PAVE Program 2027: Step-by-Step Guide for Foreign Vet Graduates
PAVE (the Program for the Assessment of Veterinary Education Equivalence) is the AAVSB's route for graduates of veterinary schools that are not AVMA-accredited to show their education is equivalent to a US or Canadian degree. It has four steps: an application with document and English checks, the Qualifying Science Examination (QSE), an Evaluated Clinical Experience (ECE) at an AVMA-accredited school, and the PAVE certificate. The certificate is not a license: you still need the NAVLE and your state or provincial board's own requirements. This guide puts every official rule in one place, with fees and policies as of October 2026.
Last verified against AAVSB on 6 October 2026. Sources include the AAVSB PAVE pages, the PAVE Candidate Information Handbook, PAVE Standards and Policies (revised December 2025) and the PAVE Acceptance by Jurisdiction list (updated July 2025). navleexam.com is not affiliated with AAVSB, AVMA, ICVA or PSI. This is general information, not legal or licensing advice; rules change, so confirm with the AAVSB and your licensing board before you pay.
PAVE at a Glance
| Item | Official rule (as of October 2026) |
|---|---|
| Run by | American Association of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB) |
| Who can apply | Students or graduates of a school on the AVMA ECFVG-listed school directory |
| Application fee | $390 (nonrefundable) |
| QSE fee | $1,550 per attempt, paid with the application; retakes also $1,550 |
| QSE dates | January, May and September, at a PSI test center or by live remote proctoring |
| Earliest QSE | After you complete at least 50% of your veterinary curriculum |
| Passing score | 425 on a 200 to 800 scaled score |
| Clinical step | Evaluated Clinical Experience: the final-year clinical rotations at an AVMA-accredited school, with fees set by that school |
| NAVLE | Eligible to apply once you pass the QSE |
| Staying active | Contact the AAVSB every two years to confirm you are still in the program |
| Certificate | Issued digitally once all documents are in; it does not expire |
Who PAVE Is For
The AAVSB defines an international veterinary graduate as someone whose degree came from a recognized veterinary school outside the United States and Canada. That includes US citizens who studied at a non-accredited school abroad. Foreign nationals who graduated from US or Canadian schools are not international graduates for PAVE purposes.
Your school must appear in the AVMA ECFVG-listed school directory. If it does not, the AAVSB says you need to work with the AVMA to have it added, and it cannot estimate how long that takes. If your school is AVMA-accredited (several schools outside North America are), you do not need PAVE at all; see graduates of AVMA-accredited schools outside the US and how to check whether your school is eligible.
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