Skip navigation

Veterinary Nursing

Course details
  • Bachelor of Science (with Honours)
  • 4 Years
  • Full-Time
  • 28 September 2027
  • Undergraduate
Course location
main site
Awarded by:
The Royal Veterinary College

Course summary

The BSc Veterinary Nursing programme is a full-time, four-year course designed to produce veterinary nurses who have the knowledge and skills to make a significant contribution to animal health and welfare. You will complete 2100 hours of practical training within the first three foundation years of the programme, where you have the opportunity to develop your knowledge and skills within a real-life environment.

At the end of this period, providing you have met the assessment requirements, you will achieve your professional veterinary nursing qualification, accredited by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS). During your final year, you will undertake a research project on an area of clinical interest and choose from a range of innovative modules taught by RVC nurse educators and world-renowned clinicians from the Queen Mother Hospital for Animals. This is a challenging degree course that delivers a broad programme of learning, and offers a fascinating introduction to veterinary nursing.

Modules

Assessment method

The estimated breakdown of assessment for your course is:

  • Written (coursework, tests, essays) - 46.7%

  • Examination (written) – 36.1%

  • Examination (practical) – 7.6%

  • Presentations – 8.8%

  • Project supervisor assessment – 0.8%

Feedback is provided at various points throughout the course and will take many forms from discussion in class, small groups or tutorials. Written feedback will be provided for all summative assessments. Students are encouraged to engage with the resources available to ensure they are successful on the course.

Professional bodies

Professionally accredited courses provide industry-wide recognition of the quality of your qualification.

  • Veterinary Surgeons, Royal College of

How to apply

This course has limited vacancies, and is no longer accepting applications from some students. See the list below for where you normally live, to check if you're eligible to apply.
  • Republic of Ireland does not have vacancies
  • International does not have vacancies
  • EU does not have vacancies
  • United Kingdom does not have vacancies

Apply by
13 January 2027

This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.

Application codes

Course code:
D313
Institution code:
R84
Campus name:
main site

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

  • Year 1

Open days

Entry requirements

Typical qualification requirements

A level
BCC

including Biology at grade B.

We also require a 'pass' in the science practical for each subject, where taking the English curriculum.

Two AS Levels at relevant grades would be accepted in place of one of the further (non-Biology) A Level subjects. General Studies is not accepted.

UCAS Tariff
Not accepted

Scottish Higher

See 'Scottish Advanced Higher'.

Access to HE Diploma
Merit: 24 Pass: 21

Diplomas must be Science based and include a minimum of:

15 Level 3 credits in Biology at Merit or higher;
9 further Level 3 credits at Merit or higher.

It is expected that applicants undertaking the Access to HE Diploma will normally be returning to education after a period of at least three years absence. If have extenuating circumstances which mean you do not fulfil this please contact the Admissions team on admissions@rvc.ac.uk before you submit your application.

GCSE/National 4/National 5

(Only in addition to other qualifications).

A minimum of five GCSEs at grade 4 (C) including:

Mathematics

and at least grade 6 (B) in:

English Language;
6-5 in Combined Science or BC in Science (Double Award) or 6/B in one of: Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Science or Additional Science.

For Scottish applicants:

A minimum of five National 5s at grade C including:

Mathematics

and at least grade B in:

English and Biology, Chemistry or Physics.

Scottish Advanced Higher
BC

including Biology at grade B

in addition to:

3 Highers at grade C or above

and at least five National 5s at grade C including:

Mathematics

and at least grade B in:

English;
Biology, Chemistry or Physics.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

Pass the IB Diploma with 544 in the Higher Level subjects, including Biology at grade 5.

Our standard offer is based on specific subject-grade requirements, rather than a total points score.

Where candidates have not taken GCSEs or an equivalent qualification prior to the IB, they will need:

SL Mathematics at grade 4
SL English A Lang-Lit at grade 5.

Mathematical Studies cannot be accepted in lieu of Mathematics.

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016)
DDM

The following Level 3 Extended Diplomas are also accepted with specific unit requirements (see the RVC website for details):

Pearson 'Applied Science' or 'Applied Science (Biomedical Science)';

Pearson 'Animal Management';

City & Guilds 'Animal Management (Science)'.

