Officially established in 1905, the first reference to veterinary medicine at Kansas State was in 1862. Starting in 1886, students enrolled in agriculture were offered animal health courses but not for any type of veterinary degree credit. The 1905 establishment date refers to when the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree was created.

Originally known as the Department of Veterinary Medicine, a part of the School of Agriculture; it became the Division of Veterinary Medicine in 1919 after separating from the School of Agriculture and in 1943, the Division was changed to School. In 1963, when Kansas State College became Kansas State University, the Veterinary Medicine program was designated a college.

Originally, 15 units of high school work (equivalent to graduation) were required for admission. Effective in 1932, 32 hours of college work were required to be eligible for the professional program and by the 1949-50 academic year, 68 hours (two years) of pre-veterinary medical work were required. Through the years, the pre-professional requirements have changed to reflect the demands of the professional curriculum.

Kansas State University veterinary students prep for a surgery aboard the College of Veterinary Medicine’s Mobile Surgery Unit, which provides free veterinary services to regional animal shelters. The veterinary college has been ranked among the top five in the nation by College Magazine. 

MANHATTAN — A national publication produced by students for students has recently placed the Kansas State University College of Veterinary Medicine in the upper half of a list of the top 10 veterinary colleges in the United States.

Citing what it calls an “I Kan(sas)” attitude toward solving problems, College Magazine lists several factors to support a No. 4 ranking for Kansas State University among U.S. veterinary colleges, including a high standard of excellence in patient care and scientific discovery in the area of infectious diseases. Further emphasis was placed on the university’s large animal expertise, impact on the cattle industry, learning objectives, student proficiency and the ability to identify and treat diseases.

College Magazine specifically named the College of Veterinary Medicine’sCenter of Excellence for Emerging and Zoonotic Animal Diseases, the Rabies Laboratory and the Center for Epithelial Research as standouts in the program.

“We are honored to be ranked among these exceptional peer institutions and universities,” said Bonnie Rush, interim dean of the college. “It is gratifying to be recognized for areas we have identified as our own strategic priorities: exceptional teaching, impactful research, outstanding service and extraordinary graduates.”

Second-year veterinary student Maggie Massey, Butler, Missouri, was quoted by the magazine for expressing her appreciation of the large animal faculty, citing Kansas State University instructors raise students to a “different level” to groom them to be industry leaders.

College Magazine’s ranking methodology is based on a variety of factors, such as data from the National Center for Education Statistics, news articles, university websites, course catalogs and student statements. The site also considers scholarship opportunities and noteworthy initiatives, and then applies a formal list of criterion scored on a 1-5 scale, with the lowest scores placing schools on top.

best veterinary schools in the world

World University Rankings 2021 – Veterinary Science

• University of Cambridge, UK
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology, US
• Stanford University, US
• Cornell University, US
• University of Wageningen, Netherlands
• University of California, Los Angeles, US
• University of Pennsylvania, US
• University of California, Davis, US
• University of Edinburgh, UK
• LMU Munich, Germany

See the full list on the official Times Higher Education website.

QS Rankings 2021: Veterinary Science

• The Royal Veterinary College, the UK
• University of California, Davis, the US
• Utrecht University, the Netherlands
• University of Edinburgh, the UK
• Cornell University, the US
• University of Guelph, Canada
• The Ohio State University, the US
• University of Cambridge, the UK
• University of Copenhagen, Denmark
• Vetsuisse Faculty Bern and Zurich, Switzerland

Check out the full veterinary science ranking on TopUniversities.com.

Shanghai Rankings 2020: Veterinary Science

• Ghent University, Belgium
• University of Edinburgh, the UK
• University of Copenhagen, Denmark
• University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Germany
• Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain
• The Royal Veterinary College, the UK
• University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Austria
• University of California, Davis, the US
• University of Bern, Switzerland
• Technical University of Denmark, Denmark

View other top-ranked veterinary schools on ShanghaiRanking.com.

Student reviews of the best veterinary schools in the world

If one university already looks like a great option, you can try and learn more by reading a few student reviews. It’s a quick and easy way to get insights on the academic and social environment, and what you can expect from courses, professors, and life in that city. You’ll find student reviews on many university pages on our portals.

University of California, Davis

“Amazing experience overall. The professors are amazing and genuinely care about their students. I feel supported and know where to seek help if I need it. I feel completely at home and feel like I made the right decision about where to go to college. I couldn’t ask for a better school.”

Utrecht University

“My study experience is working excellent until now. The program is much more satisfying and radical than I was ever expected. I have gained so much knowledge, and I have broadened my critical thinking. All this experience is very intense, but in a positive way, and I am really glad that I had this opportunity. For these reasons, I am willing to go further with my education as this program made a great contribution to my knowledge and life as well.”

University of Guelph

“If you study at Guelph, it will become your new home. Take the time to know your Profs. in your department – especially in Sociology if you study it. All the profs. at Guelph truly want you to succeed. Take advantage of all the campus organizations there to make you feel welcomed and involved. Amazing bursary and scholarship opportunities. If you can, the study abroad opportunities are phenomenal – I participated in one myself. I love Guelph and miss it every day.”

Ghent University

“I completely loved my experience at Ghent University. The programme itself was at a high standard academically, and I felt I got a lot of support from the lecturers. They challenged me a lot. All my flatmates were lovely and all Erasmus or international students, so this gave it a very friendly and open vibe with everyone chatting away.

The city itself is gorgeous and very culturally active, with lots of museums, concerts and art events. The ESN of Ghent were amazing and had lots of events every week, so you couldn’t help but meet new people. I would highly recommend coming here. I don’t want to leave!”