Diploma in Veterinary Technology is a diploma in Animal Science programme taught at Lakeland College in Vermilion, Canada. The programme runs for 2 years, delivered on campus. Tuition is CAD 7,413 per year for local students.
At a glance
Degree:Diploma
Field:Animal Science
Duration: 2 years
Delivery: On Campus
Local tuition: CAD 7,413 / year
Information for the 2027/28 academic year · Last reviewed September 2026 ·
Program details
Overview
This two-year diploma at Lakeland College's Vermilion campus prepares students for clinical work in veterinary settings. Delivered face-to-face and taught by veterinarians and registered veterinary technologists, the program combines classroom instruction with hands-on clinical training in a provincially and nationally accredited facility. Students practice diagnostic radiography, clinical laboratory procedures such as blood and urine analysis, and surgical assistance including catheter placement and anesthesia monitoring, working with both small animals and larger species such as sheep, cattle and horses. Client communication around pet health and nutrition is also part of the coursework. In the second year, students complete a clinical practicum at veterinary clinic sites beginning in the spring. The program is accredited by the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association, and graduates become eligible to write the Veterinary Technician National Examination and apply for registration as a registered veterinary technologist. Admission requires high school completion with specified grades in English, math, biology and chemistry, plus a minimum of 40 hours of relevant work experience at a veterinary clinic within the past two years, with places awarded competitively by course average. The program suits students aiming for clinical or diagnostic roles in animal health care.
Requirements
Admission Requirements: Admission requires a high school diploma with English 30-1 at a minimum 50% or English 30-2 at 65%, Math 30-1 or 30-2 at 60%, Biology 30 at 60%, and Chemistry 30 at 50%. Applicants must also meet Lakeland's general English language proficiency requirement, satisfied through IELTS Academic 6.0 overall with 6.0 on every band, TOEFL iBT 78 overall with 19 per section, PTE Academic 53 overall with 50 per skill, Duolingo 100 overall with 95 per sub-score, CAEL 60 overall with 55 per band, or MET 58 on all bands. Admission is competitive and based on the overall average across the required courses. Every applicant must complete a minimum of 40 hours of veterinary clinic work experience within the two years before applying and submit a work-experience evaluation form by July 31; conditional acceptance may be offered before that evaluation is complete. Applicants educated outside Alberta should confirm provincial course equivalents, and international applicants must confirm the program appears on Lakeland's list of programs open to international enrolment.
Application Details
Start Date:Fall and Winter
Application Deadline:Domestic applicants to Lakeland College apply through ApplyAlberta, which opens on a fixed recurring schedule — the first Wednesday of October (for Fall), May (for Winter), and August (for Spring) of the year before the term, with Fall 2027 having opened the first Wednesday of October 2026 — and applications for most programs stay open on a rolling basis until one business day before the program starts, subject to program-specific exclusions and waitlists. International applicants use a separate process and Lakeland states their deadlines close earlier than domestic to allow time for visa processing, but publishes no specific international closing date; it instead recommends starting at least a year ahead of the intended start date. Lakeland does not publish a fixed equal-consideration date for either group. These are institution-wide dates; this programme publishes no deadline of its own.
