30 Aug 2023
Initial admissions to veterinary science courses are up this year despite the fall in UCAS applications, but the VSC says those figures don’t tell the whole story.
Allister Webb
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Image: © Siam / Adobe Stock
The body representing UK vet schools has sought to play down fears of declining interest in the sector, despite a drop in university applications.
The Veterinary Schools Council (VSC) said courses remain “oversubscribed” this year, as officials claimed initial admissions figures did not provide a full picture.
But the group has also revealed it is working to change some of its own messaging to students in a bid to address what it described as “unhelpful” admissions-based myths.
The comments came after early data, published in the wake of the release of A-level and Higher exam results, gave a somewhat mixed picture for the veterinary sector.
Figures published by the university admissions body UCAS, for six days after results were released on 17 August, showed 2,180 students had been accepted on to veterinary science programmes.
That figure is up by around 6.3% from the 2,050 recorded at the same point last year. But overall applications in the category, which covers a number of subject areas in addition to veterinary medicine, were down around 6.6% this year to 15,880, based on figures recorded up to 30 June.
While the total is still higher than pre-pandemic levels, the fall has the potential to raise renewed questions about the broader workforce challenges the professions have been battling with for some time.
But although they say they are unable to disclose their own data, senior VSC officials argue the published UCAS figures appear to indicate a wider issue and should not be seen as a specific cause for concern in the veterinary sector.
Overall applications have fallen this year, having risen above three million for the first time in 2022.
VSC president Stuart Reid said: “The number of students accepted on to programmes of study leading to a veterinary degree reflects the number of places available, as well as the expected annual variation in what is the inexact science of applications, offers and acceptances.
“The number of applications quoted is somewhat misleading as prospective students can apply to up to four universities for programmes of study leading to a veterinary degree.
“Therefore, the figure does not accurately reflect the number of unique applicants, which typically is between three and four thousand.
“Final numbers for any given year are not confirmed until after enrolment, usually in October.”
Asked specifically whether applicant numbers this year were in line with recent trends, the council said it was “still oversubscribed as we have always been in modern times” and it wasn’t yet clear what behaviour patterns may have influenced this year’s totals.
But one area where the VSC and UCAS appear to be in agreement is in recognising the need to find ways of widening participation.
In its initial comment on this year’s admissions, senior UCAS officials admitted more work was needed on the subject as the number of students from disadvantaged backgrounds was still outnumbered by those from the most advantaged circumstances.
VSC members have launched an initiative with key stakeholders, such as school careers tutors, which they hope will improve diversity and widen participation in the sector.
Officials are also said to be looking at ways through which it can show it isn’t necessarily as difficult to secure a veterinary school place as some prospective students might believe.
Although it claims the chances of getting to vet school are around one in two for students with appropriate qualifications, the council said it was revising some documents that it recognised were “not helpful” in addressing misconceptions about the sector.
In its 2023 guide to admission processes and entry requirements, VSC admissions committee chairperson David Bainbridge wrote: “Gaining a place on a UK veterinary course is competitive, but you should not assume this means you will be unsuccessful.
“We worry that many good candidates do not apply because they overestimate the challenges involved or, more likely, underestimate their own abilities.”
