Veterinary Medicine

For the (opens in a new window)four-year graduate entry course (DN301) you are eligible if you:

• Hold/expect to hold an honours degree (NQAI Level 8) with 2.2 Honours or above in a Biological/Biomedical/ Animal Science discipline OR a Master’s degree, OR a PhD in a relevant area of biological science by June 2025.
• Are considered an EU applicant (i.e. not deemed ‘overseas’ applicants for purposes of fees)

For the(opens in a new window) five-year graduate entry course (DN300)  you are eligible if you:

• Hold/expect to hold an honours degree (NQAI Level 8) with 2.2 Honours or above OR a Master’s degree, OR a PhD in any discipline by June 2025.
• Are considered an EU applicant (i.e. not deemed ‘overseas’ applicants for purposes of fees)

Note: if you are a non-EU applicant, please consult the UCD Global, as separate application procedures apply to you.

There are three separate elements to the application process which must be completed:

1. Application to CAO

You must apply online via the (opens in a new window)Central Applications Office* course code DN300 (five-year course) or DN301 (four-year course). The normal CAO closing date is 5.15pm, 1 February prior to entry. The late closing date is 1 May.

If you are unsure as to your eligibility you should contact the MVB Programme Office:
Telephone: 01 716 6100
Email: (opens in a new window)vetprogrammes@ucd.ie  

2. Supporting documents

The signed and completed UCD Supplementary Application form and related documents must also be returned to the Central Applications Office (CAO)within 10 days of applying

• Supplementary Form for Graduate Entry Veterinary Medicine
• Graduate Entry Veterinary Medicine Guidelines

Copies of Official transcript(s) of your degree(s) are required for assessment purposes and must also be submitted to CAO within two weeks of application.

Exception: Transcripts for 2025 degrees only will be accepted if received by CAO no later than 4 July 2025. Documents received after this cannot be considered.

N.B. Should you be successful in the assessment of your application, you will be required to submit an Official transcript(s) to UCD for verification before the offer will be made official.

3 Application to GAMSAT

You will need to sit the (opens in a new window)GAMSAT (Graduate Australian Medical School Admission Test) if you intend to apply for entry to Veterinary Medicine via the graduate-entry pathway. GAMSAT is a professionally designed and marked selection test developed by the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) for medical schools offering graduate-entry courses that are open to graduates of any discipline.

Registration is by online enrolment with GAMSAT and the closing date is expected to be 1 February prior to entry. The GAMSAT-Ireland test will be held in March. (There are other sittings available prior to this date -please see (opens in a new window)GAMSAT for details ). The GAMSAT result is valid for two years e.g. for entry in September 2025 you may present a GAMSAT from September 2023.

ACER, the graduate-entry schools or the admissions authorities do NOT recommend or endorse any particular texts or preparation courses. Nor do they support any commercially available preparation courses or have any association with commercial courses.

Please note

• The onus lies with you, the applicant, to make sure that all steps of the application procedure are completed within the relevant deadlines.
• Offers will be made in CAO Round 0 which issues at the end of July or in early August.

Applications will be assessed for admission on the basis of open competition using three criteria, which are:

• Basic eligibility (e.g. whether your degree is of the required minimum standard - see the above section What are the minimum requirements?)
• Information included on the UCD Supplementary Application Form.
• GAMSAT score, which must be less than three years old at time of entry (e.g., for entry in September 2024, GAMSAT must have been taken since September 2023. Older GAMSAT scores will not be considered).

Applicants who meet the basic eligibility requirements will be ranked on a combination of their GAMSAT score and a score for their UCD Supplementary Application Form. [link to pdf of Grading of the UCD Supplementary Application Form]

Please note that applicants may be invited to attend for an interview to discuss their application further and to facilitate a final decision on their application.

Information on the GAMSAT selection test, including registration and exam dates: (opens in a new window)GAMSAT website.

Details on the Graduate Entry programme please visit the School of Veterinary Medicine website.

Graduate entry programmes are not part of the “Free Fees" Initiative. Please see the UCD Fees website for full information about fees for this programme. This is an level 8 (NFQ) undergraduate degree programme so the undergraduate fees rules apply.

Please note: If you have at any time resided or are currently resident outside of the EU, you must contact the UCD Fees Office well in advance of the closing date to check your fee status (i.e. EU or non-EU status). Your fee status will determine whether you must apply as outlined on this webpage or if you are required to apply directly to the University. You can complete an online self-assessment on the UCD fees website.