If you’re an animal lover, a career as a veterinarian can be deeply rewarding. However, you may end up with significant student loan debt after earning your Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), 2025 veterinary school graduates with debt owed an average of $212,499 upon graduation.
Debt of this magnitude can take a long time to pay off, but there are programs that can help make repayment more manageable. Here’s a closer look at the average vet school debt and costs, plus tips on how to manage your veterinary student loan debt.
Table of Contents
- Overview of Veterinary Education Costs
- Current Average Student Loan Debt for Veterinarians
- Factors Influencing Veterinary Student Loan Debt
- Trends in Veterinary Student Loan Debt
- Impact of Student Loan Debt on Veterinarians
- Career Choices and Specializations
- Strategies for Managing Veterinary Student Loan Debt
- FAQ
Key Points
• Veterinary school graduates face significant student loan debt, averaging $212,499 for the class of 2025.
• The cost of veterinary school can exceed $200,000 for in-state students and $275,000 for out-of-state students.
• Strategies to manage veterinary student loan debt include income-driven repayment plans, loan forgiveness opportunities, and refinancing.
• Loan repayment programs are available for vets, such as the USDA’s Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program.
• Veterinary graduates have strong prospects for employment after graduation and earn an average starting salary of $129,000.
Overview of Veterinary Education Costs
Veterinary school typically spans four years after an individual earns an undergraduate degree and costs an average of more than $200,000 for in-state residents and $275,000 for out-of-state students, according to the Veterinary Information Network Foundation.
The American Association of Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) found that resident four-year tuition ranges from $78,588 to $259,720. While these figures reflect tuition rates, there are additional costs involved with paying for vet school. These include room and board, transportation, books, and other living expenses.
For nonresidents, total costs can range anywhere from $200,740 to $389,251, according to the AAVMC.
Current Average Student Loan Debt for Veterinarians
Given the high cost of veterinary school tuition, it’s not surprising that vet school debt reaches well into six-figure territory.
National Average Student Debt Figures
In 2025, the national average student debt among all veterinary school graduates was $174,484. Among the veterinary school graduates who took out student loans, the average veterinary student debt was higher at $212,499.
For some of these graduates, student loan refinancing might be an option worth considering to help make repaying their vet school debt more manageable, especially if they can qualify for lower interest rates and better loan terms.
Comparison to Other Medical Professions
While the average veterinary student debt is high, it’s not the highest among medical professions. Here’s how veterinary debt compares to the average debt of a bachelor’s degree and other medical programs.
| Program | Average Debt |
|---|---|
| Bachelor’s | $35,639 |
| Pharmacy school | $170,444 |
| Veterinary school | $212,499 |
| Medical school | $216,659 |
| Dental school | $280,700 |
Recommended: Student Loan Debt by Major
Factors Influencing Veterinary Student Loan Debt
The main factors that influence student debt for veterinarians are the high cost of veterinary school, the price of room and board, and in-state vs. out-of-state tuition rates.
Cost of Veterinary School
Four years of veterinary school can cost more than $200,000 for in-state residents and over $275,000 for out-of-state residents. The majority of veterinary students (over 80%) borrow student loans to cover costs.
Some factors that can influence how much you have to pay to become a veterinarian include:
• In-state vs. out-of-state tuition rates: Tuition rates are lower at public veterinary schools for in-state residents and higher for out-of-state residents. The highest costs are generally at private veterinary schools.
• Cost of living in your location: Along with tuition and fees, you have to factor in living expenses. These expenses may be a lot higher in an urban area than a rural one and can vary widely depending on where your school is located.
• Room and board: Costs for housing and food are another major expense. You can save money by commuting or sharing an apartment with roommates as well as by buying your own groceries over paying for a university meal plan.
• Grant and scholarship availability: Grants and scholarships can help defray the costs of veterinary school and don’t have to be repaid, but they can be competitive. Apply to as many opportunities as you can to try to access this gift aid for school. Don’t forget to submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), which helps you receive access to federal financial aid.
• Personal savings: If you have savings you can put toward veterinary school, such as money in a 529 college savings plan, you may not have to borrow as much in student loans.
Trends in Veterinary Student Loan Debt
While the average veterinary school debt is high and has risen since 2023, it decreased in previous years. In 2022, the average student debt for all graduates was down by more than 6% from 2020. Among student loan borrowers, it was down 5% from 2020.
Total debt-to-income ratios improved somewhat in 2022, meaning that veterinary graduates were slightly better able to pay off their student loans than in previous years. In 2025, the average ratio was 1.4-to-1 for graduates who started working full-time, the same as in 2024. That means for every $1 earned in gross annual income, grads owed $1.40. The average graduate with a salary of $100,000, for example, might owe $140,000 in veterinary school debt.
