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Nebraska’s Elite 11 program for vet students gaining momentum

A leader with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln says a tuition assistance program is already helping address the state’s shortage of large animal veterinarians.

Tiffany Heng-Moss, dean of the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, says more students applied in the second year of the Elite 11 Veterinary Program. “We have students that are asking about the future of this program that are in high school today and that this aligns perfectly with what they’re hoping to do for their career pathway.”

Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen and UNL announced the program in February 2024 to help increase interest for students wanting to study animal science and become veterinarians.  

Heng-Moss says the first group of students is wrapping up the first academic year and preparing to move into internships across the state this summer. “They are also going to learn from the very best our talented veterinarians from the cross state of Nebraska through experiential learning, job shadowing, internship and mentoring.”

Up to 20 first-time freshmen from the state will receive the Nebraska Production Animal Health Scholarship, covering 50% of tuition for two years, then up to 13 will receive full tuition for their third and fourth years at UNL.

Students then apply to the UNL Professional Program in Veterinary Medicine (PPVM), where 11 are selected as the “Elite 11.”  Students will then receive scholarships that cover 100 percent of their tuition and fees for the PPVM program if they work in rural Nebraska for 8 years after graduation.