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United States · Licensing exams

NAVLE application online: 2027 dates, fees and eligibility

You send your NAVLE application online through the International Council for Veterinary Assessment (ICVA), and only during a set application period. The North American Veterinary Licensing Examination (NAVLE) has three testing windows a year, and ICVA says every date is fixed, with no exceptions or extensions. If you’re heading for a license in Canada, this isn’t your route: you apply through Canada’s National Examining Board (NEB).

  • $825Fee to test in the US or Canada
  • 3 windowsNAVLE testing windows each year
  • At least 4 weeksFor your permit after approval
Open ICVA’s NAVLE application

Updated November 2026 · Written from official sources, listed at the bottom of this page

NAVLE dates in 2027

These are from ICVA’s 2026‑2027 testing cycle, and ICVA publishes dates one cycle at a time. Score dates are approximate. That cycle also had an October to November 2026 window, whose applications ran June 1 to July 15, 2026, so it isn’t listed, and an October to November 2027 window would fall in a later cycle. Once a row’s application dates have passed, that window is closed to new applicants.

WindowApplyTestScores
March 2027December 1, 2026 to January 7, 2027March 1 to 20, 2027April 19 to May 3, 2027
July to August 2027April 1 to May 7, 2027July 12 to August 7, 2027September 6 to 20, 2027

Everything, including eligibility papers and accommodations requests, must arrive by the application deadline. ICVA says scores from the July to August window won’t come back in time to apply for October to November, so a retake after that window would be in the following March.

ICVA: NAVLE testing cycles ↗

NAVLE fees

ItemFee
NAVLE, US, its territories and Canada$825
NAVLE, testing anywhere else$1,220
NAVLE approval fee, boards using ICVA$55
Testing region change$100
Duplicate score report$25

The $1,220 is the standard fee plus a $395 international fee. You pay by Visa or Mastercard. The NAVLE fee can’t be refunded or moved to another window, so if you aren’t approved or don’t test in your window, you apply and pay again. Your licensing board may charge its own fees, and Prometric sets its own rescheduling fee. To avoid that fee, change your appointment at least two business days ahead.

ICVA: NAVLE application process ↗

Who can apply

The NAVLE is only for genuine candidates for a license, and you must meet one of two criteria:

  • You graduated from, or are enrolled in, a school accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association Council on Education (AVMA COE). ICVA says that in Canada and most US states, you must graduate within 10 months of the last date of the testing window.
  • You hold a certificate from, or are enrolled in, one of two programs for graduates of non-accredited schools: the Educational Commission for Foreign Veterinary Graduates (ECFVG) or the Program for the Assessment of Veterinary Education Equivalence (PAVE). You must first pass ECFVG’s Basic and Clinical Sciences Examination (BCSE) or PAVE’s Qualifying Science Exam (QSE).

Requirements can differ by licensing agency, so check yours before you apply. ICVA also posted a notice on October 12, 2026 that US sanctions may stop people ordinarily resident in Iran from registering.

AVMA: Accredited veterinary colleges ↗AVMA: About ECFVG ↗AAVSB: About PAVE ↗The full path to a veterinarian’s license →

Who approves a NAVLE application sent online?

You choose one route, and you can’t change the board once you’ve submitted:

  • A US board that lets ICVA handle approvals: your school sends proof to ICVA, and ICVA approves you.
  • A US board that handles its own: contact the board and complete its steps, and it tells ICVA.
  • The “ICVA” option, if you don’t know where you’ll work. Your score goes to no board at first, and you send it later through the American Association of Veterinary State Boards (AAVSB).
ICVA: Licensing agency directory ↗Sending your score through AAVSB →

From approval to a booked seat

  1. Sign in to the NAVLE Candidate Dashboard with your ICVAID and access code to follow your status.
  2. Watch for your Scheduling and Admission Permit by email. ICVA says it can take at least four weeks after approval, with no guaranteed date.
  3. Check that your permit matches your government ID. Name changes can’t be made within seven business days of your test.
  4. Book with Prometric’s ProScheduler, and keep your confirmation number, because ICVA can’t look it up.
  5. Try not to book the last days of your window, so there’s room to move it if something comes up.
ICVA: NAVLE Candidate Dashboard ↗Prometric: ProScheduler ↗

Requesting accommodations

For a disability covered by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), mark it on your application and send the request packet by that window’s application deadline. Once approved, it covers all your NAVLE attempts, though you mark it again on each application. Extended time or more frequent breaks mean testing over two days. Temporary conditions, such as an injury, use a separate form due at least 14 days before the window starts. Canadian candidates ask the NEB.

ICVA: Accommodations ↗
Sources: ICVA and 6 more. Checked November 2026.

Rules and fees can change, so check the official site before your test.

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