Cambridge scraps plans to axe ‘unsustainable’ veterinary courses

The University of Cambridge has backed down on plans to close its beleaguered veterinary course after an outcry from students, staff and external bodies. 

Cambridge announced that it will continue to admit students onto the course, with offer letters set to go out “imminently” for this year’s autumn intake. 

It also said it would begin a transition to new leadership, following an inspection by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) in 2024 that found the school had met only 27 of its 77 accreditation standards.

While the body extended conditional accreditation of the university’s veterinary degree in 2025 following changes made by the school, an internal review later that year concluded that the courses should be shut down after the final cohort of students graduates in 2032. 

At the time, staff and students described the decision as “hasty” and “unjustified”, while the British Veterinary Association (BVA) said the news was “deeply worrying”.

Now, the university’s general board said it has “heard the strength of feeling in the community around Cambridge continuing to offer veterinary education”.

Addressing concerns over the financial sustainability of the courses by council members at the university’s School of the Biological Sciences, which the veterinary department sits under, the board said it recognised that this department “cannot be solely responsible for the future of veterinary education”.

The council previously claimed that the university’s veterinary hospital was losing over £1 million a year “for some time”, while veterinary education across the sector “is facing severe financial challenges”, with the college unable to increase student numbers in the way other providers had done. 

“Further analysis, supported by external experts, is required to develop and evaluate alternative models for the future of veterinary education at Cambridge,” the board writes in a statement. 

“The general board will hold the Vet School to account and keep the [governing body] Regent House informed on progress.”

It added that all immediate cost savings identified by the veterinary school “should go ahead without delay”.

Rob Williams, president of the BVA, welcomed the latest decision. “A resilient veterinary workforce relies on a healthy pipeline of homegrown talent and the UK’s vet schools, including Cambridge, play a crucial role in this,” he said. 

“However, whilst today’s decision is a step in the right direction, it’s essential the university commits to ensuring the school is appropriately resourced to preserve its vital role at the forefront of global health and scientific leadership, now and in the future.” 

helen.packer@timeshighereducation.com