Vet Tech Programs in Wisconsin
AVMA lists 6 CVTEA-accredited veterinary technology programs in Wisconsin, and every one awards an associate degree.
None of the 6 appears on AVMA's distance-education list.
Three print a status line worth reading before you apply: Fox Valley Technical College, Northwood Technical College and Northcentral Technical College are each on initial accreditation, which AVMA describes as a new program's first five years and not a penalty.
Wisconsin's credential runs on two statutory routes: a course of study at a technical school or college approved by the examining board, or two years employed by a veterinarian.
Accredited programs
6
Offer an associate degree
6
Offer a bachelor's
0
Status to check
3
Source: AVMA Committee on Veterinary Technician Education and Activities (CVTEA), “Veterinary technology programs accredited by the AVMA CVTEA” and “Distance education programs in veterinary technology accredited by the AVMA CVTEA”, retrieved 2026-09-23. “Status to check” counts programs whose AVMA status line reads anything other than plain full accreditation.
Check the list and the board before you enroll
AVMA-accredited programs in Wisconsin
AVMA lists 6 accredited veterinary technology programs in Wisconsin, alphabetically below, with each degree, date and status line exactly as AVMA prints it. A struck-through degree is one AVMA marks as discontinued.
Veterinary Technology Program · Appleton, WI
- Associate in Applied Science
Initial accreditation: February 18, 2021 · Next evaluation (as AVMA lists it): 2026
INITIAL ACCREDITATION
Veterinary Technology Program · Elkhorn, WI
- Associate of Science
Initial accreditation: February 3, 2017 · Next evaluation (as AVMA lists it): 2027
FULL ACCREDITATION
- Associate of Applied Science
Initial accreditation: November, 1974 · Next evaluation (as AVMA lists it): 2027
FULL ACCREDITATION
Veterinary Technology Program · Milwaukee, WI
- Associate of Applied Science
Initial accreditation: May 16, 2014 · Next evaluation (as AVMA lists it): 2024
FULL ACCREDITATION
Veterinary Technology Program · Wausau, WI
- Associate of/in Science
Initial accreditation: January 26, 2023 · Next evaluation (as AVMA lists it): 2028
INITIAL ACCREDITATION
Veterinary Technology Program · New Richmond, WI
- Associate of applied Science
Initial accreditation: February 4, 2021 · Next evaluation (as AVMA lists it): 2026
INITIAL ACCREDITATION
From AVMA’s CVTEA program list, retrieved 2026-09-23.
What AVMA's status lines mean
Initial accreditation. “INITIAL (formerly called Provisional) accreditation is not punitive and is simply the terminology given to newly accredited programs for their first five years. Initial accreditation means the program is officially accredited. Initial accreditation does not mean programs are at a higher risk of losing accreditation or that they are “less” accredited. Graduates of an Initially accredited program are considered graduates of an AVMA CVTEA accredited program and would be eligible in nearly all states to take the Veterinary Technician National Exam.” — AVMA
Six programs, all of them associate degrees
Four of the 6 are technical colleges by the names AVMA prints today: Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton, Gateway Technical College in Elkhorn, Northcentral Technical College in Wausau and Northwood Technical College in New Richmond.
Madison College in Madison still carries its former name, Madison Area Technical College, on AVMA's list, which helps if an older transcript or reference uses it, and Milwaukee Career College in Milwaukee completes the 6.
Madison College's initial accreditation dates to November 1974, the earliest on the state's list.
AVMA prints each program's city, degree, dates and status line.
Anything else, from schedules to clinical placements, is a question for the school.
Three programs on initial accreditation
Three of the 6 print INITIAL ACCREDITATION rather than FULL ACCREDITATION: Fox Valley Technical College in Appleton, Northwood Technical College in New Richmond and Northcentral Technical College in Wausau.
AVMA's own definition says initial accreditation is not punitive and is simply the terminology given to newly accredited programs for their first five years, so a graduate of any of the three counts as a graduate of an AVMA CVTEA accredited program and would be eligible in nearly all states to take the Veterinary Technician National Exam.
AVMA gives Fox Valley Technical College and Northwood Technical College a 2026 next evaluation and Northcentral Technical College 2028.
Whatever the line says, all 6 are officially accredited, but each program's accreditation is the first question to put to the school.
No distance program is based in Wisconsin
None of the 6 programs on Wisconsin's list appears on AVMA's distance-education list.
AVMA names 13 distance programs in all, each listed under the state where it is based, and they are listed lower on this page.
For any of them, a Wisconsin resident needs two answers from the school: whether it admits students living in Wisconsin, and how it arranges the supervised clinical hours every accredited program requires at a practice near the student.
