What is Youth Pre-vet BootCAMP?
UGA Youth Pre-vet BootCAMP VetCAMP (YPB) is designed for middle school eighth graders, high school freshmen, and high school sophomores who are interested in exploring their passion and curiosity in veterinary medicine. All materials must be received by or before Friday, September 25, 2026.
While programming at UGA’s College of Veterinary Medicine is predominantly focused on high school juniors, high school seniors, and college students, the goal of YPB is to build on essential skills of young pre-vet students and educate students and chaperones through interactive workshops focused on veterinary medicine. The program will be held on Saturday, November 7th for the first time at the UGA College of Veterinary Medicine. YPB students will interact with veterinary medicine representatives including professors, veterinarians, student Ambassadors, vet students, and staff.
UGA Youth Pre-vet BootCAMP 2026 will be hosted Saturday, November 7, 2026.
The application period for YPB 2025 is open from December 20, 2025 – September 25, 2026.
ALL Applicants will be notified of decisions via the student’s primary email and secondary email by Friday, October 2, 2026.
To apply:
- Complete an online application here
- Students/Parents/Guardians should NOT email our office to ask if we have received their submitted/completed online application. Once the application is submitted, you will see a confirmation message within the application form that says “Thank you for your submission. You have successfully submitted your application for UGA Youth Pre-vet Bootcamp (YPB)! This will serve as your confirmation that the online application portion is complete.” While we share this within our form, we still have students/parents/guardians who will email our office to ask if we received the student’s application or to say they did not receive “an email” that said their application was submitted.” Due to a high volume of recommendations and applications, we do not have time to “verify” or “confirm” if we received your submitted/completed application. All applicants will receive a confirmation message within the form once they submit their application. Seeing that confirmation message within the online application is your confirmation that you have submitted your application and it simultaneously confirms we have received your application
- The last question of the online application asks for you to upload your video to YouTube. Often times, our office is contacted by students/parents/guardians because a student may have submitted their application accidentally due to not realizing the application’s last question. We understand that some may want to review the online application to see all questions and information asked, before they are ready to submit a complete application. Due to these issues, we are sharing the last question of the application so students/parents/guardians can avoid accidental application submissions, which lead to duplicate applications
- Within the application, you will need to
- Submit a quality jpg headshot or jpg photo
- Answer three short essay questions in your YouTube video
- Describe your greatest personality trait and how it will contribute to your future success?
- Share and explain how and why you have an interest in being a veterinarian?
- Why should you be selected?
- Submit an unlisted YouTube video, no more than 3 minutes long to introduce yourself, while answering the three essay questions
If selected (Do NOT complete this unless you were accepted to participate as a 2026 YPB participant):
- Complete the Student Selection Form here
- Complete and sign all waivers and documents with student and/or parent/guardian signatures
- Submit the $20 student deposit and $20 chaperone deposit
What is VetCAMP?
VetCAMP (Veterinary Career Aptitude and Mentoring Program) is an intensive weeklong summer program for high school students (10th – 12th grade AND must be 16 years old by the start date of the summer camp) at the UGA campus in Athens. Established in 2011, UGA VetCAMP was the first pre-vet summer camps established among the veterinarian schools and colleges in the US. At VetCAMP, students experience veterinary medicine – and will be involved in activities aimed at evaluating their skills and competitiveness as future veterinarians. The week is filled with visits and hands-on learning at our veterinary teaching hospital, diagnostic labs, and the Poultry Diagnostic and Research Center — and highlighted by a behind-the-scenes tour of a veterinary medicine field trip. In addition, campers learn about what vet school is all about – from admissions to classes, to the wide variety of career paths veterinary medicine has to offer! Applicants must be from the United States.
UGA VetCAMP 2026 will be hosted May 31 – June 6, 2026.
The application period for VetCAMP 2026 is open from June 25, 2025 – January 20, 2026.
ALL Applicants will be notified of decisions (accepted, waitlisted, non-selected) via email by Friday, February 6, 2026 (at the latest). Please make sure the student’s primary email and optional secondary email is typed carefully and accurately since our office will use both emails to share decision statuses with ALL students. Please google steps to make sure [email protected] is added to your email contacts and/or not sent to spam folders. If a student does NOT hear about their decision status by or before February 6. 2026, the email may have been incorrectly typed or sent to spam.
Check out our UGA VetCAMP 2025 Closing Ceremony Video and the 7-Day Summer Residency Video!
