WAMC - Upward GPA Trend, Applying to 6 Schools

[futuretaurusdoc]

Hi everyone,



I’m applying for the 2025–2026 VMCAS cycle and would love honest feedback on my chances and school list. I’ve worked hard to turn around my academics and feel confident in my experience, but I know I’m not a traditional 4.0 applicant.



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Stats:

• Cumulative GPA (after Summer 2025): ~3.04

• Science GPA: ~3.0

• Last 45 GPA: ~3.44

• Major GPA (Animal Science): ~3.02

• Upward trend: multiple recent A’s in Genetics, Human Anatomy, Animal Breeding etc



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🐾 Experience:

• ~300+ vet experience hours (small animal, exotics, farm) since Feb 2024 under a DVM

• ~35–45 hours from an international internship at a multiple vegan animal sanctuaries in Italy (Summer 2023)

• Variety of species worked with: donkeys, emus, peacocks, hedgehogs, snakes, goats, etc.



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Extracurriculars & Leadership:

• SGA Junior Class Secretary

• Director of Membership – Metro Atlanta Scholars Association

• Campus Activities Board Member

• Animal Science Club, Vet Tech Club, MANRRS Secretary

School List:

1. Tuskegee University

2. Lincoln Memorial University (LMU)

3. University of Arizona

4. Mississippi State University

5. Kansas State University

6. Ross University (backup/safety option)



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Questions:

• Do I have a reasonable shot at these schools with my upward trend and holistic application?

• Is Ross worth keeping on the list, or should I consider another U.S. option?



Thanks so much in advance I just need one “yes” and I’m all in.

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[indysadventures]

To be frank, I do not think you have enough veterinary experience to offset your current GPA, and I think you need another semester or so of As to bring up your last 45. While it shows an upward trend, it is still not competitive. This is especially true considering you have less than 500 hours of veterinary experience.

I would not apply this year, and spend time improving your GPA and veterinary hours, as well as focusing on other leadership, volunteer, and extracurricular opportunities. I’d also encourage you to reconsider applying to Tuskegee- they have very poor NAVLE scores (~52% I think for last year) and there is concern they could lose their accreditation. I don’t think that you should be considering Tuskegee if you consider Ross a “back-up school.” (It very much isn’t, for the record.)

Take a year to improve your application. Typically, “holistic” applicants may have a lower GPA but they offset this with very unique, diverse, and in-depth experience alongside a strong upward trend. I just don’t think you’re there yet.

 

[futuretaurusdoc]

I’ve been interested and volunteering and speaking with Tuskegee students and as a fellow HBCU that is my #1

 

[supershorty]

I’ve been interested and volunteering and speaking with Tuskegee students and as a fellow HBCU that is my #1

As much as it sucks to say this, I would not apply to Tuskegee right now unless you're okay with being hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt and the very, very real possibility of never being able to practice as a veterinarian. That program is an incredibly high risk right now given their jeopardized accreditation status (secondary to their abysmal NAVLE pass rates). Their most recent NAVLE pass rate was just over 50%. Think about that long and hard. You're paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to have a 50/50 shot of passing the most important exam of your life.

NAVLE pass rates should be in the 90s. There is no excuse for scores that poor.

Also, there is no such thing as a "safety school" in veterinary medicine, so I'd reframe your thinking about Ross.

 

[JaynaAli]

I agree with both Indy and Shorty. I think if you apply this year, your chances are pretty low when you have such a relatively low number of veterinary hours AND a below average GPA. I wouldn’t say it’s impossible, but probably unlikely. If you have lots of money burning a hole in your pocket and want to spend it on an application, I’d do so knowing it’s a pretty long shot this year. Next year with another year’s worth of vet experience and hopefully even higher grades I think you’d probably be more competitive than you are right now.

And definitely seriously consider the ramifications of that 50% NAVLE pass rate at Tuskegee. It’s incredibly, abnormally, unacceptably low. If you want to take a 275,000 gamble with coin flip odds about whether you can use the degree you spent four years working on or not, then by all means that’s your prerogative to do so, but I would not ever advise someone to take those risks when there’s other options with a 90+% pass rate. Vet school debt is an issue. Vet school debt without a vet-level salary in the end is unfathomable. Especially if government graduate loans do go away and people have to finance privately.

