BVSc & AH (Veterinary Science)

The Bachelor of Veterinary Science & Animal Husbandry (BVSc & AH) is the professional degree that licenses veterinarians in India, and it sits on a separate regulatory track from the rest of the agriculture stream. It is governed by the Veterinary Council of India (VCI) under the Indian Veterinary Council Act, 1984, and its Minimum Standards of Veterinary Education (MSVE) Regulations, 2016. The programme runs 5.5 years — 4.5 years of coursework across nine semesters covering anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, pathology, microbiology, medicine, surgery, gynaecology, animal nutrition and production — followed by a compulsory one-year rotating internship in VCI-approved veterinary hospitals.

Crucially for planning, admission is through NEET-UG, the same national entrance as MBBS and BDS. As per MSVE Regulation 7(8), 15% of seats in each recognized veterinary college are reserved for an All-India Quota that the VCI fills through online counselling on the NIC portal using NEET-UG All-India Rank; the remaining 85% are filled by each state's own NEET-based counselling. On graduation and registration with a State Veterinary Council, a BVSc holder can practise as a veterinarian, join government animal-husbandry and dairy departments, work in livestock and poultry corporates, pet clinics, wildlife and research, or proceed to an MVSc.