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Vet assistant education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a vet assistant. Vet assistants usually study medical assisting services, biology, or animal science. 43% of vet assistants hold a bachelor's degree, and 24% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 31,641 real vet assistant resumes to see exactly what vet assistant education sections show.
The most common colleges for vet assistants are the Pima Medical Institute and the Pima Medical Institute.
There are also many online vet assistant courses to help get the education required to be a vet assistant.
There are certain vet assistant certifications that you should consider. These vet assistant certifications include Certified Nurse Assistant (CNA) and Medical Assistant.
What education do you need to become a vet assistant?
What degree do you need to be a vet assistant?
- Bachelor's, 43%
- Associate, 24%
- High School Diploma, 21%
- Diploma, 5%
- Other Degrees, 7%
What should I major in to become a vet assistant?
- Biology, 16%
- Animal Science, 12%
- Business, 7%
- Other Majors, 45%
Most common colleges for vet assistants
| Vet assistant common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Pima Medical Institute | 18.07% |
| University of Pennsylvania | 11.76% |
| Michigan State University | 7.04% |
| Ohio State University | 5.65% |
| University of North Carolina at Greensboro | 5.45% |
Best majors for vet assistants
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Medical Assisting Services | 20.2% |
| 2 | Biology | 16.1% |
| 3 | Animal Science | 11.9% |
| 4 | Business | 6.8% |
| 5 | Veterinary Medicine | 6.4% |
Best colleges for vet assistants
The best colleges for vet assistants are Northwestern University, Stanford University, and Cornell University.
A vet assistant with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for vet assistants. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become vet assistants.
1. Ohio State University
Columbus, OH • Private
In-state tuition
$10,726
Enrollment
45,769
2. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
3. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$18,454
Enrollment
40,108
4. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
5. University of Vermont
Burlington, VT • Private
In-state tuition
$18,276
Enrollment
10,612
6. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Enrollment
34,564
7. University of New Hampshire
Durham, NH • Private
In-state tuition
$18,499
Enrollment
12,668
8. University of Maryland - College Park
College Park, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$10,595
Enrollment
30,184
9. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
10. University of Connecticut
Storrs, CT • Private
In-state tuition
$15,730
Enrollment
18,830
20 best online courses for vet assistants
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Top 10 most affordable universities for vet assistants
The most affordable schools for vet assistants are University of Florida, hunter college of the city university of new york, and california state university - bakersfield.
If the best universities for vet assistants are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for vet assistants.
1. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
2. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
3. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
4. Baruch College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,262
Cost of attendance
14,046
5. California State University - Fresno
Fresno, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,587
Cost of attendance
16,915
6. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez
Mayaguez, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$4,094
Cost of attendance
14,302
7. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
8. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
Pomona, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,353
Cost of attendance
21,302
9. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Cost of attendance
22,430
10. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for vet assistants
The hardest universities for vet assistants to get into are Northwestern University, Stanford University, and Cornell University.
Some great schools for vet assistants are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for vet assistants based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
2. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
3. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,471
4. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
5. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
6. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
7. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
8. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
9. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
10. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for vet assistants
The easiest schools for vet assistants to get into are AdventHealth University, barry university, and notre dame de namur university.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a vet assistant without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for vet assistants.
1. AdventHealth University
Orlando, FL • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,016
2. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
3. Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA • Private
Admissions rate
82%
SAT average
983
4. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
994
5. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
6. Texas A&M University - Kingsville
Kingsville, TX • Private
Admissions rate
89%
SAT average
1,035
7. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,035
8. Our Lady of the Lake University
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,002
9. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
10. Presentation College
Aberdeen, SD • Private
Admissions rate
97%
SAT average
1,050
Average vet assistant salary by education level
| Vet assistant education level | Vet assistant salary |
|---|---|
| High School Diploma or Less | $31,123 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $31,946 |
| Some College/ Associate Degree | $31,687 |
Vet assistant education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025