American College of Animal Welfare (ACAW): How to Become Board-Certified

ACAW certifies veterinarians in animal welfare.

AVMA lists it as a single recognized specialty — its entry on AVMA's list carries no named sub-specialties, so there is no track to choose before training starts.

The credential has one form: after passing the board certifying examination, ACAW's own wording goes, you can refer to yourself as Diplomate, American College of Animal Welfare.

AVMA counts 75 active ACAW diplomates as of December 31, 2025.

That figure is AVMA's entire report for this college — there is no by-specialty breakdown to slice it further, and the where-specialists-work article covers how a credential like this maps onto workplaces.

For the Individual Training Program, ACAW's guidance states the prerequisites directly: the ability to speak and write in English, and then being a graduate of an AVMA-accredited veterinary school, holding an ECFVG certificate, or being qualified to practice veterinary medicine in some state, province, territory or country.

The Formal Residency sits under a separate ACAW document, so read that document before weighing the two paths.

The ITP then runs on clocks ACAW sets: after registering with ACAW, a candidate has 18 months to submit the proposed program to the Training Committee, and the approved ITP must be completed within five years of the Training Committee's approval date.

The proposal is not a step before welfare experience — in ACAW's wording, an acceptable ITP begins with documenting past activities, buttressed by anticipated new training.

The Individual Training Program is the route for a veterinarian whose training will not run through a formal residency.

It is self-directed, but not solo: in ACAW's wording the program is crafted by the applicant, supported and endorsed by an ACAW Diplomate the candidate must engage, and reviewed and approved by the Training Committee — and ACAW expects that relationship to continue, with ongoing communication over the program's course.

The sequencing is the part to plan around: the proposal is due within 18 months of registering with ACAW, the five years run from the Training Committee's approval date rather than from registration, and under ACAW's bylaws those five years cover both completing the program and submitting the credentials packet to the Credentials Committee.

Two requirements sit alongside the training program.

The publication: ITP candidates publish one peer-reviewed manuscript on an animal welfare topic.

The packet: the credentialing packet is submitted with a $300 credentialing fee.

The fees do not stop there — the same guidance names a $200 registration fee, which is what starts the 18-month proposal clock, and a $300 examination fee before the first sitting, with no additional fee for the two further attempts should they be needed.

Then the exam: a day-long certifying examination in two parts — approximately 200 multiple-choice questions answered within 4 hours, then written answers to multiple scenario questions within another 4 hours.

ACAW currently offers the exam online.

Passing the board certifying examination is what brings the designation: from then on, in ACAW's own phrasing, you can refer to yourself as Diplomate, American College of Animal Welfare.

Two things are worth knowing before you commit.

Keeping the credential: ACAW's certification page links a maintenance-of-certification form, which implies maintenance of certification exists, but no page states the interval it follows — ask the college directly what current diplomates are expected to do, and on what schedule.

And the documents themselves: the published guidance for the Individual Training Program is versioned April 15, 2024, and its own pages say the most current forms and submission instructions live on ACAW's website, so confirm you are working from the latest versions before you build a proposal around them.