Texas Tech's veterinary school receives accreditation

The Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine in Amarillo has received full accreditation from the American Veterinary Medical Association Council on Education (COE).¹ The school, which graduated its inaugural class in May 2025,² is now one of 31 fully accredited veterinary schools in the US.^1,3

“This achievement marks a defining moment for Texas Tech University and for veterinary education in Texas,” Lawrence Schovanec, PhD, president of Texas Tech University, said in a new release.¹ “Accreditation affirms the quality of our faculty, the dedication of our students and the innovative model that has guided the School of Veterinary Medicine from the beginning.”

The veterinary school received a Letter of Reasonable Assurance from the CEO in 2020, which allowed Texas Tech to proceed with opening the new institution.⁴ The following year, provisional accreditation status was granted by the COE.²

Guy Loneragan, BVSc, PhD, dean of the School of Veterinary Medicine, said the accreditation is “something truly historic” for the institution. “Across well over a century of veterinary education in the US, we are now one of a select few,” Loneragan said, in the release.¹ “At the core of this achievement is the belief in our purpose, and a belief in providing opportunity for those who will achieve this purpose – our students.”

The establishment of a veterinary school at Texas Tech was a concept for 50 years before the inaugural class was welcomed in 2021. An earlier incarnation of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) first met in 1971 to discuss the feasibility of a veterinary school, and later voted to approve such a program at Texas Tech. The approval for then-planned School of Veterinary and Zoological Medicine lapsed after funds were not appropriated for it.⁵

Although interest was demonstrated over the intervening years, the effort to open the current veterinary school was started in 2014. The THECB recommended consideration for Texas Tech’s proposal to create a veterinary school and confirmed its establishment 2 years. According to Texas Tech, the school was primarily created to serve the rural and regional communities in need of veterinary care and to provide access to education for prospective veterinary students. This time, funds were appropriated by the state’s legislature for a new veterinary school, leading to its welcoming the inaugural class in 2021.^1,5

“Achieving full accreditation is a tremendous accomplishment for the School of Veterinary Medicine and one that has taken a team of faculty, staff and students years to achieve,” John Dascanio, VMD, DACT, DABVP, a professor of theriogenology in the Texas Tech School of Veterinary Medicine, said in the release.¹ “As the 31st accredited US veterinary program, the school joins an elite group. I am so very proud of all the work everyone has put into this.”

The newly accredited veterinary school can also claim a 97% pass rate on the North American Veterinary Licensing Examination for the 61 veterinary students in Texas Tech’s first graduating class.^1,2 Furthermore, 95% of the inaugural class is practicing veterinary medicine in rural and regional communities. According to Schovanec, the accreditation reinforces the university’s commitment to serving veterinary needs in Texas.¹

References

1. Brooks W. Texas Tech School of Veterinary Medicine earns full accreditation. News release. Texas Tech University. October 21, 2025. https://www.ttu.edu/now/posts/2025/10/texas-tech-school-of-veterinary-medicine-earns-full-accreditation.php?_gl=1*353hzv*_gcl_au*MjEwMzgwNzYwMC4xNzYxMTQ3NTI1*_ga*MTE1MTEzODY0NS4xNzYxMTQ3NTI1*_ga_B27HBMC8B7*czE3NjExNTg3MzMkbzMkZzEkdDE3NjExNTg3NDIkajUxJGwwJGgw*_ga_KYDNSFJH6D*czE3NjExNTg3MzMkbzMkZzEkdDE3NjExNTg3NDMkajUwJGwwJGgw
2. Crossley KC. Texas Tech graduates first class of veterinarians. dvm360. May 22, 2025. Accessed October 22, 2025. https://www.dvm360.com/view/texas-tech-graduates-first-class-of-veterinarians
3. Accredited veterinary colleges. American Veterinary Medical Association. 2025. Accessed October 22, 2025. https://www.avma.org/education/center-for-veterinary-accreditation/accredited-veterinary-colleges
4. Our history. Texas Tech School of Veterinary Medicine. September 3, 2025. Accessed October 22, 2025. https://www.depts.ttu.edu/vetschool/about/who-we-are/our-history.php
5. Texas Tech opens new veterinary school. dvm360. October 5, 2020. Accessed October 22, 2025. https://www.dvm360.com/view/texas-tech-opens-new-veterinary-school