Veterinarian for pets, livestock, horses... but also research and the agri-food industry.
A demanding training course lasting 5 or 6 years, going to veterinary school is essential to practice the profession of veterinarian because it is a regulated profession.
Here is all the information you need to know if you want to go this route.
Which veterinary school should I enroll in?
In France, there are only five veterinary schools which can train around 800 students each year.
The entrance exams for each school are very selective and the success rate fluctuates between 10% and 20% according to the statistics provided by the different preparation schools.
In France, the National Order of Veterinarians lists
four public schools
providing the training necessary to obtain the DE (State Diploma):
ENVA: National Veterinary School of Alfort;
ENVT: National Veterinary School of Toulouse;
ONIRIS VetAgroBio: National Veterinary, Agri-Food and Food School of Nantes;
VetAgro Sup: National Veterinary School of Lyon.
In 2022, a private school joined this list.
This is the UniLaSalle private veterinary school in Rouen.
All these veterinary schools benefit from the same recognition
and all depend on the Ministry of Agriculture.
The choice of one or the other of these veterinary schools, in addition to your success in the competition, depends on the specialty that you wish to develop during your training.
With its Kinésia center, the Alfort veterinary school, for example, places emphasis on horse rehabilitation and physiotherapy.
The equine world is also in the spotlight in Lyon
, with an emergency and intensive care service for equines.
In Toulouse, you will be able to work more specifically on pathogens thanks to the unit associated with INRAE (National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment) which the school has.
Choose ONIRIS Nantes if you plan to specialize in wildlife or fish.
How much does veterinary school cost?
How much does a veterinary school cost in France?
In 2023-2024, the year of study in a public veterinary school costs 2,625 euros (free for scholarship holders), to which is added the CVEC (student and campus life contribution) of 100 euros per year.
For the UniLasalle private veterinary school in Rouen, you need to pay 13,550 euros per year for the first 3 years, then 18,600 euros for the next 3 years.
(and the CVEC of 100 euros per year).
Who can join veterinary school?
It is possible to enter veterinary school at different stages of your educational journey.
At the earliest and since 2021, you can
enter veterinary school after obtaining your baccalaureate
.
Ideally, it is recommended to have chosen specialties in high school in subjects such as SVT, physics-chemistry and mathematics.
If you are not admitted to school after the baccalaureate or if you wish to move towards the veterinary profession even though you started by following another path, you can also
attempt the entrance exam directly in the 2nd year of school veterinarian
after obtaining a Bac+2 diploma.
This possibility is also offered to students who hold a Bac+3 diploma.
However, they will only enter the 2nd year of veterinary studies.
The number of places available via this access route varies each year.
It is set by decree of the Ministry of Agriculture.
The places are also distributed between five competitions:
A: for TB prep students (Technology and Biochemistry);
B: for holders of a License or an L2;
C: for holders of a BTS, BTSA or DUT who have continued with ATS preparation (Higher Technician Adaptation);
D: open to students holding a Master's degree or a state diploma in odontology, pharmacy or medicine;
E: competition reserved for certain students from the ENS (Écoles Normales Supérieures) of Paris-Saclay and Lyon.
If there is no age limit, the veterinary school entrance exam can only be attempted once after the baccalaureate.
At Bac+2 or beyond,
the number of attempts is limited to 2
.
A person who has already taken the competition three times will therefore not be able to join a school.
In addition, the UniLaSalle private school in Rouen only recruits after the baccalaureate.
Finally, you can no longer register in Belgium if you have already taken the competition twice in France.
Registration for veterinary schools just after the baccalaureate
How to get accepted into veterinary school?
Post-baccalaureate admission in the first year - 6-year course.
The procedures begin on Parcoursup, where students must register the establishments among their wishes from January.
You will then have to go through a post-baccalaureate entrance exam which will take place at the end of April/beginning of May: the “ ENV
post-baccalaureate
competition
” which offers approximately 280 places per year).
Note that
the competition is common to the four national schools
: it therefore counts as a single wish.
The precise choice of school must be indicated as a sub-wish.
However, the integrated school at the end of the process also depends on the ranking obtained in the competition.
An additional wish must be added to apply to the UniLaSalle school, which has set up its own competition (approximately 120 places per year).
Students must then
complete an online pre-orientation questionnaire
.
The questions mainly concern the educational level and the vision of the veterinary profession.
This step is obligatory to be able to confirm your wishes on Parcoursup, with a cover letter, just like the prior payment of registration fees for the competition, but does not intervene in the eligibility phase, unlike the academic file whose weight is very important.
The admission phase in the ENV consists of
three multiple choice questions and four short interviews
.
It does not relate to subjects studied in Terminale, but aims more generally to assess the arguments, reasoning and communication skills as well as the motivation of candidates.
Themes related to ethics and animal welfare, your approach to the profession, and working with animals are discussed.
Although the competition is independent from UniLaSalle, the state of mind is the same, and the competition includes oral interviews as well as individual and team tests.