Leaving Certificate - Higher Level (Ireland) (first awarded in 2017)
H3H4H4H4H5

including Biology at H3.

If not achieved at H4 as part if the above, O3 required in:

English.

If not achieved as part of the above, O4 required in:

Mathematics.

Welsh Baccalaureate - Advanced Skills Challenge Certificate (first teaching September 2015)
C

Applicants who have achieved this qualification with grade C will be accepted with two A Levels, including:

Biology at grade B;
Another subject of your choice (excl. General Studies) at grade C.

Cambridge International Pre-U Certificate - Principal
M2M3P1

in three Principal Subjects including Biology at grade M2.

Additional entry requirements

Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) / Disclosure Scotland Check
All firm offer holders are required to complete a criminal convictions declaration before enrolling on to this course.
Health Checks
Enrolment will be subject to passing an Occupational Health assessment. Applicants should also read the RCVS' guidance on Day One Competences: https://www.rcvs.org.uk/document-library/rcvs-day-one-skills-for-veterinary-nurses/
Interview
All applicants to this course must attend an interview, if invited, and cannot receive an offer without attending an interview. Interviews usually take place at our Hawkshead campus, normally in late February/March. Invitations to interview are sent by email around 2-3 weeks before the interview date. Once issued, applicants are required to respond to their interview invitation within 5 working days. If invited, it may not be possible to rearrange an interview for a different date, so applicants must ensure they are available for interview before applying and inform us by email of any specific days when they are unavailable. Please note that if you apply to more than one of our Veterinary Nursing courses and your application progresses to the interview stage, you will be invited to attend one interview only which will be used in our assessment of each of your applications.
Other
You will need to have completed the minimum work experience requirements to enter onto the course: A total of 70 hours (e.g. 10 full days) of work experience (paid or voluntary) in one or more small animal or mixed veterinary practices. In addition, we would strongly recommend applicants gain practical experience of handling animals through hands-on animal-related work experience and gaining some experience in this field prior to interview would be advantageous. We are aware that opportunities may differ between candidates and therefore we have no specific hour requirements in this area and there are no specific environments that we require you to gain experience in. If you are looking for experience in this areas, examples of environments you could visit include kennels and catteries (both charities and commercial options), farms, stables, lambing, pet shops, wildlife parks, zoos etc. Preference is given to those who have completed all required work experience by the application deadline. Applications are still encouraged from those whose work experience is ongoing, but to be considered for interview, you must have completed at least 35 hours in a small animal or mixed veterinary practice. Applicants who satisfy our preliminary academic requirements will be sent a Work Experience Form to complete in order for us to gain more information about their work experience placements. Applicants successful in reaching the interview stage will be required to provide references to support the information given on this form. The RVC uses email as the primary method for contacting applicants about their application. Emails may be sent from either admissions@rvc.ac.uk or myapplication@rvc.ac.uk and applicants are strongly encouraged to take the necessary steps to ensure emails from these addresses do not end up in spam or junk inboxes, as the RVC cannot accept responsibility for any applications that are unsuccessful as a result of missed information or deadlines

English language requirements

TestGradeAdditional details
IELTS (Academic)7No less than 6.5 in each component is required

https://www.rvc.ac.uk/study/international-students/english-language-requirements

Historical entry grades data

This section shows the range of grades that students who received offers were previously accepted on to this course with (learn more).

It is designed to support your research but does not guarantee whether you will or won't get a place.

Admissions teams consider various factors, including interviews, subject requirements, and entrance tests. Check all course entry requirements for eligibility.

Not enough data available

We are unable to show previous accepted grades for this course. This could be because the course is new, it's a postgraduate course, there isn't enough historical data, or the provider has opted out of sharing their entry grades data for this course - learn more.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

Per year tuition fees

LocationFeeYear
England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland & Channel Islands£9790*
International£19810*

* This is a provisional fee and subject to change.

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website.

Additional fee information

No additional fees or cost information has been supplied for this course, please contact the provider directly.

Like this page