The education of a veterinarian really begins in high school. Biology and chemistry are absolute necessities. Strong skills in math and writing will also make the student's future less of a struggle. There are 31 colleges in the United States and Canada that are accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association. If you live in a state that has a veterinary school, it would certainly be in your best financial interests to look into attending that university.
Most veterinary schools give some preference to in-state students.
Some also have contracts with states that do not have veterinary schools to accept a certain number of students each year from that state. For example, Kansas State University accepts a number of students each year from Nebraska and Puerto Rico, areas without veterinary schools. In my class at K-State, we also had students from Arkansas, New York, Washington, and several other states. Most veterinary colleges require a certain number and type of course hours to be completed prior to application to the professional veterinary curriculum. These courses lean heavily to the biological sciences and animal sciences as you might guess.