Second year veterinary school registrations
To enter a veterinary school by parallel admission (after scientific preparation or other) - admission in the second year - 5-year course: you must attempt the ENV competition via CPGE BCPST (approximately 300 places) reserved for BCPST preparation students ( biology, chemistry, physics and Earth sciences) or the ENV competition via CPGE TB dedicated to TB prep students (technology and biology) or the ENV competition via license / BUT or BTSA route... But there the places are very limited and the chances of being integrated much rarer.
More than 57 Véto-BCPST preparatory courses exist in France within high schools to prepare for the ENV competitions (Biology, chemistry, physics and earth sciences - Veterinary preparatory class) or within dedicated establishments which also prepare for the post-baccalaureate competition ( you have to find out about private structures which can be very expensive without any real quality behind them).
Veterinary schools abroad
However, nothing obliges you to choose a French veterinary school.
Places are limited in France: around 800 each year.
It is therefore not uncommon for students to turn to Romania to obtain their degree.
Recruitment is based on application and not competitive examination as in France.
You will then have no problem returning to practice in France.
In fact, the diploma awarded is recognized on a European scale.
Less far away,
Belgian veterinary schools also constitute an alternative to selective French national schools
.
If the universities of Brussels, Namur and the Catholic University of Louvain provide the first cycle of training, only the University of Liège delivers the Master of Veterinary Medicine.
Please note, however, that in Belgium, the competitive exam remains a mandatory requirement at the end of the first year of study.
Admission to veterinary schools abroad.
If you opt to enroll in a Belgian veterinary school, consider starting by applying for equivalence so that your French baccalaureate is recognized in Belgium.
To register, you will also need your baccalaureate transcript and your ID.
You must then complete a registration form, to be submitted to one of the universities.
You then participate in a draw
which will determine the admitted students.
In fact, Belgium reserves only 20% of its places in the first cycle of training for foreigners.
This is also the case during the competition at the end of the first year.
French students therefore face two space limitations.
This competition can, however, be attempted twice.
Teaching and internships in veterinary schools
The first year provides the necessary foundations for veterinary studies with subjects such as: biological sciences, physics, chemistry and mathematics applied to veterinary sciences, zoology, ecology, computer science, English.
From 2nd to 5th year, students will
learn about the functioning of animals and their environment:
anatomy, physiology, virology, pharmacology, nutrition, botany, etc.
But also the study of all possible diseases and treatments.
Notions of public health, as well as business management and law (legislation, standards, etc.).
In the 4th and 5th years, students work in the hospital services of the veterinary school with companion, leisure and production animals, and carry out farm visits.
The direction you will give to your profession is chosen during the 5th year of study.
Indeed, the first four years follow a common core and lead to obtaining the DEFV (Diploma of Fundamental Veterinary Studies, Master grade).
It is then possible to
work as a
veterinary assistant
.
As for the 5th year, it allows you to specialize and delivers the DESV (Specialized Veterinary Study Diploma).
In France, there are six main areas of study:
livestock (production),
pets,
equines,
veterinary public health
research,
industry
This is not a specialization but an in-depth study; future qualified veterinary doctors are prepared during their training to work with all species and to reach all opportunities.
Throughout the training, a certain number of internships must be carried out outside of school: in a clinic or private practice, on an agricultural operation (farm, breeding, livestock), in veterinary public health and in other sectors (research, zoo, wildlife, etc.).
What careers/opportunities after veterinary school?
Graduates after 6 or 5 years of study in veterinary schools are in high demand!
Veterinary doctors who quickly gain employment.
The net employment rate is 97.9% 1 year after leaving school according to the integration survey on qualified veterinarians from the Ministry of Agriculture (2021 figures).
It is thus possible to work in clinics, but also in industry, in veterinary pharmaceutical laboratories or in companies producing animal food.
The rural veterinarian is in contact with production animals, for whom he provides preventive and curative treatments.
He is very present on the ground.
The Urban Vet focuses on pets.
He works in a firm.
This is by far the most represented facet of the profession.
The public health veterinarian is interested in protection against zoonoses, these
diseases of animal origin that are transmitted to humans
.
It controls food products of animal origin to verify that they are healthy and suitable for human consumption.
Its area of intervention is varied: oyster farms, restaurants, animal parks, etc. After specializing in Research, it is possible to continue your veterinary studies by completing a thesis in order to become a Veterinary Doctor.
To specialize from a clinical point of view, internship and residency are solutions offered by veterinary schools to holders of a veterinary doctorate.
They are based on clinical practice within university veterinary hospital centers (CHUV).
Admission to boarding school is by competitive examination.
The internship lasts 1 year and can be extended by 2 years of residency.
To be able to practice internationally, it is necessary to obtain the
European specialization diploma
.
A choice that is also made at the end of training, with the EBVS (European Board of Veterinary Specialization).
It is possible to obtain this diploma at the same time as your specialization.