Cert in Veterinary Assistant is a certificate in Animal Science programme offered by Conestoga College in Kitchener, Canada. The programme runs for 1 year, delivered on campus. Teaching is in English. Tuition for international students is CAD 15,477 per year (CAD 3,763 per year for local students).
At a glance
Degree:Certificate
Field:Animal Science
Duration: 1 year
Delivery: On Campus
Language: English
Local tuition: CAD 3,763 / year
International tuition: CAD 15,477 / year
Information for the 2027/28 academic year · Last reviewed September 2026 ·
Program details
Overview
Veterinary Assistant is a one-year Ontario College Certificate delivered in hybrid format at Conestoga's Kitchener - Doon campus for students who want to work in animal care. The program builds skills to support veterinarians and registered veterinary technicians in clinics, shelters and animal hospitals: safely handling and caring for animals, assisting with surgical procedures, performing basic lab work and supporting daily clinic operations. Humane, simulation-based training lets students develop skills ethically before applying them in a hands-on work placement.
Requirements
Admission Requirements: Domestic entry: an OSSD or equivalent, or mature-student standing at 19 or older, with a minimum of 65% in Grade 12 English (C or U) or Preparatory Communications (COMM1251), and 65% in Grade 11 or 12 Biology (C or U) or Preparatory Biology (SCIE1010). Conestoga's Pre-Health Sciences Pathway to Certificates and Diplomas also meets the requirement. Before the program starts, students must show pre-exposure rabies and tetanus vaccination, obtained at their own cost of roughly $800, and an annual Canadian police criminal record check costing about $40; a record that is not clear can prevent work-integrated learning. The college states the role calls for manual dexterity, fine motor skills, standing for long periods and lifting up to 25 kg, and that placements can involve shift work. International applicants: Conestoga's standard diploma and certificate English minimums apply - IELTS Academic 6.0 with no band below 5.5, TOEFL iBT 80 with no skill below 20, PTE Academic 53, or Duolingo 110. Anyone holding transcripts from outside Canada, Canadian citizens and permanent residents included, needs a course-by-course credential evaluation from a service such as ICAS or WES, and must show English proficiency if the language of instruction was not English.
Application Details
Application Deadline:Domestic applicants apply through ontariocolleges.ca (college code CONS): for the Fall 2027 intake the online application opens 26 September 2026, the equal consideration date is 1 February 2027, offers may be issued from 1 November 2026, and accepted offers must be confirmed by 1 May 2027; most oversubscribed programs stop accepting applications after 1 February 2027, though many programs remain open afterward. Conestoga does not publish a separate equal-consideration date for its January intake. International applicants apply directly to Conestoga and are assessed on a rolling, first-come, first-served basis until each program fills; no fixed international closing date is published. These are institution-wide dates; this programme publishes no deadline of its own.
