Diversity is growing in the vet student population

Racially and ethnically diverse students from underrepresented groups make up more than a fifth of the veterinary student population, new data shows.

This is an improvement in the past six years, according to the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges. In 2014, underrepresented veterinary medical student enrollment was 13.5%. Now it’s up to 21.1%.

“There’s not a single strategy responsible for this, but certainly a collection of different activities,” said Dr. Lisa Greenhill, AAVMC’s senior director for institutional research and diversity. “More colleges are engaged in active recruiting of and general outreach to [underrepresented veterinary medical] applicants.”

Colleges “are also taking the long view,” Greenhill said, by building relationships with applicants while they’re still in high school. “Also, the evolution of admissions practices to more holistic methods has resulted in more offers of admission” for underrepresented students.

Like the general population, the fastest-growing segment of applicants and students are Hispanic and Latino/Latina individuals, and people who identify as multiracial or multi-ethnic. According to Greenhill, 22.2% of the applicant pool for the class of 2024 identifies as non-white.

Greenhill also found that the percentage of male applicants to veterinary school is still low—about 13%. But the decline seems to have slowed in the last three years.

AAVMC conference to feature expert on diversity in STEM

AAVMC’s annual conference will be held March 6-8 in Washington, D.C.

This year’s conference will feature a keynote address from Dr. Ashanti  Johnson, one of the first female chemical oceanographers in the United States and a leading expert on diversity in STEM, AAVMC announced. Johnson, who received a U.S. Presidential Award in 2010, will speak on diversity and inclusion.