AVMA COE recognizes the University of Nottingham

The University of Nottingham School of Veterinary Medicine and Science in Nottingham, England, was recently granted full accreditation status by the AVMA Council on Education.

Nottingham has been accredited by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons since 2011.

The COE made the accreditation decision during its Sept. 18-20 meeting (PDF) at AVMA headquarters in Schaumburg, Illinois.

“I am delighted that the Council on Education have determined that our school meets the requirements for AVMA accreditation,” said Dr. Gary C.W. England, founding dean of the veterinary school and professor of comparative veterinary reproduction. “We started our program with the first intake of students in 2006, and it has always been our aim to reach this milestone of quality benchmarking.”

Accreditation by the AVMA Council on Education represents a high standard of achievement for veterinary education. Institutions that earn COE accreditation confirm a commitment to quality and continuous improvement through a rigorous and comprehensive peer review.

The new accreditation status means Nottingham graduates will now be able to sit for the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination, which is required for licensure in the U.S. and Canada. Currently, the veterinary school does not have any U.S. students.

In 2019, Nottingham announced a plan to nearly double its intake of students in response to a veterinarian shortage in the United Kingdom.

The five-year program accepts 300 students a year—150 students start in April and 150 start in September. Tuition fees are 34,000 pounds—or about $42,000—a year. Students have exposure to hands-on animal experience and real clinical cases from the very beginning of the program.

The COE grants accreditation status to foreign veterinary colleges on the basis of compliance with 11 standards of accreditation. Nottingham is now the third veterinary school in England and 17th foreign veterinary school accredited by the COE.

Foreign colleges are required to undergo a preliminary or consultative site visit to determine their preparedness for a comprehensive site visit. They are required to correct all deficiencies identified by the site team before requesting a comprehensive site visit. That visit is the last step before the council makes an accreditation decision.

The University of Nottingham’s comprehensive site visit occurred on June 11-17. Those who graduate from Nottingham after June 17 are considered graduates of a COE-accredited veterinary college.

“We employ a fantastic cadre of inspiring educators, and it is thrilling for the whole team to have received this accreditation news,” Dr. England said.