JONESBORO — Arkansas State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM) will accept its first cohort of students this fall after receiving a Letter of “Reasonable Assurance” from the American Veterinary Medical Association’s Council on Education.
“We are thrilled to have received our Letter of Reasonable Assurance, which allows us to begin recruiting and admitting students for entry this fall,” said Dr. Heidi Banse, dean of the CVM.
“This is a historic achievement for Arkansas State University and for the state of Arkansas,” said Chancellor Todd Shields. “Our College of Veterinary Medicine will open new doors for students while strengthening the future of animal health, agriculture and rural communities across the Mid-South.”
As the first College of Veterinary Medicine in Arkansas, this step presents a significant opportunity for students interested in furthering their education in the service of animals.
“Today represents the culmination of years of careful planning and an extraordinary amount of work behind the scenes. This college reflects a bold and strategic investment by Arkansas State in the future of our university and the state of Arkansas, transforming vision into a historic reality,” said Dr. Calvin White Jr., provost and executive vice chancellor.
White added, “I want to commend Dr. Heidi Banse, Dr. Len Frey, and the entire leadership team of the College of Veterinary Medicine for guiding Arkansas State through a rigorous accreditation process.”
Banse said the milestone brings Arkansas State and future CVM students one step closer to improving access to animal care across the state.
“Once students enter our Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) program in the fall, we will be granted provisional accreditation,” Banse said. “This allows our students to graduate with the same rights and privileges to practice veterinary medicine as students from fully accredited veterinary colleges.”
The DVM program will be a four-year degree, with three years spent primarily on campus in a competency-based curriculum and one year of clinical training in veterinary practices across Arkansas and beyond. The first class is expected to complete the program in 2030.
“Upon graduation of our first class and confirmation of continued compliance with accreditation standards, we will be fully accredited and enter into an every seven-year re-accreditation cycle,” Banse said.
Students interested in applying for the DVM program can do so online at AState.edu/CVM/Apply. Additional information about the application process is also available on the university’s website.
Construction on the ninth academic college at Arkansas State is well underway and is expected to be completed before the first cohort of 120 students begins classes this fall. Banse said the state-of-the-art facility is on track to open this summer.
“The CVM teaching building is on track for completion at the end of June, with planned move-in in early July. Our teaching barns on the University Farm and Agricultural Teaching and Research Center will be done in July,” she said.
The CVM building, located at 2517 Cherokee St., will total 56,000 square feet, with an estimated construction cost of $33.2 million.
A ribbon-cutting and grand opening for the facility is planned for this fall ahead of the start of classes.
