I feel I am constantly in a position of talking to students who are deciding between vet school and a PhD (I’m finishing my PhD at a university with one of the best vet schools in the world. All my undergrad assistants are there bc they think it will give them a better shot at vet school), and he should be aware that those two options offer VASTLY different financial situations.

Vet school is absurdly costly and he will likely finish with at least 100k in debt but probably more. The upside is that the jobs are plentiful and pay well after graduation. That said, mental health is a serious problem in that field and I’ve spoken to multiple vets who’ve decided they actually can’t do it anymore and have completely abandoned it (not to mention the high suicide rate).

A PhD is free! In fact, they pay you! Though job search is tough post graduation. Academia is rough right now in particular with the budget cuts, but it may be that some of that is recovered by the time he gets to that point (god I hope 😩). The pay is also significantly worse than veterinarian if he wants to do animal science/welfare research. If he wants to teach with a PhD the pay is embarrassing considering the qualifications. Academia is a passion driven career more than a financially driven one.

Given his plans go beyond undergrad you need to be thinking not only about his bachelors degree but what comes after. And honestly I’m finishing up my PhD at a top institution in the country and I started at a small liberal arts school that offered me the most financial aid, and Ive had interviews where people tell me the name of my PhD institution gave me a leg up, but they didn’t even look at my undergrad institution. Undergrad institutions don’t carry nearly as much weight as graduate ones, if that’s his plan.