Financing Your Veterinary Medical Education
You studied, you worked hard, and you made sacrifices to follow your dream, and you've been rewarded with admission to veterinary school. You're prepared for all the study and work associated with veterinary school, but are you prepared to handle the financial burdens that come with it?
The harsh reality is that the average educational debt of a 2010 veterinary school graduate was $133,873, which was a 3% increase compared to 2009, and more than one-third of the graduates had accrued debt in excess of $150,000.1 There are factors beyond your control, such as rising tuition, that contribute to the increasing debt load. However, you should take charge of your financial future and make reasonable decisions that will contribute to your long-term future and stability.
Managing your educational debt requires organization, common sense and responsibility. We've provided some resources for you in this section and we are developing additional resources to help veterinarians manage their debt without sacrificing their quality of life.
1. Shepherd AJ and Majchrzak S. Employment, starting salaries and educational indebtedness of year-2010 graduates of U.S. veterinary medical colleges. J Amer Vet Med Assoc 2010; 237: 795-798. Available at http://avmajournals.avma.org/doi/pdfplus/10.2460/javma.237.7.795
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