Penn Vet launches Stamps scholarship for VMD and VMD-PhD students
Penn Vet said it has partnered with the Stamps Scholars Program to launch the Stamps VMD/VMD-PhD Fellows, a new merit scholarship for veterinary students entering in the 2026-2027 academic year. The program will provide multi-year support to selected VMD and VMD-PhD students, including full cost-of-attendance scholarships for up to four years or designated years within the dual-degree track, plus enrichment funding for research, internships, global experiences, conferences, and leadership development. Penn Vet said it is among the first graduate institutions chosen for the Stamps program, marking an expansion beyond the foundation’s more typical undergraduate partnerships. The school also recently spotlighted the new fellowship during its 2026 Student Research Day, where Dean Andrew M. Hoffman linked the award to Penn Vet’s broader effort to support students showing leadership, academic excellence, and a commitment to advancing veterinary medicine. (vet.upenn.edu)
Why it matters: For veterinary professionals, the announcement lands at a time when educational debt remains a defining workforce issue. AVMA reported average DVM debt for graduates with debt was $202,647 in 2024, and 38.5% of graduating veterinarians had $200,000 or more in DVM debt. Penn Vet’s move won’t change the debt picture broadly on its own, but it shows how elite veterinary schools are using high-value scholarships to recruit future clinicians and clinician-scientists, and to reduce financial barriers for students considering research, academic medicine, and other lower-paying career paths. That research angle is especially relevant at Penn Vet, where Student Research Day has for nearly two decades showcased VMD and VMD-PhD work across Penn Vet, the Perelman School of Medicine, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and the Crescenz VA Medical Center, including NIH/Boehringer Ingelheim summer projects and longer-term thesis research. (ebusiness.avma.org)
What to watch: Watch for how many fellows Penn Vet funds in its first cohort, how competitive the nomination process is, and whether other veterinary colleges pursue similar graduate-level scholarship partnerships. It will also be worth watching whether Penn Vet continues to tie the fellowship closely to its clinician-scientist pipeline and student research ecosystem. (vet.upenn.edu)