About

VetCAMP at NC State University is a five-day summer program for high school students interested in veterinary medicine, hosted by the Veterinary Professions Advising Center (VetPAC) on the NC State campus in Raleigh. Now in its 14th year, the program runs two identical in-person sessions — Week 1 (July 6–10) and Week 2 (July 13–17, 2026) — with roughly 40 spots per week and 80 total across both sessions. Students may apply to one or both weeks; applying to both increases chances of acceptance without restricting admission to one slot.

Over five days, students rotate through hands-on labs including heart and eye dissections, small animal handling and suture labs, wound management and bandaging, and livestock restraint. Campus tours include a behind-the-scenes look at NC State's College of Veterinary Medicine, and off-campus field trips visit the NC Museum of Natural Sciences and the Piedmont Wildlife Center. Veterinarians from a range of specialties present on career paths throughout the week, and VetPAC advisors provide guidance on building a competitive veterinary school application.

The base day camp tuition is $750; an overnight residential option — shared dormitory accommodations and a dining hall meal package — is available for an additional $250, bringing the residential total to $1,000. Eligibility is open to rising high school sophomores, juniors, seniors, and rising college freshmen who are at least 15 and U.S. residents. A virtual VetCAMP is offered to all in-person applicants who are not admitted, making a consolation track available without a separate application. Applications are reviewed holistically after the deadline closes.

For a student earlier in the pre-vet exploration process — particularly one who hasn't yet committed to the path — VetCAMP is a well-structured, affordable entry point hosted by a serious agricultural university with an active veterinary college on campus.