Annual Open House
The NC State College of Veterinary Medicine looks forward to celebrating its annual Open House on Saturday,
March 6, 2027, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
(This event will take place, rain or shine.)
This extremely popular free event invites the community to explore our College of Veterinary Medicine and Veterinary Hospital to learn more about how we are a driving force in veterinary research, training and medical care.
Learn more about the operations and facilities at our Veterinary Hospital and bring your budding veterinarians to check out what the classrooms and laboratories in a state-of-the-art college of veterinary medicine are like. Then stop by demonstrations to see how our veterinarians work with animals. Make sure to leave time to participate in one of our many events.
Open House Activities
Just some of the things to do!
- Get your favorite stuffed animal repaired in our Teddy Bear Clinic.
- Milk a cow!
- Learn how our veterinarians and students care for farm animals.
- Hear from a current veterinary student on what it’s really like to study at the College of Veterinary Medicine.
- See how our researchers are improving animal and human health.
- Engage with local animal organizations.
- Get your face painted.
- Grab a snack at a food truck.
What is the Teddy Bear Clinic?
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Open House at the NC State College of Veterinary Medicine?
Open House is an annual event hosted by the NC State College of Veterinary Medicine and Veterinary Hospital. The college and hospital open their doors to the public for tours, activities and learning experiences. It’s an excellent activity for all ages, from families looking for fun to students interested in learning about a career in veterinary medicine!
When is the NC State College of Veterinary Medicine’s 2027 Annual Open House?
The event will be Saturday, March 6, 2027, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and visitors are invited to drop in for as long as they can within that window. Open House will be held rain or shine.
Do I need tickets?
No, the event is free! Registration is not required, but visitors are highly encouraged to RSVP via the Facebook event.
Where can I park?
Parking is free and available a short walk from the college’s main building. Visitors entering campus will follow William Moore Drive until they reach the parking deck across from the college’s main entrance, marked by a long brick path. Parking attendants will be on-site to help direct guests to the deck.
Should the parking deck become full, additional parking will be available at Gate 9 at the NC State Fairgrounds. Shuttles will be available for those parking at Gate 9.
Limited accessible parking is available in select spots in the parking deck and in the college’s West Lot.
What kinds of activities should I expect?
Open House boasts a multitude of activities for all age groups. The event includes a self-guided tour with more than 20 stops where guests can get a taste of student life, hear more about admissions and clubs, learn from presentations and panels and participate in hands-on activities simulating several aspects of veterinary medicine. There will also be a multitude of educational demonstrations across campus!
Where do I find directions to NC State’s veterinary campus?
The NC State College of Veterinary Medicine is located off Hillsborough Street near the NC State Fairgrounds. For additional directions on getting to campus, click here.
How can visitors with mobility aids or strollers navigate campus?
The College of Veterinary Medicine’s campus is equipped with elevators that will be accessible to guests during Open House. Please note that the campus tour spans multiple floors and buildings, and guests with accessibility concerns are encouraged to contact a volunteer on-site day-of to address their needs.
Can I bring my personal pet to the event?
Personal pets are not permitted at Open House. Please leave your furry friends at home.
Will food be available on campus?
Food trucks will be parked on property for visitors to buy meals and snacks.
Additionally, our campus coffee shop, Creature Comforts Café, will be open. In addition to beverages, they offer a lineup of breakfast sandwiches, fresh bakery items, bottled beverages, grab n’ go sandwiches, wraps, pastas, salads and snacks.
Explore last year’s Open House
Follow Along on Social Media
Follow the fun on Facebook and Instagram. We will be posting additional information leading up to Open House. Share your experiences with us during the event using the #NCStateVetMed hashtag!
The class of 2030 is here! These students will spend the next four years learning, training and preparing for a career in veterinary medicine at one of the best institutions in the world. Read their story at the link in our bio.
http://ncst.at/9K6T50ZyEse
"Fourth-year veterinary student" means it`s time for clinical rotations, and #FromtheField correspondent Aniya Brown started hers visiting elephant sanctuaries in Thailand! She expected to gain hands-on experience caring for elephants but left with something even more valuable: a deeper understanding of just how complicated and important elephant conservation truly is. 🐘
"Many sanctuaries seek to provide a better life and safe place for elephants that previously suffered at the hands of mankind," she says. "In particular, the elephants at this sanctuary had previously been used to work at circuses and ceremony rituals in Thailand. While it breaks my heart to think about what they had to go through to get here, I know that they are in a better place, even if it’s not perfect."
