Zoetis Inc. and the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges will partner again in 2018 to provide scholarships to second- and third-year veterinary students in the United States and Caribbean.

Recipients of the 2018 Zoetis Veterinary Student Scholarship Award will receive $2,000 for the upcoming 2018-19 school term. Interested students can apply at VETVANCE, a free online resource for veterinary students and recent graduates through Nov. 30.

“Zoetis is committed to meeting the needs of veterinarians, and that includes providing help to veterinary students as they pursue their education,” says Christine Jenkins, chief veterinary medical officer at Zoetis. “Each year, we hear from Zoetis Veterinary Student Scholarship winners about how these scholarships helped them achieve their DVM degree.”

Eligibility criteria include academic excellence, financial need, diversity, sustainability, leadership and career interest. Scholarships will be awarded to students in all areas of professional interest, including food animal medicine, small animal clinical medicine, research, government services, public health, and organized veterinary medicine.

“The AAVMC is proud to help prepare new generations of veterinarians,” says Andrew Maccabe, chief executive officer of the AAVMC. “We greatly value our partnership with Zoetis to award scholarships to many exceptional veterinary students.”

Now in its eighth year, the Veterinary Scholarship Award operates as part of Zoetis Commitment to Veterinarians, a platform created by Zoetis to support leadership and diversity among future veterinarians, while also helping to offset the significant costs associated with a veterinary education. Winners will be announced at the 2018 SAVMA Symposium.

According to Maccabe, the median debt of indebted graduates of U.S. colleges of veterinary medicine was $156,480 in 2016 — a slight decline from 2015’s debt of $156,5831. To date, Zoetis’ program has awarded nearly $6 million in scholarships to more than 2,700.

To learn more about the Zoetis Veterinary Student Scholarship Award or to apply for a scholarship, register at VETVANCE.com or visit VETVANCE.com/Opportunities to get started.