In regards to Ross, apply if you’d go if accepted, but I wouldn’t necessarily consider it a “safety school”. You may need to research schools to make sure anywhere you apply doesn’t have a set minimum number of hours and making sure that your various GPAs meet ALL the requirements. In general schools are not flexible on cutoffs, and if any one GPA is below their cutoffs you’re donating them your admissions fees and your app goes in the metaphorical garbage bin. So apply smartly to places where you meet the requirements.

 

[futuretaurusdoc]

I have researched and the schools on my list if they have any minimum gpa it is 2.8-3.0

 

[vampyrica]

I have researched and the schools on my list if they have any minimum gpa it is 2.8-3.0

Even if the school has a minimum of a 2.8/3.0, it doesn't mean that those GPAs are competitive. I agree with the above comments that your application could be much stronger if you allow yourself to wait and build on it for an additional year.

This year, KSU interviewed students with an average GPA of 3.5+.
Mississippi weighs 30% of your total application on your GPAs. 70% prereq GPA and 30% cGPA. They also weigh your experiences equally as well (30%). Keep this in mind if you intend to apply.
LMU is paying more attention in recent cycles to GPAs.
Additionally, there is a very real possibility that you might not get accepted into Ross. I know plenty of people who were denied and they all had different stats.

That being said, none of this is meant to discourage you! This is just to give you the best chance possible at achieving your goals!

 

[mw1356]

I agree with everyone else on taking a gap year. Doing well in your senior-level classes will bring your cGPA up and should give you a strong last 45 for schools that give that metric more consideration. Plus, you'll have an extra year to bring up your vet hours - it seems like your diversity of vet experience is strong, but getting the number up never hurts. Working full-time in a clinic just for a summer would probably give you an extra ~400+ hours.

I also think a gap year would be helpful in terms of picking your schools. As of now, Tuskegee is still on probationary accreditation. By next cycle, hopefully we'll know whether it will regain full accreditation or drop to terminal (which seems more likely unfortunately). If that area is a draw for you and/or if you're from Alabama, I'd recommend applying to Auburn! Very close to Tuskegee, your GPA meets requirements (though if anyone knows of a higher internal cutoff please correct me), and cheaper if you're an AL or KY resident.

 

[CeeGee14]

I’m gonna jump on the bandwagon and also say that taking a gap year might be in your best interest. So far, you’re on the low side for both GPA and vet hours. Low vet hours aside, are you confident that the DVM you work with can write you a STRONG rec letter? A strong rec letter instead of a generic one can do wonders.

Is there a reason Tuskegee is your top school? Accreditation status aside, the fact that their NAVLE pass rate is just 50% tells me that they’re not adequately preparing their students to be vets.

 

[pp9]

I have researched and the schools on my list if they have any minimum gpa it is 2.8-3.0

Published GPA minimums really only serve to prevent everyone/anyone from applying. Many schools have unpublished minimum GPAs in place that result in auto-rejections without an interview. These minimums can vary year to year and often are based off of that year's pool of applicants. I would hazard a guess and say that you won't get any interviews with your stats.

The rest of your app is not competitive enough to make up for the below average GPAs you have. With the few hours you have and lower GPAs, your last 45 would have had to be essentially a 4.0 in my book (and the subjective portion of your app really compelling) to give you any chance at an interview...and that would probably only be for schools that heavily weigh the last 45. Off the top of my head, idk if the schools you've listed would be good choices for that.

Applicants with <3.5 in any/all GPA categories are going to have a harder time getting an acceptance. The closer to a 3.0 or less, the harder it will be. There are always success stories out there, but the majority of successful applicants will not have GPAs that low. Those that are successful typically have a lot of experience (possible several thousand hours in several different areas of vet med) and a background/essay/LORs that really resonate with the adcoms.

Right now, admissions are more competitive than ever. Applying also isn't free. Unless you have unlimited funds, save your money and improve both your GPAs and your experience hours, and reconsider Tuskeegee as your top choice.