Read the rest of her reflections at the 🔗 in our profile. #vetstudent #vetschool #elephantconservation
It’s time for NC State’s veterinary scholars to show off! We’re hosting this year’s Veterinary Scholars Symposium — an annual gathering of DVM students and faculty researchers from across North America, with more than 700 people joining us in Raleigh.
The first day of presentations was a huge success, and we’re keeping that momentum going! Today, attendees are presenting research posters, networking, participating in seminars and learning about the future of veterinary medicine.
NC State funded 71 veterinary scholars this year for summer research — the largest number from any university in the program’s history and a 36% increase over last year.
The students spent 10 weeks conducting research on real problems under the guidance of faculty mentors, and now they get to share their findings among a community of hundreds of their peers from over 40 other schools.
Check out @cvmresearch for the latest updates!
The 125 members of our #Classof2030 have checked the first box ✅ after making it to the end of Orientation 2026. Next up? The first day of classes on Monday, the beginning of a four-year professional journey through veterinary excellence.
To help prepare our first-year students for the rigor ahead, the last day of orientation started with learning how to insert scalpel blades (it`s much harder to get them out) and ended with the scrub-in ceremony.
All of the students are presented with Wolfpack red scrubs to signify that they are now part of the @ncstate Pack 🐺 — and that everyone around them has their back.
Words of encouragement welcome! ⬇️⬇️⬇️
The future of veterinary science just took center stage at NC State! More than 90 dual-degree DVM/Ph.D. students from across the country gathered in Raleigh to engage in research presentations, seminars and professional networking at the largest Combined Degree Colloquium yet! 🎓
And that’s just the beginning! We’re immediately kicking the Veterinary Scholars Symposium into full swing with two more days of cutting-edge veterinary research presentations with hundreds of DVM students from across North America.
At NC State, more than 70 students conducted real-world research through the Veterinary Scholars Program this summer — more than any other university has hosted in the history of the program — and you’ll find many of them presenting at the symposium.
Are you attending? Drop a comment about your research! #VSS2026
Orientation Day 2 for our #Classof2030 DVMs-to-be has ended with questions answered! Photos taken 📸 (who is that?). Tours of the buildings 🗺️ (where is that?). And meetings with the four or five learning team members they will be attached to for the next six semesters (say what?)!🗣️
They also heard from a panel of professors and current students about how to take care of their well-being, whether to branch into new study habits and what to do on those days they have a loss of confidence (the professors confessed they still have those days).
First up tomorrow? The introduction to the anatomy lab. 👀
Make no bones about it. We`re excited to see you succeed, #Classof2030! #thinkanddo
Kristen Folk returned to her roots for her last placement of her busy summer. The #FromtheField correspondent spent two weeks at @WillowCreekEquineVet in Fleetwood, Pennsylvania, where she grew up, learning from a team dedicated mainly to equine and some small ruminant primary care.
During her time there, she performed dental floats and nerve blocks on horses and learned more about using flexion tests to help localize and visualize lameness in specific regions of the limb.
"I was able to tag along on a few emergency appointments, where I saw firsthand how balancing client expectations, available resources and the needs of the horse comes together in the field. These cases can be challenging, yet rewarding when you can help people and their horses through a bad day."
Get the rest of her report at the link in our profile.
Follow the link in our bio to complete a survey and enter for a chance to win a $50 Amazon gift card. Your participation will help our goal of strengthening how communities prevent, recognize and respond to animal cruelty.
http://ncst.at/1zWQ50Zw8J6
Our #NCStateVetMed Class of 2030 has arrived — 45 years after the first 40 students stepped onto a converted farm in Raleigh and became the Class of 1985 and the first wave of @ncstate College of Veterinary Medicine excellence.
The #Classof2030 is 125 strong (with a few deferments), representing 19 U.S. states (with 99 students from North Carolina), Bermuda and China. 🗺️Their Orientation Day One brought name games, library introductions and presentations on academic expectations and curriculum before a chance to mingle and munch on movie theater snacks. 🍿
Who has already met the friend who will become a vital support? The lab partner who will become the maid of honor? The scientist who will challenge the rest of the class to new heights?
Welcome, (mostly new) Wolfpackers! 🐺 We look forward to showing you around! #PackPride
