Demographic studies on final year veterinary students of nine European schools

In 1975 a survey of some aspects of veterinary student selection, background and education as well as intended employment after qualification was conducted in the veterinary schools at Bristol, Glasgow, Liverpool, Helsinki, Stockholm, Hannover, Ghent, Toulouse and Vienna. In all schools student selection was primarily based on academic ability. A numerus clausus existed in six of the nine schools. No sex discrimination in student selection was practised in seven of the nine schools. The proportion of male students in the final year of 1975 ranged from 57 per cent in Glasgow to 97 per cent in Ghent. The parents of the students were predominantly of socioeconomic classes 1 (28 per cent), 2 (38 per cent) or 3 non manual (20 per cent), and no significant differences were found between the UK and the continental schools. Six per cent of the parents were veterinarians while 15 per cent were farmers. The financing by students of their veterinary studies varied markedly between schools. Over 80 per cent of the students wished to go first into general practice, with little tendency, except among UK students, to go into employment abroad first.