2026 VETERINARY STUDENT SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION
Thank you for your interest in the 2026 Mike Dunn, DVM Veterinary Student Scholarship created by Becky Godchaux.
Please read the 2026 Scholarship Rules below, and follow the How to Apply steps below to apply for this scholarship. If you have questions, please make sure you have read the rules and how to apply sections first, then email [email protected].
2026 SCHOLARSHIP RULES:
This scholarship will award two students who apply to and are accepted to the first year of veterinary school, up to $35,000 per year each, for a total of up to $140,000 for the duration of awardee’s attendance at veterinary school, up to four years. You are encouraged to explore the VIN Foundation Apply Smarter Tool to help you determine the cost of veterinary school tuition and fees.
2026 scholarship is exclusively restricted to first-year veterinary students admitted for Fall of 2026 only.
Scholarship is restricted to veterinary students who are committed to practicing companion animal veterinary medicine.
Scholarship awards are to be used for tuition and fees only, paid directly to the awardees’ schools.
This scholarship only funds veterinary students who attend a veterinary school in the United States with estimated total tuition and fees (not including health insurance) at time of award, not estimated to exceed $170,000 for the duration of the program. Final decisions regarding tuition and fee caps are at the sole discretion of the scholarship committee.
Only the first 300 applications will be accepted for consideration. If you are on this webpage, applications are still being accepted.
AI tools are not allowed to be used for application questions and personal statements.
A letter of recommendation is required for the scholarship application to be considered complete. The recommender’s contact information must be included in the initial application submission. Once the application has been submitted, an email will be automatically sent to the recommender with a personalized link for them to submit the letter of recommendation. The applicant will receive an email once a letter of recommendation has been submitted on their behalf. Letters of recommendation must be submitted by October 15, 2025 at 11:59pm PT. Applicants are responsible for ensuring their letter of recommendation is submitted by the due date. Only one letter of recommendation is permitted per applicant.
If an applicant is a top ranked finalist, a video interview is required along with proof of acceptance and commitment to a qualifying veterinary school based on the scholarship rules.
Scholarship recipients are required to participate in a follow-up process to help promote and evaluate the impact of the scholarship. This includes, but is not limited to, providing VIN Foundation with feedback on the scholarship application, and funding process along with supporting outreach efforts for future potential awardees.
Scholarship recipients are required to participate in VIN Foundation mentoring support programs including targeted mentoring support (mental health and financial wellness, and other programs available through VIN Foundation).
Scholarship recipients are required to show continued proof of enrollment in veterinary school.
HOW TO APPLY:
Complete the application form on this VIN Foundation website 2026 Scholarship Application page.
Include a 750 word statement, highlighting why you are the best choice to receive this scholarship:
This is your opportunity to explain in more detail why you are a deserving applicant. Tell us who you are, not just how good you are. What personality traits and goals do you have that make you the best applicant for this scholarship? Do you have unique financial needs? In short, why you?
It is recommended for your personal statement to be unique, and not the same as your veterinary school application statement.
Your statement must be in English, with a maximum of 750 words.
You will paste your statement into the submission field.
To reduce the impact of unconscious bias in judging, we suggest you omit your name and other identifying information from your personal statement. However, if your personal background or intersecting identities are key to your story, you should feel free to include them.
A letter of recommendation is required by October 15, 2025 for the scholarship application to be considered complete. The recommender’s contact information (first name, last name, email) must be included in this initial application submission. Once the application has been submitted, an email will be automatically sent to the recommender with a personalized link for them to submit the letter of recommendation. The applicant will receive an email once a letter of recommendation has been submitted on their behalf. Letters of recommendation must be submitted by October 15, 2025 at 11:59pm PT. Applicants are responsible for ensuring their letter of recommendation is submitted by the due date.
Scholarship applications must be submitted by October 1, 2025 at 11:59pm PT.
You are strongly encouraged to open this Google Doc template, make a copy, and use as a working space for your answers prior to pasting them into the application fields below.