Two statutory routes: a board-approved program or two years employed by a veterinarian
Wisconsin statute sets up two routes to the Certified Veterinary Technician (CVT) certification issued by the Wisconsin Veterinary Examining Board: four semesters of study in animal technology, or its equivalent, at a technical school or college approved by the examining board; or two years employed by a veterinarian.
The Board's FAQ documents the employment route in detail, including affidavits each signed by a licensed veterinarian who supervised the work, and the examinations: the VTNE plus a Wisconsin state exam, both managed by AAVSB.
The statute's program route turns on approval by the examining board, not AVMA accreditation, so whether each of the 6 programs above is on the VEB's approved list is a question for the VEB.
AAVSB's general VTNE-eligibility guidance, a nationwide note rather than a Wisconsin rule, describes accredited-program graduates as exam-eligible in every jurisdiction.
Whether the CVT is required to practice is not settled on the sources read, so ask the VEB directly.
Wisconsin Veterinary Examining Board (VEB)
A Certified Veterinary Technician (CVT) certification issued by the Wisconsin Veterinary Examining Board (VEB) — the letters behind the CVT on Wisconsin job postings.
A two-year supervised-experience route documented in the Board's FAQ, with the experience splittable across veterinarians and proven by affidavits each signed by a licensed veterinarian; no other route is described in the sources read.
The VTNE plus a Wisconsin state exam, both managed by AAVSB with payment made to AAVSB or its exam vendors; the state exam's own name is not stated in the sources read.
AVMA’s distance-education list
AVMA names 13 programs on a separate distance-education list. Each is listed under the state where it is based. Whether a program admits students living in Wisconsin, and how it arranges clinical placements there, is a question for the program.
From AVMA’s distance-education program list, retrieved 2026-09-23.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited vet tech programs are in Wisconsin?
AVMA's CVTEA list, retrieved September 23, 2026, names 6 accredited veterinary technology programs in Wisconsin, and all 6 award an associate degree.
None is on AVMA's separate distance-education list.
Three print INITIAL ACCREDITATION: Fox Valley Technical College, Northwood Technical College and Northcentral Technical College.
Statuses change, so check AVMA's own list for the current entry before you apply to any of them.
Is there a bachelor's degree vet tech program in Wisconsin?
No. Every one of the 6 programs on AVMA's Wisconsin list awards an associate degree, so no bachelor's is listed in the state.
If you want a bachelor's-level option, AVMA's national listings, including the 13 distance programs listed lower on this page, are where one would have to come from.
Entries change, so verify with AVMA before you plan around any program.
What does initial accreditation mean for Wisconsin students?
Three Wisconsin programs print INITIAL ACCREDITATION: Fox Valley Technical College, Northwood Technical College and Northcentral Technical College.
AVMA's definition says initial accreditation is not punitive: it is the terminology given to newly accredited programs for their first five years, graduates count as graduates of an AVMA CVTEA accredited program, and they would be eligible in nearly all states to take the Veterinary Technician National Exam.
The other 3 Wisconsin programs print FULL ACCREDITATION.
Can you become a Wisconsin vet tech without attending an accredited program?
Yes, through the statute's employment route: two years as a veterinarian's employee, at least half of that time in practical field experience, plus the examinations.
The Board's FAQ documents the route through affidavits, each signed by a licensed veterinarian who supervised the work.
Note also that the statute's program route turns on approval by the examining board rather than AVMA accreditation, so whether a given program on this page is board-approved is a question for the VEB.
The same sources do not settle whether the CVT is required to practice; ask the VEB what current law requires.
Are there online or distance-education vet tech programs for Wisconsin residents?
Not based in Wisconsin.
AVMA's distance-education list names 13 programs, none of them among this state's 6, and they appear lower on this page under their home states.
Those distance programs are the online route AVMA accredits.
Before enrolling in one, ask the school two things: whether it admits students living in Wisconsin, and how it arranges the supervised clinical hours at a practice near you.
More Wisconsin Veterinary Technician Resources
Sources
- AVMA CVTEA — Veterinary technology programs accredited by the AVMA CVTEA (Wisconsin section and status definitions) (retrieved 2026-09-23)
- AVMA CVTEA — Distance education programs in veterinary technology accredited by the AVMA CVTEA (retrieved 2026-09-23)
- Wisconsin Veterinary Examining Board, CVT credentialing FAQ, as summarised on the Wisconsin requirements page (retrieved 2026-09-16)
- Wisconsin Statutes ch. 89 (Veterinary Examining Board), s. 89.06(3), certification routes — 2023-24 Wis. Stats., certified September 4, 2026 (saved: docs/data/sources/vet/licensure/wi-stat89-nolayout.txt) (retrieved 2026-09-16)
Program list: AVMA CVTEA, retrieved 2026-09-23. Page last updated 2026-09-23.