The French ENV competitive exam accepts 6.5% of candidates. Betting everything on it means gambling your vocation. This page helps you build a real portfolio of applications — several schools, several countries, real backups — without doing it recklessly.
Schools within the EU + UK + Switzerland: your degree is automatically recognised in France (Directive 2005/36/EC + post-Brexit bilateral agreements). You can practise directly by registering with the veterinary board.
Schools outside the EU (e.g. South Africa, Argentina, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, USA): your degree is NOT automatically recognised. To practise in the EU you will need to go through a recognition procedure at the Ministry of Agriculture — dossier + possibly knowledge-verification tests (2 years in practice). Do not underestimate this.
Our position: non-EU only makes sense in 3 cases — (1) you want to live there, (2) you're already bilingual and on a tight budget, (3) every EU door has genuinely closed. Otherwise, prioritise the EU.
Pick the one that matches your situation. Each profile = 1 priority school + 3-5 backups + a battle plan.
For whom: you want to practise in France, French is your main language, you're aiming for the ENV competition first but don't want to gamble your future on a single procedure.
The battle plan: ENV common competition (280 seats) + UniLaSalle Rouen (Parcoursup, private selection) + Belgian French backup (ULiège) + French-speaking Romania (Cluj) + English-language premium option (Budapest UVMB).
For whom: your English / Spanish / Italian is solid, you're ready to leave for 5-6 years, and you want to maximise chances while keeping a degree recognised across the EU.
The battle plan: apply in 3-4 different countries (UK, Spain, Italy, Hungary, Slovakia…). Admission criteria vary (MMI vs EBAU vs competition vs dossier) — you can find a system that fits you. Cost varies from €7,900/yr (Brno) to €12,480/yr (Budapest).
For whom: special cases only — you're already bilingual in English, you want to live where you study, or every EU door has closed and budget is very tight.
The battle plan: Pretoria (South Africa, English BVSc) is the only non-EU option we document — recognised by RCVS (UK), AVBC (Australia/NZ), SAVC (SA). ⚠️ Not automatically recognised in the EU. Count 1-2 extra years of procedure to come back and practise in the EU.
Overview table of the 39 active schools on BecomingVet. Sort and filter by what fits you.
| School | Country | Type | EU recognition | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Liège — Faculty of Veterinary Medicine | 🇧🇪 BE | Public | ✅ Auto | Open → |
| University of Veterinary Sciences Brno — Faculty of Veterinary Medicine | 🇨🇿 CZ | Public | ✅ Auto | Open → |
| CEU Cardenal Herrera University | 🇪🇸 ES | Private | ✅ Auto | Open → |
| Complutense University of Madrid — Faculty of Veterinary Medicine | 🇪🇸 ES | Public | ✅ Auto | Open → |
| University of Extremadura | 🇪🇸 ES | Public | ✅ Auto | Open → |
| University of León | 🇪🇸 ES | Public | ✅ Auto | Open → |
| University of Murcia | 🇪🇸 ES | Public | ✅ Auto | Open → |
| Autonomous University of Barcelona — Faculty of Veterinary Medicine | 🇪🇸 ES | Public | ✅ Auto | Open → |
| Alfonso X el Sabio University | 🇪🇸 ES | Private | ✅ Auto | Open → |
| Catholic University of Murcia | 🇪🇸 ES | Private | ✅ Auto | Open → |
| University of Córdoba — Faculty of Veterinary Medicine | 🇪🇸 ES | Public | ✅ Auto | Open → |
| Catholic University of Valencia "San Vicente Mártir" | 🇪🇸 ES | Private | ✅ Auto | Open → |
| European University of Madrid | 🇪🇸 ES | Private | ✅ Auto | Open → |
| University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria | 🇪🇸 ES | Public | ✅ Auto | Open → |
| University of Zaragoza — Faculty of Veterinary Medicine | 🇪🇸 ES | Public | ✅ Auto | Open → |
| University of Santiago de Compostela | 🇪🇸 ES | Public | ✅ Auto | Open → |
| National Veterinary Schools of France (ENV) — Post-Bac entry | 🇫🇷 FR | Public | ✅ Auto | Open → |
| University of Bristol | 🇬🇧 GB | Public | ✅ Auto | Open → |
| University of Cambridge | 🇬🇧 GB | Public | ✅ Auto | Open → |
| Harper & Keele Veterinary School (Harper Adams University + Keele University) | 🇬🇧 GB | Public | ✅ Auto | Open → |
| University of Liverpool | 🇬🇧 GB | Public | ✅ Auto | Open → |
| University of Nottingham | 🇬🇧 GB | Public | ✅ Auto | Open → |
| Royal Veterinary College (University of London) | 🇬🇧 GB | Public | ✅ Auto | Open → |
| University of Surrey | 🇬🇧 GB | Public | ✅ Auto | Open → |
| University of Lancashire (formerly University of Central Lancashire / UCLan) | 🇬🇧 GB | Public | ✅ Auto | Open → |
| University of Zagreb — Faculty of Veterinary Medicine | 🇭🇷 HR | Public | ✅ Auto | Open → |
| University of Veterinary Medicine Budapest | 🇭🇺 HU | Public | ✅ Auto | Open → |
| University College Dublin | 🇮🇪 IE | Public | ✅ Auto | Open → |
| University of Bari Aldo Moro — Veterinary Medicine | 🇮🇹 IT | Public | ✅ Auto | Open → |
| University of Bologna — Veterinary Medicine | 🇮🇹 IT | Public | ✅ Auto | Open → |
| University of Camerino — Veterinary Medicine | 🇮🇹 IT | Public | ✅ Auto | Open → |
| University of Messina — Veterinary Medicine | 🇮🇹 IT | Public | ✅ Auto | Open → |
| University of Milan (La Statale) | 🇮🇹 IT | Public | ✅ Auto | Open → |
| University of Naples Federico II | 🇮🇹 IT | Public | ✅ Auto | Open → |
| University of Padua | 🇮🇹 IT | Public | ✅ Auto | Open → |
| University of Parma | 🇮🇹 IT | Public | ✅ Auto | Open → |
| USAMV Cluj-Napoca — Faculty of Veterinary Medicine | 🇷🇴 RO | Public | ✅ Auto | Open → |
| University of Veterinary Medicine and Pharmacy in Košice | 🇸🇰 SK | Public | ✅ Auto | Open → |
| University of Pretoria — Faculty of Veterinary Science (Onderstepoort) | 🇿🇦 ZA | Public | ⚠️ Procedure | Open → |
One application = one lottery ticket. Several applications in several countries = a real plan. We invent no numbers: every school has its official source cited on its page. We say what works, what doesn't, and why.