Register Your Program
The submission period for program registration applications for the 2025–2026 residency year closed on August 19, 2024. No additional registration applications will be accepted for review. Programs that submitted an application in CERT by the deadline will be notified of the outcome by December 1.
View the list of current Registered Residency Training Programs.
This list is updated annually on December 1 and as needed throughout the year.
2025-2026 ACVS Residency Training Standards and Requirements (Standards)
All programs must follow the policies and procedures detailed in the 2025–2026 Standards.
Summary of changes:
- Training program definitions have been revised from traditional and collaborative to:
- Independent single-site (formerly traditional)
- Independent multisite
- Collaborative
- The revised program definitions impact requirements for affiliated (secondary) sites for independent multisite training programs:
- ACVIM (Internal Medicine) Diplomates
- Additional allied specialty Diplomates
- Required equipment and facilities
- Activity weeks are now defined as 40 hours of activity in a continuous seven (7) day period where only one major activity can be logged.
- Additional items were added to the list of nonoperative or minor procedures
Future Submission Deadlines
The next program registration application submission window will open on June 1, 2025. ACVS will be accepting applications for the 2026–2027 residency year.
- The 2026–2027 ACVS Residency Training Standards and Requirements will be published in May 2025.
- The registration application will be available for program directors in CERT as of June 1, 2025.
- Completed applications are due to ACVS by August 18, 2025.
- Application results will be available as of December 1, 2025.
Who Must Apply
Applications must be submitted by all programs interested in training or continuing to train residents during the July 2026–June 2027 residency year. Programs must have a valid registration period of July 1, 2026–June 30, 2027, to train residents.
- All prospective residency training programs and inactive programs must apply for registration.
- Currently registered programs must apply for renewal of registration.
- Suspended programs must apply for reinstatement once the deficiencies have been addressed.
Registered programs moving to inactive status in 2026 may submit a Transition to Inactive Status form in place of a renewal application to extend their current registration period one month, through July 31, 2026, to allow third-year (finishing) residents to complete training as scheduled. Deadline to submit: August 18, 2025.
If you have questions about the application or the registration process, please review Program Registration Frequently Asked Questions or CERT Help.
Veterinary Internship and Residency Matching Program (VIRMP)
Programs that use the matching program must provide in their VIRMP program descriptions information about their current registration status with ACVS. ACVS will notify programs of the outcome of their registration application by December 1 and should amend their VIRMP listings accordingly. More information on the matching program can be found at www.virmp.org.
Questions
Refer to the Frequently Asked Questions page. Additional questions about residency training program registration can be directed to Sarah Donnelly, programs manager, at sdonnelly@acvs.org or (301) 916-0200 x120.
