The University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) School of Veterinary Medicine received a “letter of reasonable assurance” from the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Council on Education, allowing the university to begin recruiting applicants and admitting students for its inaugural doctor of veterinary medicine (DVM) class in June 2027. Once launched, the university’s veterinary program will be the first physically located in Maryland and the second at a historically Black college or university.
Designed to be completed in just three years, UMES’s veterinary degree curriculum integrates case-based instruction, simulation, clinical training, and supervised experiences across university-operated and affiliated clinical sites. Students will be exposed to various species, practice settings, communities, and career pathways across industries such as companion-animal care, agriculture, public health, and research.
“Receiving the Letter of Reasonable Assurance represents a historic milestone for the University of Maryland Eastern Shore and veterinary education in Maryland, allowing UMES to move forward with recruiting and admitting our inaugural class,” said Stanley R. Robertson, dean of the UMES School of Veterinary Medicine. “This achievement reflects years of dedicated planning, collaboration, and the unwavering commitment of our university leadership, faculty, staff, and clinical partners who have worked to make this vision a reality.”
Notably, the letter of reasonable assurance does not confer accreditation, but rather affirms the strength of the university’s plans for establishing its veterinary school. Once the first DVM class has matriculated, the UMES School of Veterinary Medicine will request provisional accreditation and continue through the AVMA Council on Education’s established accreditation review process.
“This affirmation by the accrediting agency positions UMES to meet the nation’s growing need for veterinarians,” said UMES President Heidi M. Anderson. “It gives Marylanders who aspire to become vets the opportunity to train and remain in state, and it creates a durable new source of revenue for the university at a time when the economics of higher education are shifting.”
