Most successful applicants complete four years of college before entering the professional program.
There are 27 accredited colleges of veterinary medicine in the U.S., many of them state supported. Admission to all of these schools is highly competitive and state-supported colleges usually give preference to residents of the state and to applicants from nearby states or regional areas. All states and the District of columbia require veterinarians to be licensed. Licensing requires a doctor of veterinary medicine degree from an accredited college and passing a written state board of proficiency examination. There are about 56,000 active veterinarians, most of them in private practice.