Impact of Student Loan Debt on Veterinarians
Although student loan debt can be a major financial burden for veterinarians, it’s not their top motivating factor when choosing an offer of employment. According to a 2024 AVMA survey, most new graduates (82%) said they chose their jobs for the mentorship opportunities.
After that, the top reasons for selecting an employment offer were location, people, and compensation.
Career Choices and Specializations
Veterinarians have strong prospects for employment after graduation, with about 88% receiving an offer for a job or position in advanced education after leaving school. Most graduates go into private practice, followed by internships and then public practice.
In 2024, the distribution of new graduates accepting positions was:
• Private practice: 65.1%
• Internships: 27.6%
• Public practice: 2.6%
For the class of 2025, the percentage of graduates who chose to work with companion animals was the greatest (72.6%), followed by those who went into mixed animal practice (10.9%), equine practice (7.9%), and food animal practice (3.2%).
The average starting compensation was $129,000 among 2025 veterinary graduates who got a full-time job.
This is how much a veterinarian makes on average, broken down by job type:
• Private practice: $131,210
• Public practice: $105,829
• Residencies: $54,847
• Internships: $56,705
Some veterinarians also scored additional compensation in the form of signing bonuses and other benefits:
| Benefit | Percentage that received benefit | Average benefit amount |
|---|---|---|
| Signing bonus | 61% | $19,777 |
| Moving allowance | 37% | $5,688 |
| Student loan repayment | 15% | $15,628 |
| Housing allowance | 3% | $11,464 |
Strategies for Managing Veterinary Student Loan Debt
If you owe veterinary student loans, here are some strategies that can help you pay off your debt:
• Explore loan forgiveness and repayment assistance programs: You may qualify for student loan assistance from a federal or state program depending on where you work. For instance, the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program is available to veterinarians working in shelters, zoos, or aquariums, as military veterinarians, or in other public service jobs. The USDA’s Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program offers up to $40,000 in student loan help each year to vets committed to working in shortage areas for at least three years. This student loan forgiveness guide can help you discover other forgiveness opportunities that may be available to you.
Some states also have student loan repayment assistance programs (LRAPs) for veterinarians who work in high-need areas. Unlike federal programs, state LRAPs may offer assistance toward both federal and private student loans.
• Compare repayment plan options: If you owe federal student loans, as of January 2026 you have several repayment plans to choose from, including the standard 10-year plan, the extended 25-year plan, and income-driven repayment plans. (Repayment plans are changing for loans disbursed after June 2026.) Income-driven plans can be helpful if you need to adjust your monthly payments in accordance with your income. The Income-Based (IBR) plan can also end in loan forgiveness if you still owe a balance after 20 or 25 years.
• Make extra loan payments to get out of debt faster: If you can afford it, making extra payments on your veterinary student loan debt can speed up repayment. It can also save you money on interest, which can be helpful because federal student loan interest rates have generally increased over the past four years, though rates for the 2025-2026 school year have seen a small decrease since the previous year.
• Look into student loan refinancing: Refinancing your student loans may help you get a better interest rate if you qualify, which could save you a significant amount of money on your loans. You’ll also get the chance to combine multiple loans into one loan and select new repayment terms. Keep in mind, though, that you may pay more interest over the life of the loan if you refinance with an extended term, and refinancing federal loans turns them private, meaning you’ll forfeit access to federal benefits and programs.
The Takeaway
Working as a veterinarian is an exciting career choice with solid employment prospects, but earning your degree comes with costly tuition and potentially high student loan debt. If you end up borrowing student loans, consider strategies for managing your debt, such as income-driven repayment, student loan assistance programs, or refinancing student loans for better rates or terms if you qualify for them.
Looking to lower your monthly student loan payment? Refinancing may be one way to do it — by extending your loan term, getting a lower interest rate than what you currently have, or both. (Please note that refinancing federal loans makes them ineligible for federal forgiveness and protections. Also, lengthening your loan term may mean paying more in interest over the life of the loan.) SoFi student loan refinancing offers flexible terms that fit your budget.
FAQ
What is the current average student loan debt for veterinarians?
The current average student debt for veterinarians is $174,484 among all graduates and $212,499 among graduates who have taken out student loans.
How long does it typically take to repay student loans for veterinary school?
It can take a decade or longer to repay student loans for veterinary school. The current standard repayment plan in January 2026 spans 10 years, and alternative repayment options may last 20 or 25 years. You can look into loan forgiveness programs and loan repayment programs for help repaying your loans if you’re eligible.
Are there loan forgiveness or repayment programs specifically for veterinarians?
Yes, there are loan repayment programs specifically for veterinarians. The USDA’s Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program is a national program that offers up to $40,000 in student loan repayment each year to vets who work in a shortage area for at least three years. Some states also offer student loan repayment assistance programs to qualifying veterinarians, so check with your state to see what’s available.
Photo credit: iStock/Mr Vito
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