Best programs to become a veterinary assistant
You do not need a college degree to become a veterinary assistant. BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education. The field of study that leads most directly to this job is Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians (IPEDS completions).
2 college programs at 264 schools train veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers, graduating 8,916 people a year (IPEDS completions). The job pays a median of $38,150 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers
Feed, water, and examine pets and other nonfarm animals for signs of illness, disease, or injury in laboratories and animal hospitals and clinics. Clean and disinfect cages and work areas, and sterilize laboratory and surgical equipment. May provide routine postoperative care, administer medication orally or topically, or prepare samples for laboratory examination under the supervision of veterinary or laboratory animal technologists or technicians, veterinarians, or scientists.
Best programs to study to become a veterinary assistant
Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 01.8301 | 8,874 | 99.5% | 263 | $33,581 | $14,171 |
| 2 | CIP 01.8399 | 42 | 0.5% | 3 | $33,581 | $14,171 |
Top 50 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
Fields of study that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.
What veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers earn
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
Top-paying states
Top-paying metro areas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Where the jobs are, state by state
Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.
| State | Median pay | Jobs | Concentration | Schools | Graduates / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $46,260 | 16,080 | 1.08× | 32 | 1,640 |
| Texas | $34,850 | 8,440 | 0.74× | 16 | 824 |
| Arizona | $38,250 | 3,340 | 1.27× | 8 | 529 |
| Florida | $37,830 | 6,790 | 0.84× | 11 | 436 |
| Colorado | $38,900 | 2,910 | 1.25× | 12 | 375 |
| New York | $44,750 | 5,790 | 0.73× | 12 | 309 |
| Pennsylvania | $37,140 | 3,760 | 0.76× | 11 | 307 |
| Virginiamoderate | $37,450 | 4,810 | 1.44× | 3 | 302 |
| Washington | $44,150 | 4,380 | 1.51× | 6 | 275 |
| Ohio | $36,340 | 4,640 | 1.03× | 11 | 268 |
| Illinois | $37,480 | 3,270 | 0.66× | 6 | 224 |
| Wisconsin | $36,850 | 2,200 | 0.92× | 6 | 219 |
| Indianamoderate | $36,420 | 2,810 | 1.08× | 4 | 199 |
| New Mexicomoderate | $37,500 | 520 | 0.73× | 3 | 192 |
| Nevadamoderate | $36,920 | 1,380 | 1.09× | 3 | 177 |
| Michigan | $37,960 | 4,420 | 1.23× | 7 | 173 |
| North Carolina | $37,070 | 6,910 | 1.72× | 5 | 156 |
| Oklahoma | $34,850 | 1,740 | 1.25× | 8 | 141 |
| Georgia | $35,850 | 4,570 | 1.15× | 6 | 109 |
| Minnesotamoderate | $45,280 | 1,450 | 0.60× | 4 | 109 |
| Missouri | $36,660 | 2,010 | 0.84× | 6 | 104 |
| Iowa | $35,720 | 1,380 | 1.09× | 7 | 87 |
| Massachusetts | $46,670 | 2,130 | 0.72× | 6 | 79 |
| Oregonmoderate | $44,370 | 3,170 | 1.98× | 3 | 68 |
| Tennessee | $36,320 | 3,530 | 1.32× | 5 | 65 |
| South Carolinamoderate | $36,980 | 1,720 | 0.92× | 4 | 62 |
| Hawaiilimited | $44,070 | 570 | 1.12× | 1 | 56 |
| Kentuckymoderate | $34,140 | 1,840 | 1.13× | 4 | 53 |
| Louisianamoderate | $30,480 | 1,230 | 0.78× | 4 | 52 |
| Mississippimoderate | $30,360 | 560 | 0.59× | 3 | 50 |
| Utahlimited | $37,560 | 580 | 0.41× | 1 | 50 |
| West Virginia | $32,350 | 730 | 1.28× | 5 | 47 |
| New Hampshiremoderate | $36,910 | 770 | 1.39× | 3 | 45 |
| New Jerseymoderate | $46,160 | 3,270 | 0.94× | 3 | 45 |
| Nebraskamoderate | $36,100 | 900 | 1.08× | 3 | 43 |
| Kansaslimited | $35,680 | 1,570 | 1.34× | 2 | 32 |
| Connecticutlimited | $44,250 | 1,390 | 1.01× | 1 | 31 |
| Alabamamoderate | $35,800 | 1,240 | 0.72× | 3 | 30 |
| Alaskalimited | $36,490 | 130 | 0.49× | 2 | 27 |
| South Dakotalimited | $34,700 | 250 | 0.67× | 1 | 23 |
| Mainelimited | $45,510 | 690 | 1.32× | 2 | 22 |
| North Dakotalimited | $37,160 | 270 | 0.77× | 2 | 22 |
| Rhode Islandlimited | $49,770 | 380 | 0.93× | 1 | 21 |
| Wyominglimited | $37,880 | 150 | 0.67× | 2 | 18 |
