How to become a vet in Australia
Veterinarians diagnose, treat and prevent animal diseases, ailments and injuries.
The all-jobs median is $1,852 a week. Jobs in the veterinarians group are projected to grow 17.8% between May 2025 and May 2035, faster than the 13.3% projected for all jobs. Projections are indicative, not forecasts, and JSA says they don't yet reflect generative AI.
What the job involves
- Treating animals medically and surgically, and administering and prescribing drugs, analgesics, and general and local anaesthetics
- Determining the presence and nature of abnormal conditions by physical examination, laboratory testing and through diagnostic imaging techniques including radiography and ultrasound
- Performing surgery, dressing wounds and setting broken bones
- Rendering obstetric services to animals
- Participating in programs designed to prevent the occurrence and spread of animal diseases
- Inoculating animals against, and testing for, infectious diseases and notifying authorities of outbreaks of infectious animal diseases
How to get there
What it usually takes. A bachelor degree or higher. This is the skill level Jobs and Skills Australia gives the veterinarians group, and some roles differ.
What people in the job have. Highest qualification held: 91% a degree or higher, 1% a diploma, 1% a Certificate III or IV.
Many jobs also need registration, a licence or a specific accredited course. Check the professional body or regulator before you choose.
Courses that can lead here
Estimate your ATAR and this page shows the gap to each course. Your marks stay on your device.
Victoria7 matches
VTAC lowest selection ranks, December 2025 offer round.
Bachelor of Science (Veterinary Bioscience) · Federation, Berwick61.20 Animal and Veterinary Biosciences · La Trobe, Melbourne60.25 Science/Veterinary Medicine · Melbourne, Parkville98.50Diplomas and other ways in
Showing 4 of 7 matches. Search every course.
NSW and ACT5 matches
UAC lowest selection ranks, December Round 2, 2025-26 admissions.
Bachelor of Animal and Veterinary Bioscience · Sydney80.00Showing 4 of 5 matches. Search every course.
Queensland3 matches
QTAC course pages, ATAR/Selection Rank profile for semester 1, 2026.
Bachelor of Veterinary Science (Honours) · UQ, Gatton98.20Western Australia2 matches
TISC Course Search: lowest ATAR offered for 2026 entry and guaranteed offer ATARs.
Bachelor of Science in Veterinary Biology, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine - school leaver · Murdoch, Perth98.05Matched on course names, 17 across four admissions centres. A lowest selection rank includes adjustment points and moves every year. Check prerequisites and whether the course is accredited for this job.
Graduate outcomes, national
Undergraduates surveyed about four to six months after finishing, in 2025, across all providers. Full-time work is among those available for it. All graduates: 75.4% and $77,000. These are national figures for the study area, not for this course or uni, and a first-year salary says little about later pay. Source: QILT Graduate Outcomes Survey 2025.
Does it fit your interests?
Strongest interest areas for this kind of work: Realistic, Investigative, Conventional.
From O*NET ratings for "Veterinarians", the closest US occupation in JSA's correspondence (a good match). US ratings are a guide to Australian jobs, not a measurement of them.
Careers with similar interests
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Share your storyJob data: © Commonwealth of Australia, Jobs and Skills Australia occupation profiles, February 2026 and Employment Projections, May 2025 to May 2035 (Victoria University), CC BY 4.0. Jobs and Skills Australia, ANZSCO 2013 Version 1.2 to O*NET-SOC 2019 Taxonomy correspondence.
Graduate outcomes: QILT Graduate Outcomes Survey 2025, National Report Tables (Social Research Centre, for the Australian Government).
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Curve ATAR has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.