Applying to study veterinary is notoriously competitive. However, the questionable handling of A-level grading this summer has undoubtedly made it even more complicated.
It has long been a concern that the veterinary course is not easily accessible for applicants from disadvantaged backgrounds. Couple this with school leavers in the most affluent areas having their A-level grades calculated more favourably as a result of the Government’s algorithm, and it’s very likely that many potential vet students missed out on a place at vet school this year based purely on where they grew up.
Limited places
While the Government evidently realised its colossal error and swiftly did a U-turn, UCAS estimated that around 15,000 students who were originally rejected by their first-choice university based on the algorithm grades would meet their conditions with the centre-assessed grades that have now been granted – and I’m sure there will be some veterinary applicants in that group.
Veterinary courses are limited for numbers due to resource availability under normal circumstances – and considering COVID restrictions are likely to stretch those resources even thinner, there will have been very little room to increase capacity once places were filled.
Other options
I can’t imagine how devastating it must have been for so many applicants this year. For those who have now achieved their offer based on the centre-assessed grades, I would hope those offers would be deferred to next year.
However, for those who did not – or for those who didn’t receive an offer – what are the options?
1. Retake your exams and reapply
Some universities won’t ordinarily consider retake grades for veterinary – but I would be hopeful that, in the light of COVID and the fact that A-levels are now non-modular (with no coursework, etc), that, realistically, many students had very little control over their ultimate grade, and the universities may revise their policy on this – or at the very least have some level of compromise for this cohort.
2. Take a year out and reapply
It might feel like the end of the world that you didn’t get in this year, but in the grand scheme of things, it’s not.
There are so many things you can do with a gap year. While travel might be limited for the foreseeable future, you could try to get a job in a relevant field, or gain experience to help with your application.
3. Consider the access or gateway courses
The University of Nottingham and Royal Veterinary College both run a veterinary course with lower grade requirements, which involve an extra year before starting the main veterinary degree.
4. Study your insurance course at university
It may be very tempting to accept your insurance offer, but I would err on the side of caution with this one. Not only will this massively add to the amount of time it might take you to qualify as a vet, the finances are a very real issue.
You cannot just transfer courses once you are part way through – you would have to go through the normal application process for veterinary medicine as for undergraduates, with the deadline for UCAS applications (for courses starting in September 2021) being 15 October 2020.
Money problems
Financially, it would be more sensible to take a year out and gain veterinary related experience rather than embarking on a related degree with the intention of leaving after one year to study veterinary, as this will affect the tuition fee funding available and most likely leave you personally liable for funding one year of the veterinary degree.
Bioveterinary Science or equivalent courses are not necessarily the gateway to veterinary medicine they are believed to be, and there are no guarantees of transfers or acceptance on to the veterinary course as a postgraduate.
- For more information on the veterinary courses available in the UK, download the Veterinary Schools Council’s admissions guide for veterinary medicine.
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