| Idaholimited | $37,530 | 680 | 0.97× | 1 | 16 |
| Delawarelimited | $38,610 | — | — | 1 | 15 |
| Marylandlimited | $44,770 | 2,220 | 0.99× | 1 | 11 |
| Vermontlimited | $37,290 | 370 | 1.51× | 1 | 10 |
| Montanalimited | $38,340 | 550 | 1.32× | 1 | 5 |
Skills and knowledge
From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.
What they do day to day
- Hold or restrain animals during veterinary procedures.
- Monitor animals recovering from surgery and notify veterinarians of any unusual changes or symptoms.
- Fill medication prescriptions.
- Clean and maintain kennels, animal holding areas, examination or operating rooms, or animal loading or unloading facilities to control the spread of disease.
- Examine animals to detect behavioral changes or clinical symptoms that could indicate illness or injury.
- Perform routine laboratory tests or diagnostic tests, such as taking or developing x-rays.
- Assist veterinarians in examining animals to determine the nature of illnesses or injuries.
- Administer medication, immunizations, or blood plasma to animals as prescribed by veterinarians.
Skills
- Active Listening3.5
- Critical Thinking3.3
- Writing3.1
- Monitoring3.1
- Reading Comprehension3.1
- Speaking3.0
- Active Learning2.9
- Mathematics2.8
Knowledge areas
- Customer and Personal Service4.3
- English Language3.8
- Biology3.6
- Administrative3.5
- Medicine and Dentistry3.5
- Computers and Electronics3.2
Abilities
- Oral Expression3.4
- Oral Comprehension3.4
- Written Expression3.3
- Information Ordering3.3
- Problem Sensitivity3.3
- Near Vision3.1
Core activities
- Documenting/Recording Information4.6
- Performing General Physical Activities4.5
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates4.4
- Assisting and Caring for Others4.3
- Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings4.2
- Getting Information4.1
How to get in
How to become a veterinary assistant
- Typical entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- On-the-job training
- Short-term on-the-job training
Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
Ranges from a few days to one year of on-the-job training.
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 2 majors mapped to Veterinary Assistants and Laboratory Animal Caretakers2 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 01.8301Veterinary/Animal Health Technology/Technician and Veterinary Assistant
- 01.8399Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians, Other
Related careers
Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.
Common questions
What degree do you need to become a veterinary assistant?+
You do not need a college degree to become a veterinary assistant. BLS lists a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education. The field of study that leads most directly to this job is Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians (IPEDS completions).
Which college majors lead to becoming a veterinary assistant?+
The field of study that leads most directly to this job is Veterinary/Animal Health Technologies/Technicians (IPEDS completions). In all, the NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 2 programs to this job, which together graduate about 8,916 people a year.
How much do veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers earn?+
The median is $38,150 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $30,120 at the 10th percentile to $49,150 at the 90th. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers growing?+
BLS projects a +8.7% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, much faster than average, with roughly 22,200 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career?+
264 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 2 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Animal Caregiver, Animal Care Provider, Certified Veterinary Assistant, Veterinarian Assistant (Vet Assistant) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 31-9096.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024-25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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