A vet school with a base in North Staffordshire marked a historic milestone this week as its first student cohort graduated.

The Harper & Keele Veterinary School, which has been ranked by students as number one in the UK for veterinary medicine, launched in 2020 as a partnership between Keele University and Harper Adams University.

Now 90 newly qualified vets graduated in the morning at Keele before making their way to Harper Adams for a second ceremony, during which they were welcomed as official members of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS), pledging their commitment to ensure the health and welfare of animals under their care.  

Founding Head of the Harper & Keele Veterinary School, professor Matt Jones, said: "This is a wonderful opportunity to pause and reflect on the incredible work and achievements of many colleagues at the Vet School, the Universities, and our partners to get us to this landmark. Our recent ranking as number one vet school in our first National Student Survey is testament to the profound impact this has had for our students. 

"We are incredibly proud of our first graduates, many of whom secured jobs during their final year, embarking on an inspiring range of careers within the industry.

"Our new vets are contributing to animal, human and planetary health, working with companion and farm animals, and in supporting food security and research." 

The class of 2025 started their journey during the coronavirus pandemic, not only navigating a new course and the move to university, but contending with lockdowns, social distancing and support bubbles. 

Over the course of the five-year veterinary medicine and surgery degree, the students have thrived, launching several successful societies and student groups, helping to build and shape a community that has grown to include more than 600 students across all years of study. 

The Harper & Keele Veterinary School aims to combine Keele's strengths in health and life sciences with the agricultural and animal science pedigree of Harper Adams. Existing facilities at both universities have been bolstered by new veterinary buildings on each campus. 

During initial discussions to realise this joint venture, both universities shared a vision of developing a distinctive, high-impact School, capable of changing the regional landscape and meeting a national need for more vets across all areas of practice.  

This shared vision and a common philosophy of providing an outstanding learning and teaching experience, reflected in both institutions having received the highest rating of "Gold" overall in the 2023 Teaching Excellence Framework, has resulted in a rich and authentic environment for veterinary education and research. 

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