GPA and Prerequisite Averages for Admission to Canadian Veterinary Schools
By Muntasir Minhaz • Published Aug 19, 2026 • Fields of Study, Canadian Universities & Colleges
Canadian veterinary schools admit on a mix of GPA and specific science prerequisites, and the minimum average needed just to be considered is lower than what most admitted students actually present.
Western College of Veterinary Medicine sets a 75 percent minimum overall average just to be considered
WCVM weighs admission 60 percent academic and 40 percent non-academic factors
Expect prerequisites in biology, chemistry, physics, organic chemistry, biochemistry, genetics, microbiology and statistics
Animal and veterinary experience hours count toward your file, not grades alone
How Competitive Vet School Admission Is
Five schools serve the entire country, and each keeps class sizes small, so admission is competitive nationally regardless of which school you target. A minimum GPA gets your application looked at. It does not mean you are likely to get an offer.
Minimum and Weighted GPA
Western College of Veterinary Medicine requires a minimum overall average of 75 percent just to be considered for admission, according to the University of Saskatchewan . That threshold is a floor, not a target: schools that publish a minimum to be considered generally admit a class whose average sits well above that floor once the full applicant pool is ranked, though WCVM does not publish the average GPA of its admitted class, only the minimum required to be considered.
Grades are not the only factor. WCVM weighs its admission decisions 60 percent on academic performance and 40 percent on non-academic factors including motivation, communication and understanding of the profession, per the same source. A strong file on paper still needs to hold up on the non-academic side.
Prerequisite Coursework
WCVM requires 60 university-level credits before you apply, covering biology, chemistry, physics, organic chemistry, biochemistry, genetics, microbiology, statistics and communications, with laboratory components where applicable, according to the University of Saskatchewan . That list is representative of the kind of science-heavy prerequisite load Canadian veterinary schools expect generally, though each school sets and publishes its own exact list and you should confirm it directly with the specific program before planning your course selection.
Many applicants complete a full undergraduate degree before applying rather than the bare minimum credit count, since a completed degree strengthens both the academic and non-academic sides of a file.
Non-Academic Requirements
Demonstrated veterinary and animal experience is a standard expectation across Canadian vet school applications, not an optional extra. WCVM specifically requires 1,000 hours of commercial food animal experience for applicants pursuing its agriculture-focused stream, on top of general veterinary and animal experience expected of every applicant, according to the same source.
Where a school sets regional or provincial quotas, as Atlantic Veterinary College does by reserving roughly 75 percent of seats for the four Atlantic provinces, your competitiveness also depends on the size of the applicant pool you fall into by residency, separate from your GPA.
What to Verify Before You Apply
Exact GPA cutoffs, prerequisite course lists and experience hour requirements differ by school and change from year to year. Confirm the current-year figures directly with OVC, AVC, WCVM, UCVM and Universite de Montreal admissions offices before you finalize your course plan or start counting experience hours, rather than relying on a figure from a previous cycle.