinary science beyond the syllabus. A single MOOC that you can discuss thoughtfully, linking an idea from it to your motivation or to what you saw on a placement, is far more valuable than a long list of course names.

No. On Coursera, edX and FutureLearn the course content is free and the certificate is an optional paid extra. UK vet schools do not ask to see certificates and gain nothing from them. What matters is what you learned and how you reflect on it, so there is no reason to pay. Save your money and put your energy into taking notes and thinking about the ideas.

Focus on one specific idea rather than the course as a whole. Name the concept that stayed with you, for example how the One Health approach links animal, human and environmental health, explain what it made you realise about the vet's role, and link it back to why you want to study veterinary medicine. Avoid simply stating that you completed a course: that tells the tutor nothing. One reflective sentence about an idea is worth more than three describing the syllabus.

Around two is plenty. Quality beats quantity every time: two courses you have thought about carefully are more useful than ten you rushed through. A good pairing is one vet-specific course and one on a topic you find genuinely interesting, such as animal behaviour, One Health or farm-animal health, so your courses add range rather than repeating yourself. Whichever two you pick, see them through to the end and take notes as you go: you never need to pay for the certificate, but you do need your own written reflections, an idea or two that struck you and what they made you think about veterinary practice, animal welfare or One Health, because those reflections are exactly what you will use in your personal statement and at interview.

Super-curricular activities extend your academic interest beyond the school syllabus. They include MOOCs and online courses, wider reading of books and journals such as the Vet Record, an EPQ on an animal-science or veterinary topic, science lectures and podcasts, and following One Health and animal-welfare debates. They are different from extracurricular activities such as sport or music, which show broader skills. MOOCs are a popular and accessible form of super-curricular learning because they are free and can be done from home.

Yes, to study. On FutureLearn you can join a course such as Nottingham's Introduction to Studying Veterinary Medicine and access the material free, usually for the length of the course plus a couple of weeks. On Coursera, look for the free 'Audit' option when you enrol on courses like EDIVET or Animal Behaviour and Welfare; on edX, choose the free track. In every case the learning is free and only the certificate is paid, and you never need it for a vet application.

Alison hosts several fully free animal and veterinary courses, including a Veterinary Assistant Diploma, Working as an Animal Care Assistant, Veterinary Support Assistant Training, Introduction to Animal Science and Animal Behaviour and Psychology. The learning is completely free with no paywall; only an optional certificate or diploma document costs money, which you never need. They are practical, accessible introductions to the veterinary setting that suit a sixth-form student exploring the profession.

It varies a lot. Some are short, focused courses of only a few hours, such as the Alison animal-care courses, while others are university-level courses of thirty hours or more. You can filter by length above to find quick reads under ten hours, medium courses of ten to twenty-four hours, or in-depth courses of twenty-five hours and up. You do not need to finish a long course to benefit: even a few well-chosen sections can give you something worth reflecting on.

Yes. MOOCs are open to anyone, anywhere in the world, and they are a particularly good option for international applicants who may find UK animal work experience harder to arrange. They are also useful for showing UK vet schools that you have engaged seriously with the subject in English. The same rule applies wherever you are: reflect on what you learn rather than simply listing courses.

No. Hands-on experience with a range of animals remains the single most important part of a veterinary application, and MOOCs do not replace it. Vet schools want evidence that you understand the realities of the profession across species and settings. Think of online courses as a complement: they show academic curiosity and give you extra material to draw on, but they sit alongside work experience, wider reading and your grades. If you are short on time, prioritise arranging animal experience first.

Any time before you write your personal statement, but Year 12 is ideal. Doing a course in the year before you apply means the ideas are fresh, and the summer holidays are perfect because they do not clash with exams. There is nothing wrong with starting earlier in Year 11 if you are curious, as long as you can still remember and discuss what you learned by the time you apply.

Most are accessible to a motivated sixth-form student, and some, such as the Alison and OpenLearn courses, are gentle introductions that GCSE students can follow too. A few, like Duke's Introduction to Genetics and Evolution or MIT's biology course, are genuinely demanding. Start with a shorter, introductory course such as EDIVET or Introduction to Animal Care and Welfare, and do not worry if you do not understand everything: engaging with challenging ideas is itself worth reflecting on.

Every course in this directory was checked to confirm it exists and to record its cost. They come from universities and organisations such as the University of Edinburgh, the University of Nottingham, UC Davis, Wageningen and the King's Fund, hosted on Coursera, FutureLearn, edX, Alison, OpenLearn and Udemy. Online courses do occasionally move or close, so if a link has changed, a quick search for the course title will usually find its new home. We review the list regularly.