Top universities for veterinary science

There are nearly 30 veterinary science universities in North America this year: the majority of which are located in the United States and the rest in Canada. 

In the US, the University of California Davis (UCD) has shaped the field of veterinary medicine, developing veterinary treatments and making key discoveries related to animal, human and environmental health. The school is investing US$500million in its new UC Davis veterinary medical centre. 

Canada’s University of Guelph earns a near-perfect score for H-index citations. Researchers at the University of Guelph’s Ontario Veterinary School conduct research to improve health and wellbeing of animals, people and ecosystems. Their research focuses on a wide range of topics from cancer biology to infectious diseases to reproductive biology. 

Canada’s other universities include Université de Montréal, University of Calgary, University of Alberta, University of Prince Edward Island and University of Saskatchewan.

Many of Europe’s best veterinary schools are found in the United Kingdom, including Royal Veterinary College, University of London: the largest and oldest established veterinary school in the English-speaking world, which earns an impressive score for academic reputation this year. 

Other UK universities performing well this year are The University of Bristol, The University of Cambridge and The University of Liverpool.

Italy's universities in the rankings this year include University of Pisa and University of Milan. 

The Netherlands, Germany, and Spain each have multiple representatives in this year’s veterinary school rankings. The Netherlands’ Utrecht University and Wageningen University and Research perform notably well.

Switzerland, Sweden, Ireland, Finland, Austria, and Denmark all are featured in the rankings this year. Switzerland’s Vetsuisse Faculty Bern and Zurich and Denmark’s University of Copenhagen are both top institutions worth considering.

The University of Sydney is one of the leading places to study veterinary science in Australia. Other notable universities include The University of Melbourne, The University of Queensland, Murdoch University and The University of Adelaide.

New Zealand's Massey University earns a high score in the employer reputation and the citations per paper indicators, reflecting the quality of the research produced by the institution's faculty. 

Brazil’s Universidade de São Paulo scored highly for employer reputation this year, suggesting that a degree in veterinary sciences from this university is highly valued and increases a student’s employability. 

Other top schools within Latin America include Brazil’s UNESP and Mexico’s Universidad Nacional Autonóma de México.

Japan’s The University of Tokyo offers veterinary medicine courses which cover a wide range of life sciences including medicine for animals and biology of mammals and higher vertebrates.

Other veterinary science universities in Asia include Malaysia’s Universiti Putra Malaysia and South Korea’s Seoul National University.

For more information on veterinary science, visit our subject guide.