Royal Veterinary College

The Royal Veterinary College is the UK's largest and longest-established independent vet school and is a Member Institution of the University of London. The College offers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in veterinary medicine, veterinary nursing, and biological sciences, and CPD programmes in veterinary medicine and veterinary nursing .

It is one of the few Veterinary schools in the world whose veterinary medicine courses are accredited by RCVS in the UK (with reciprocal recognition from the AVBC for Australasia, the VCI for Ireland and the SAVC for South Africa), the EAEVE in the EU, and the AVMA in the USA and Canada, veterinary nursing courses are accredited by ACOVENE and RCVS, and biological sciences courses are accredited by the Royal Society of Biology.

The RVC is ranked as the top veterinary school in the world in line with the QS World University Rankings by subject, 2022. In 2017, the RVC received a Gold award from the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) – the highest rating a university can receive. A research led institution with 88% of its research rated as internationally excellent or world class in the Research Excellence Framework 2021.

RVC produces world-class research and provides support for the veterinary profession through its referral hospitals, including the Equine Referral Hospital , situated on the Hawkshead campus. The Equine Referral Hospital has the largest number of accredited specialists of any UK veterinary equine teaching hospital, and is supported by a team of highly trained equine veterinary nurses, equine technicians and clinicians-in-training. The hospital provides a full range of specialist referral services ranging from advanced diagnostic imaging to emergency surgery and intensive care 24 hours a day 365 days a year.

Our clinical specialists work in multidisciplinary teams with comprehensive individualised treatment and care plans for our patients. Collaborating on cases enables us to develop new approaches to diagnosis and treatment not available in other centres. Cases that require direct access to advanced diagnostic imaging can be referred for radiography, ultrasonography low field MRI, standing CT, and bone scans. We also offer a range of visiting specialist services such as oncology, ophthalmology, and overground endoscopy in addition to our full range of hospital-based services.

Facilities include 2 theatres, one standing surgery room, three examination rooms, a dedicated diagnostic imaging suite with MRI, CT, Scintigraphy and radiography and 35 stables for patient accommodation. These include 23 general boxes, two holding boxes, six intensive care boxes, two mare and foal boxes, and two isolation boxes. We also have a dedicated adult Intensive Care Unit, a neonatal Intensive Care Unit and a purpose built padded stable with dedicated hoist for horses with neurological disease.