To apply:
- Have ONE teacher or counselor complete a recommendation form here
- Recommenders can submit this form at anything and does not require waiting for the student to complete the online application
- This recommendation form does NOT require submission of a letter or uploading a letter to our form – this makes completing a recommendation form easier and more efficient for the recommender
- Students/Parents/Guardians should NOT ask our office if they can submit more than ONE recommendation. We will require and only accept ONE recommendation on your behalf. IF your intended recommender experiences unexpected circumstances that cause a delay on completing a recommendation form for you, simply ask someone else to complete the recommendation form on your behalf
- Students should NOT email our office to ask if their recommender has submitted/completed a recommendation form on their behalf. Please simply ask your recommender if they completed the recommendation form. Due to a high volume of recommendations and applications, we do not have time to “verify” or “confirm” if your recommender completed the recommendation. All recommenders will see a confirmation message within the form once they submit their recommendation.
- Complete an online application here
- Students/Parents/Guardians should NOT email our office to ask if we have received their submitted/completed online application. Once the application is submitted, you will see a confirmation message within the application form that says “Thank you for your submission. You have successfully submitted your application for VetCAMP! This will serve as your confirmation that the online application portion is complete.” While we share this within our form, we still have students/parents/guardians who will email our office to ask if we received the student’s application or to say they did not receive “an email” that said their application was submitted.” Due to a high volume of recommendations and applications, we do not have time to “verify” or “confirm” if we received your submitted/completed application. All applicants will receive a confirmation message within the form once they submit their application. Seeing that confirmation message within the online application is your confirmation that you have submitted your application and it simultaneously confirms we have received your application
- The last question of the online application states “I certify that all the information and statements above are accurate to the best of my knowledge. Please type your full name below.” Often times, our office is contacted by students/parents/guardians because a student may have submitted their application accidentally due to not realizing the application’s last question. We understand that some may want to review the online application to see all questions and information asked, before they are ready to submit a complete application. Due to these issues, we are sharing the last question of the application so students/parents/guardians can avoid accidental application submissions, which lead to duplicate applications
- Within the application, you will need to
- Upload your unofficial transcript via the online application
- Submit a quality jpg headshot or jpg photo
- Answer three short essay questions in your YouTube video
- How do you believe veterinarians contribute to the larger society?
- What qualities would you hope to bring as an aspiring veterinarian?
- Why should you be selected?
- Submit an unlisted YouTube video, no more than 3 minutes long to introduce yourself, while answering the three essay questions
2025 VetCAMP Application YouTube Video Samples (permission given by students and/or families):
- Watch Jacob’s video from last year!
- Watch Hannah’s video from last year!
- Watch Gaby’s video from last year!
- Watch Diego’s video from last year!
- Watch Ava’s video from last year!
- Watch Trey’s video from last year!
- Watch Valentina’s video from last year!
- Watch Chase’s video from last year!
If selected (Do NOT complete these forms unless you were accepted to participate in VetCAMP 2026):
- Complete the Student Selection Form here
- Complete and sign all waivers and documents with student and/or parent/guardian signatures
- Complete the Excitement and Nerves Form here
- Complete the Roommate and Residence Survey here
- Complete the VetCAMP’s Got Talent Survey here
- Submit the 2026 VetCAMP $1000 student deposit (the VetCAMP 2027 student deposit will increase to $1200)
- The student deposit contributes to purchasing scrubs, shirts, backpacks, student supplies and materials, veterinary medical instruments and materials, meal plan, transportation, travel, and housing
- Limited, partial scholarships may be provided for students who experience financial hardship as defined by criteria in the Student Selection Form. However, there is no guarantee partial scholarships will be available each year or awarded to selected students in need, due to solely meeting eligibility of hardship criteria
- Criteria and details on limited partial scholarships will NOT be communicated to applicants or the applicant’s recommenders and parents/guardians. Only selected participants will receive further details, after they have been accepted to VetCAMP. Due to a high volume of applications, our office will wait until the application review process is complete so we can focus on communicating partial scholarship details to those who were accepted and meet the criteria requirements to apply for partial scholarships, if eligible
Application and program deadlines
- January – all application materials must be received
- February – applicants are notified of our decision via email
- March – program fee for accepted applicants is due
- April – full refund of program fee, less a $20 administrative fee, if cancellation is received by specified date at 8PM EDT
- May – refund of 50% of program fee, less a $20 administrative fee, if the cancellation request is received by specified date at 8PM EDT
