Accreditation & Licensure

Accreditation Status

The Council on Education of the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) accredits Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) or equivalent educational programs at colleges or schools of Veterinary Medicine. In accordance with Section 9.4 (Reporting to the Community) of the Accreditation Policies and Procedures of the AVMA Council on Education (May 2018), each college of veterinary medicine must notify the public of its performance in educating veterinarians by posting on its website 1) the accreditor (AVMA COE), accreditation status of the college, and the date of the next site visit and 2) an explanation of the reasons for non-compliance if probationary accreditation has been assigned.

Following the most recent site visit by a team from the AVMA Council on Education in October 2015, the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine was granted full accreditation in 2016.  The AVMA COE reported no areas of non-compliance and UFCVM has retained full accreditation status since that time.  Accreditation site visits for schools with full accreditation typically occur on a seven-year cycle, so the next accreditation site visit should take place in 2022.

State Licensure

The practice of veterinary medicine is controlled by a central agency in each state. In Florida, that agency is the Florida Board of Veterinary Medicine, which is under the jurisdiction of the State Department of Professional Regulation. The State of Florida does require candidates to have passed the National Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners prior to state licensure. The Florida Board of Veterinary Medicine website provides the most up to date information regarding application procedures, review materials, fees, testing center contacts and other details for the state of Florida. The State of Florida offers the candidate the opportunity to schedule the state licensure examination at various computer testing locations at the candidate’s convenience, once an application has been approved. Information about other state licensing boards is available at the American Association of Veterinary State Boards website.

USDA Accreditation

Veterinary students may participate in a validation procedure that enables the practicing veterinarian to participate in state and federal disease control eradication programs and to issue health certificates. For our students’ convenience, we will schedule a day for USDA accreditation at the college the fall of senior year.

DEA Registration

To ensure compliance with the Drug Enforcement Administration, licensed veterinarians should register with the DEA (details at the link above). The AVMA has resources available specifically concerning veterinarian compliance with the Controlled Substance Act and the DEA.