Over the past decade veterinary student debt has become an area of great concern within the profession. Since 2001 the mean debt load has more than doubled to an average of $143,757 in 2016 16, 17, 23, 29, 37. With a debt to income ratio of 2:1, this presents a significant financial problem to veterinarians upon graduation4, 14, 16, 17, 23, 27, 29. Furthermore, it is a factor affecting the mental health of students, adding to the stress of veterinary school 42. Lloyd states one way to help begin to deal with the issue of increasing debt is “education [of students, parents and faculty] related to debt repayment options, employment trends, and incomes” 31. While it has been shown that many pre-veterinary and veterinary students are generally
