Mexican veterinary school withdrawing from COE accreditation

The AVMA Council on Education (COE) has approved a request for voluntary withdrawal of accreditation from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, effective as of the end of this year. The notice was posted online in mid-April.

The council was originally scheduled for a comprehensive site visit March 30–April 4 to the veterinary college in Mexico City.

UNAM, founded in 1853 and said to be the oldest veterinary school in the Western Hemisphere, was granted full accreditation by the COE in March 2011 after pursuing the designation for nearly 15 years. UNAM still remains accredited by Mexico’s National Council of Education for Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnics, or CONEVET.

Graduates of AVMA-accredited foreign veterinary schools who seek licensure in the United States do not need to complete a certificate of educational equivalence through the AVMA Educational Commission for Foreign Veterinary Graduates or the American Association of Veterinary State Boards’ Program for the Assessment of Veterinary Education Equivalence.

However, few U.S. students were attending the Mexican institution, which generally catered to resident students who enter the university following high school and complete a six-year program.

Accreditation actions

In other COE actions taken during its March 15–18 meeting at AVMA headquarters in Schaumburg, Illinois, seven veterinary colleges worldwide remain on continued probationary accreditation.

Probationary accreditation is granted to a veterinary college that has one or more deficiencies that have a more-than-minimal impact on student learning or safety. These deficiencies must be corrected within two years, and the colleges must submit reports to the council every six months. The veterinary colleges and their reported deficiencies are as follows:

• Lincoln Memorial University College of Veterinary Medicine: Major deficiency with Standard 10 (Research Program)
• Seoul National University College of Veterinary Medicine: Minor deficiency with Standard 4 (Clinical Resources) and a minor deficiency Standard 1 (Organization)
• The University of London Royal Veterinary College: Major deficiency with Standard 11 (Outcomes Assessment)
• The University of Glasgow School of Biodiversity, One Health, and Veterinary Medicine: Major deficiency with Standard 11 (Outcomes Assessment)
• The University of Guelph Ontario Veterinary College: Minor deficiencies with Standard 3 (Physical Facilities and Equipment) and Standard 4 (Clinical Resources)
• Tuskegee University College of Veterinary Medicine: Major deficiencies with Standard 2 (Finances), Standard 4 (Clinical Resources), and Standard 11 (Outcomes Assessment)
• Utrecht University Faculty of Veterinary Medicine: Minor deficiency with Standard 3 (Physical Facilities and Equipment)

If minor deficiencies are not corrected within one year, a veterinary college will be placed on probationary accreditation for an additional year.

The council also made accreditation decisions regarding Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine; the University of Saskatchewan Western College of Veterinary Medicine; Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine; the University of Prince Edward Island Atlantic Veterinary College; and Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine after site visits last fall.

Further, the COE made accreditation decisions regarding 33 veterinary colleges after reviewing annual interim reports.

Utah State University College of Veterinary Medicine also received a letter of reasonable assurance.

Policy changes

A number of policy changes to the council’s Accreditation Policies and Procedures (P&P) Manual will affect veterinary colleges, specifically when it comes to distance education and those programs with off-campus clinical education sites.

Earlier this year, the council approved revisions to how it approaches oversight of clinical education, especially in regard to teaching that occurs outside of an on-campus veterinary teaching hospital.

The change comes after the council created the Clinical Education Subcommittee in September 2023 to review policies in this area.

According to a 45-minute learning module posted in January, the council acknowledged that there had been potential for varying quality and consistency in education delivered at off-campus sites for any given veterinary college. Also, in some instances, more than half of a veterinary student’s clinical education could occur at sites not overseen by the veterinary college or evaluated by the COE.

The policy changes are intended to address any gaps in oversight of elective rotations; ensure availability of adequate veterinary college resources for oversight of clinical education programs; establish a more sustainable method to conduct accreditation visits for programs with distributive or semi-distributive education models; prioritize quality assurance of student education and consistency in access to high-quality experiences; and define key terms that pertain to clinical education, according to the module.

For example, veterinary colleges now must provide specific evidence that objectives are met at off-campus sites overseen by the program, including the number of students who participate at each site, evidence of facility oversight by the veterinary college, and documentation of high-quality learning experiences for students.

If an off-campus site is new or has mixed evidence for consistent, hands-on, high-quality learning experiences, an in-person or virtual visit may be warranted. Any site that is used for a required rotation; used for an elective rotation in a fundamental curricular area; or has issues in quality or safety, or has had complaints, will likely require an in-person visit from the council.

These changes will take effect with all site visits beginning in 2026. Any proposed veterinary college seeking a letter of reasonable assurance needs to have a plan for complying with the updated guidelines.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion

Finally, the COE says it will no longer require programs to report on, nor comply with, its current Standards of Accreditation that relate to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). The announcement came in a March 19 letter sent to veterinary colleges. The council says the decision was made in response to recent federal executive orders and resulting institutional decisions regarding DEI.

The Education Department directed institutions, from preschools to universities nationwide, to stop using “racial preferences” in admissions, financial aid, hiring, and other areas in a February 14 Dear Colleague letter and a follow-up FAQ.

The Trump administration has since launched dozens of investigations led by the Justice and Education departments and has frozen billions in federal funding to several schools. As a result, many universities have shuttered their campus diversity offices or restructured them, including The Ohio State University, or institutions have changed DEI-related wording on their website, such as the University of Pennsylvania.

“The COE acknowledges that, while executive orders provide guidance and do not carry the force and effect of law, the executive orders indicate the policy positions of the federal government. The COE also recognizes that individual educational institutions must interpret such guidance and assess the costs and burdens of compliance and the impact of potential noncompliance on their students, programs, and operations,” according to the council’s letter.

The council first added wording about DEI principles to its accreditation standards in 2017; it updated those policies in 2022.

“The COE recognizes that this dynamic landscape will require continued conversation, partnership, and review, and will always ensure that the Standards of Accreditations are consistent with applicable law,” the letter stated.

Accredited veterinary colleges may send any compliance-related questions to COEavma [dot] org.

A version of this story appears in the June 2025 print issue of JAVMA