American University of Antigua to close veterinary school after less than two years

Antigua, West Indies

— American University of Antigua’s (AUA) veterinary school, which opened its doors to its first class of veterinary students in January 2010, suspended all classes for 2012 and announced it would close the school at the end of the semester.

AUA says in a Dec. 15 statement about the closure that the university’s students already have been or will be transferring to St. George’s University Veterinary School in Grenada and the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine (Virginia Tech) in Blacksburg, Va.

The university did not say how many veterinary students will be affected by the closure, but the school stated in 2009 that its inaugural class in January 2010 would have approximately 30 students.

Students who have submitted applications for upcoming terms may have their files forwarded directly to St. George’s for consideration, says AUA. Those who have already been accepted to AUA’s veterinary program for future classes will receive a refund of their course fees.

AUA says little else about the school’s closure, except that it made the decision to end the veterinary program “after carefully considering the best interests of the school’s present and future students … While school officials note that situations might arise that would allow AUA to reopen, it is not under consideration currently.”

AUA had a partnership in place with Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine to provide clinical training to its students. This arrangement provided for an exclusive partnership that would have allowed veterinary students to transfer directly to Virginia Tech and receive a degree from the U.S.-based institution.

When the program was announced, officials at Virginia Tech said they anticipated the transfer of five students by 2012.