Colorado State University’s doctor of veterinary medicine program is ranked second in the nation by U.S. News & World Report for 2023-24, according to a news release from the university.
The university’s ranking comes in the magazine’s best for graduate schools. U.S. News & World Report ranked CSU third in the category in 2019.
U.S. News updated its ranking methodology, according to information on the magazine website. Outside of public health, the magazine rankings produced four new master’s-degree level ratings. In each — health care management, physician assistant, rehabilitation counseling and clinical rehabilitation counseling and veterinary schools — respondents rated peer programs on a 1-5 scale (1 being marginal and 5 outstanding) on academic quality. Rankings were determined by the average of ratings each program received.
U.S. News reports the response rate was 53% among 33 veterinary schools accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association.
University of California-Davis (average rating of 4.5) was ranked first, Cornell University in Ithaca, New York was third, Ohio State ranked fourth and North Carolina State and the University of Pennsylvania tied for fifth.
“It’s incredibly gratifying to be recognized by our peer institutions as a top-ranked veterinary program in the nation,” said Dr. Sue VandeWoude, dean of the CSU College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, in the news release. “This honor is a direct reflection of the exceptional reputation of our faculty, staff and students and is related to our broad accomplishments and world-class excellence in research, teaching and education at all levels.”
CSU’s four-year veterinary medicine program was founded in 1907. Highly competitive, it receives more than 4,000 applications a year to fill about 140 spots.
During the first two years, students receive comprehensive biomedical veterinary education and clinical experiences, including animal handling, ethics, surgical techniques and communication. In the third and fourth years, students work side by side with world-renowned clinicians through specialty rotations at the James L. Voss Veterinary Teaching Hospital and Johnson Family Equine Hospital, which together annually serve more than 40,000 patients.
In the next several years, CSU is launching a curriculum renewal to expand hands-on training with a focus more heavily on mental and financial health and well-being. Full rollout will begin in fall 2026.
The new curriculum will make CSU’s veterinary program among the most progressive in the world, with many of the changes recommended by the American Veterinary Medical Association and in line with growing needs across the veterinary medical landscape.
For the full list of 2023-24 Best Graduate Schools Rankings, go to usnews.com/grad.
