NAVLE

NAVLE stands for North American Veterinary Licensing Exam. While us first year veterinary students are getting ready for our first quarter of finals and our last day of class to be over, the senior veterinary students, class of 2011, are beginning to take the Veterinary Licensing Exam. 

The NAVLE is a 360 item computer based multiple choice examination, administered during two testing windows per year.  The NAVLE is a requirement for licensure to practice veterinary medicine in all licensing jurisdictions in North America. The fee to take the NAVLE exam is $550 plus a $50 "board approval fee". To become a licensed veterinarian in California, you must also complete the state licensing exam. The cost of the California state board is $150 with an additional $100 "application review fee". This is a grand total of $850 if you pass both exams the first time (they give you a second chance if you don't pass the first time, but of course, not free of charge). All of this money is supposed to be raised by each veterinary school class during their time at Davis. We hold fund raising events like the Turkey Roast, or other holiday parties.

In 2010, the average debt for graduating senior veterinary students was $121,400 which does not include undergraduate loans <http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/studentprograms/subpages/admission_info/debt.html>. The main reason for such high debt amounts is because UC Davis has had to turn to raising tuition to evade many of the state's budget cuts. UC-Davis relies on state funding for about one third of its budget and has endured $5 million in cuts over the last three years. The university is planning a tuition increase of about 12 percent — from $27,045 to $30,246 — for the 2010-2011 school year. <DVM360>. 

"Oh great, fresh out of vet school"