What Vet Camp Offers

The Gator Vet Camp recognizes talented high students and provides them with enriching academic and personal exposure to Veterinary Medicine profession and college life. The rigorous activities, shared experiences, and challenging exercises enable participants to identify courses important for college readiness and explore careers in Veterinary

Medicine. Gator Vet Camp is a part of the College of Veterinary Medicine’s commitment to provide a diverse and inclusive learning environment through aggressive recruiting of underserved and historically underrepresented communities.

As a participant in the Gator Vet Camp you will get the opportunity to:

• Tour the College of Veterinary Medicine and their various facilities
• Practice clinical skills
• Work with current Vet Med faculty, staff, and students on independent projects
• Learn about little known specialties in veterinary medicine such as wildlife, large animal, fish, and more!

Program Cost & Fees

*This program does NOT count towards tuition reimbursement programs like Florida Prepaid*

The amount of personal spending money required for the program varies. Participants should not bring large amounts of cash to the program.  Instead, families should arrange for students to have a debit, prepaid card, or credit card. Students should budget for the following:

• Souvenirs from the UF bookstore and fieldtrips
• Transportation: cost for travel to and from Gainesville are the responsibility of the students and their families.
• Dorm equipment: bedding, toiletries 

About Financial Aid/ Scholarships

Limited financial aid may be available for students attending a Florida high school. Financial Aid Applications will be sent if the student is accepted into the program. Students are encouraged to apply regardless of ability to pay.  

The ability to pay is not considered in the program selection process, but students may have the non-refundable deposit waived if the request for financial aid is submitted with the application.

The number of need-based scholarships vary year-to-year, and we cannot predict how many awards will be granted each year; however, we try very hard to help students with a strong financial need attend our program.  Students are encouraged to also secure their own funding.  Students have had success in receiving fully funded scholarships from local businesses, corporations, service and community organizations, and personal donations.

About Applying

Applicants must create an account in our online application portal in order to apply for any student programs offered by UF CPET. The online application portal will open January 5, 2026. All components are submitted using the online application process unless noted. After all the below components of the application are completed, student must log into their account and SUBMIT their application. We strongly warn against last-minute submissions due to frequent technical hurdles that can easily make an application late, leading to rejection.

Students currently in the 9th, 10th, or 11th grade are eligible for Gator Vet Camp.  There are no exceptions to the grade policy.  There is no minimum GPA to apply.

You can only participate once in your lifetime.  Due to high demand and the introductory nature of the program, any student who has participated already in Gator Vet Camp (including 10th and 11th graders, who will now be seniors) are not eligible to attend again.   If you applied previously but were NOT accepted, you are eligible and encouraged to apply.

A GVC Application consists of the following:

• User Information: Provide applicant and parent/guardian contact information.
• Application Form:  Additional information as well as answering writing prompts. You will submit an unlisted YouTube video, no more than 3 minutes long to introduce yourself, while answering the three prompt questions
  • Prompt 1: What qualities do you hope to bring as an aspiring veterinarian?
  • Prompt 2: Why should you be selected?
  • Prompt 3: What extracurricular or leadership opportunities have you been involved in.
• Endorsement Form: One online Endorsement Form filled out and submitted by a high-school or college-level math, science, research, or computer science teacher or mentor is required.
  • We encourage you to ask a teacher or mentor who knows you well in a subject area you would like to pursue while you are here.
  • Endorsers will receive an automated request from noreply@smapply.io once a student has requested an endorsement in their online application. However, we recommend that students contact their teacher prior to filling out the online request.
  • If they do not receive an email from our system, please double-check that you have their correct email address before contacting us. This is the #1 reason why teachers do not receive the endorsement form.

Guidance Counselor Form: Online Guidance Counselor Form filled out and submitted by your current guidance counselor.

• • By providing your guidance counselor's information, you grant permission for us to ask your guidance counselor if you have a disciplinary record.
  • Your guidance counselor will be sent an automated email with the guidance counselor Form. However, it is your responsibility to communicate with your guidance counselor regarding this request. Your guidance counselor will receive an automated request from noreply@smapply.io
  • If they do not receive an email from our system, please double-check that you have entered their correct email address before contacting us. This is the #1 reason why guidance counselors do not receive the form.
• High School Transcript:  Submit your unofficial transcript with grades till this past fall semester via the application portal (Either as a .PDF, .JPG, or .PNG). An official transcript may be asked of you to submit at a later point in time once accepted. 
• Application Fee:  The link to pay the $25 Application Fee is available on the application in the fee payment step.  Students attending a Florida High School who qualify may request an Application Fee Waiver.
• *Task Approval Process: In the application portal, students are required to acknowledge the requirement of each of these “offline” portions by clicking “submit for approval”. The CPET office will log receipt of each requirement.  After the requirement is logged, students will need to complete the section by clicking “complete” in the on-line portal.  After all portions are complete, students can then submit their full application.

If I am in a Pre-Vet Program and/or Volunteer at a Vet's Office, does that help my chances of getting in?

The Gator Vet Camp is very popular and therefore attracts student applicants from all over the state.  We understand that many students also are already exploring their passion for Veterinary Medicine already through pre-vet programs at schools and/or volunteering with local veterinary offices.  We encourage you to make note of this in your application, however please note that this program is designed to serve students both who have experience and do not have veterinary experience.   

Each applicant is reviewed and selections are made by the overall candidate profile submitted through the applications process.  

Notifications

The application deadline is Friday, February 27th at 12:00 PM EST. We strongly warn against last-minute submissions due to frequent technical hurdles that can easily make an application late, leading to rejection; we recommend submitting at least three days early to allow time for corrections and validation, as errors found After the deadline or technical issues determined at or near 12:00 PM on the deadline date are not valid reasons for lateness. 

Students will receive automated emails from noreply@smapply.io to the “Student’s E-mail Address” provided on the application confirming his or her application in complete. It is the student’s responsibility to provide a working email address and check that email address regularly for communication from the program. 

Once the applications are received, they are reviewed by our Selection Committee.  This review process can take 3 or more weeks, so please be patient.  Each member of our committee carefully reads each application, transcript, and teacher endorsement we receive.  This process takes time.  Frequent calls can slow this process.  Once we have reached a decision, we will send out an email through our online application portal.  

Participant Selection: Notification of Selection will be made via email to the student email address provided on the application. Failure to respond to email in a timely manner may result in the student being placed on the wait list.

• Students invited to participate are required to respond to the invitation within 14 days of the E-Mail being sent.  
• Students invited to attend, but not ready to commit to may defer his or her invitation.

The student may be placed on a waitlist if not invited during the first time their application is reviewed.

• This is an active waitlist, and applications will continue to be reviewed until the program is filled.  Students must confirm their place on the waitlist to continue being considered.  The waitlist is not ranked.

If you are not selected for the program, we wish you luck on your future endeavors. We do not provide or give comments or feedback on applications

The UCPET staff abide by FERPA and University application standards and therefore do not discuss applications, applicant data (individual or aggregated), nor selection with students or parents.  Once an application is submitted, students may view and download, but not edit, their application through the online portal.

*Please note that applicants, not their parents, receive all correspondence from our office.  It is the student’s responsibility to provide a working email address and check that email address regularly for communication from UF CPET.  Failure to respond to email in a timely manner may result in the student being placed on the wait list. At any time, applicants and parent “collaborators” may check on acceptance status in the on-line portal. *