The VMCAS 2026 Fee Assistance Program is sponsored by the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC). A limited number of fee waivers are available through this program and the deadline for requesting a fee waiver is August 14, 2025 or once the allotted funds are exhausted. Please wait to request a fee waiver until you are prepared to submit your application as the fee waivers will have an expiration of 14 days from the date of approval.

Letter of Explanation Process

Note: This Letter of Explanation Process should only be used if you have extreme financial need but are not able to provide the required documents (1040 tax form).

*Puerto Rico Residents can also use this process and submit your (or your parent) 2024 Puerto Rico Planilla de Contribucion sobre Ingresos de Individuos Form.

A major consideration for fee assistance approval is showing extreme financial need and/or living at or below 300% of the 2024 U.S. Poverty Guidelines. If you cannot provide the required supporting documents (i.e., applicant and/or family financial information 1040 documents) for the Fee Assistance Program, you can submit a letter of explanation. The letter of explanation must detail extreme financial need, why you cannot obtain or provide any of the documents for a VMCAS Fee waiver, and your method of financial support. As described below, proof of other financial support must be included.

• Financial Aid Award Notification/Summary
• Submit a copy of your Financial Aid Award Summary/Notification for the 2024-25 academic year. If you did not receive financial aid for the 2024-25 academic year, you must provide a letter from your institution stating that you did not receive financial aid for the academic year. This letter must be on the institution’s letterhead and signed by a representative in the financial aid office.
• Other income or financial support received
• Submit proof of other income including, but not limited to, Social Security, SNAP, Veteran’s Benefits, Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), housing vouchers, child support, alimony, spousal support (monthly income, food, housing). All income reported will require documentation as proof.

Applicants who fail to include any of the required supporting documents with the letter of explanation will be automatically withdrawn from the Fee Assistance Program process for the current cycle. Information contained in the letter will be reviewed with all other documents submitted but will not guarantee approval for fee assistance.

Your request for a waiver must be received before you submit your VMCAS application. If granted, you will receive a waiver equivalent to the "first school" fee ($241). If you apply to more than one VMCAS school, you are responsible for an incremental fee of $132 for each additional designation. This fee assistance program is applied to the VMCAS application fee only. You are still responsible for supplemental application fees.

Disclaimer: Applicants who report false information or submit forged/falsified documents may be in danger of having their VMCAS 2026 application canceled by VMCAS.

Letter of explanation request take typically 7 business days to process. Questions, contact Brooklind Norman, at Bnorman@aavmc.org.