Surrey Vet School 2026

The University of Surrey is a public research university in Guildford, England. The university received its royal charter in 1966, along with a number of other institutions following recommendations in the Robbins Report. Surrey is a campus-based university with a tight-knit community of students. Surrey ranked 34th in the Complete University Guide 2021. The year group size for Veterinary Medicine at Surrey is approximately 150 students.

With £45m state-of-the-art facilities, including a £11m Veterinary Pathology Centre, the diverse BVMSci Veterinary Medicine and Science course will fully equip you to excel in this dynamic field. Surrey gives you the opportunity to benefit from their wide partner network and strong industry links within the veterinary profession. You may also get to take on challenging research with partner organisations, allowing you to gain a unique insight into veterinary research.

Surrey’s hands-on, practical training and partnership-based teaching are designed to build your confidence right from day one, and allow you to understand the range of career opportunities open to you. Surrey achieved 100% overall satisfaction for this course in the National Student Survey 2019, demonstrating that students are very happy with the way in which the course is structured and delivered.

In your first year of the university of surrey veterinary medicine course, you’ll study topics that are fundamental to veterinary medicine, including anatomy, physiology, animal husbandry, cells and genes, ensuring you have a solid foundation upon which to build the rest of your degree.

During your second year, you’ll learn about epidemiology, infectious diseases and pathology with some practical sessions taught off campus at Surrey Wildlife Trust, Chichester, Merrist Wood and Sparsholt Colleges.

By third year, you’ll delve deeper into clinical medicine and surgery, diagnostic techniques, pharmacology and scientific communication. In fourth year, studies include anaesthesia, surgery and patient care, contemporary issues in veterinary medicine and zoological medicine.

A distinguishing feature of the fourth year is the rotating cycle of small group practical workshops visiting external partners.

The final year is delivered via the University of Surrey’s external partner network of Vet practices and The Surrey-based Veterinary Pathology Centre which is one of the largest and most sophisticated of its kind in Europe. You become immersed in real practice life in small animal, farm and equine clinics throughout the year, returning to Surrey regularly for professional practice teaching. We have dedicated University staff to visit and support you on these final year placements.

Intercalation

Students within the BVMSci may apply to undertake an undergraduate intercalated degree programme following the successful completion of the second year (Level 5) and before the start of the third year (Level 6).

Universities revise entry requirements between cycles, usually in August and September. Always confirm with the university before you apply.

Still sitting your GCSEs? Protect the grades this course screens for with 1-1 GCSE Maths, Biology and Chemistry tutoring from medics.

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We do not require evidence of Veterinary Work Experience as part of your application. As part of the shortlisting process there will be an online questionnaire.

You should have a clear understanding and insight into the profession, demonstrating the personal skills and qualities relevant to the course. Personal statements may also be reviewed during the admissions process.

Your personal statement will be taken into account in your application for Surrey Veterinary Medicine, but they weight their Personal Qualities Review more heavily in assessment of your motivation/character.

Surrey Vet School uses an online questionnaire to help differentiate between students.

The online questionnaire is designed to enable you to demonstrate your current knowledge and understanding of the veterinary profession and that you have the necessary motivation and insight to undertake a degree in veterinary medicine. You will have the opportunity to provide further information about your completed animal related work experience. The second part of the questionnaire is a number of Situational Judgement Tests (SJTs) which assess key attributes outlined by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons Day One Competencies. You will be asked to review each judgement test and rank in order the statements based on how you would react to the situation.

Not offered

The University of Surrey School of Veterinary Medicine uses a Multiple Mini Interview (MMI) format consisting of seven short questions. Surrey's official applicant advice document confirms the interview "consists of seven short questions asked (and later marked) by a series of interviewers.

" The interviews are delivered online as pre-recorded responses: candidates record their answers to each question as if in a face-to-face interview, with each question lasting approximately four minutes and the whole session lasting under one hour, completed in one sitting within a set window (typically November to January). Recorded responses are independently marked by a combination of Surrey staff, current students, vet school alumni and veterinary surgeons from the partner network.

The MMI explicitly does NOT assess clinical or veterinary knowledge, and veterinary work experience is not assessed. Interview shortlisting also follows an earlier online questionnaire stage based on the RCVS Day One Competences.

Prepare with 1-1 vet school interview coaching and practise with our vet school interview questions guide.

Practise under timed conditions with our free generator. It builds a randomised circuit from real Surrey interview themes, with follow-up questions and a notes summary you can keep. It opens preset to Surrey's own interview format, and you can record your answers to watch them back.