At the 2026 Vet Med Open House, we invite you to feed your curiosity at “Camp Vet Med”!
Experience the camaraderie and learning at the state’s College of Veterinary Medicine. It’s a perfect getaway for animal and science lovers as well as for aspiring veterinarians.
Open House 2026 – October 4
Each year, thousands of people attend Open House, which has informative booths and exhibits throughout the veterinary campus, including:
- The Large Animal Clinic
- The Basic Sciences Building
- The Clinical Skills Learning Center.
Most booths are open throughout the day, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Please check the program at the Welcome Booth when you arrive or preview the day’s events in the information below.
Parking is free, and there are refreshments and meals available for purchase, as are veterinary-themed shirts and other apparel.
Notice: If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate in this program/event, please contact Chris Beuoy at 217-244-1562 / beuoy@illinois.edu. Early requests are strongly encouraged to allow sufficient time to meet your access needs.
Additionally, the university plans to capture photographs and video of this event. Be aware that if you attend, you are consenting to the possibility that your image and likeness may be shared or published by the university for marketing-communications purposes.
FEED YOUR CURIOSITY AT Camp Vet Med!
Talks and demos
Admission to vet school talks (plus “Ask a Vet Student!”)
12 p.m. and 2 p.m. in the Large Animal Clinic Auditorium
Farrier (horseshoeing) demos
11 a.m. and 1 p.m. in the Lameness Arena
Illini Service Dog demo
3 p.m. in the Large Animal Clinic Auditorium
Rehabilitation therapy demos
Throughout the day in the first-floor iFlex Classroom in the Basic Sciences Building
Wildlife Medical Clinic ambassador animal talks
Throughout the day at the Wildlife Medical Clinic
Booth list
1. Welcome Tent
- Information Table
- Omega Tau Sigma service fraternity
2. Basic Sciences Building
First floor Anatomy Lab
- Dermatology
- Ophthalmology (eyes)
- Parasitology (fleas, ticks, more!)
- Pathology (diseases)
- Public Health Association
- Toxicology
- Wildlife Epidemiology Lab
First floor iFlex Classroom and Lounge
- Feline Medicine
- Kitten Club
- Holistic Medicine
- Nurse for Open House Guests
- Physical Therapy/Rehabilitation
- Wellness Booth
First floor hallway
- Animal Behavior
- Aquatic Animal Medicine
- Christian Veterinary Missions Fellowship
- Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association
- Latinx Veterinary Medical Association
- National Association for Black Veterinarians
- VOICE
Second floor atrium
- Avian Medicine (birds)
- Exotic animal pets
- Herpetology (snakes, lizards)
- Hill’s Pet Nutrition
- Laboratory Animal Medicine
- Purina Animal Nutrition
- Small Animal Surgery – Teddy Bear Repair
- Veterinary Business Management Association
- Women’s Veterinary Leadership Development Initiative
- Zoo Medicine
3. Poisonous Plant Garden
4. Food booth by PMC Club
5. Large Animal Clinic
Auditorium lobby
- Admission to Veterinary College and the Student American Veterinary Medical Association
Hallway between Ward 3 and Ward 4
- Equine Surgery/Anesthesia
- USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
Ward 3
- Cow Milking
- Fistulated Cow (look inside a cow’s stomach)
- Ruminant Health (sheep, goats)
- Swine Medicine
Ward 4
- Equine Medicine and Parasitology
- Theriogenology/Animal Reproduction
6. Kids’ Activity Tent
7. Shelter Medicine
8. Lameness Arena
- Farrier Demo
9. Clinical Skills Learning Center
- Cancer Care (Oncology)
- Cardiology
- Diagnostic Imaging
- Emergency Medicine
- Equine Orthopedics and Ultrasound
- Neurology
- Small Animal Dentistry
- Small Animal Internal Medicine
- Small Animal Orthopedics
10. Wildlife Medical Clinic
Kids! Pick up a scavenger hunt card at the Welcome Tent. Follow the pathways to collect stamps at four-in-a-row booths listed on the card, then bring your card back to the Welcome Tent to collect a prize!
What you may need
First aid/nurse
First aid is in the first-floor lounge area at the southeast corner of the Basic Sciences Building.
Lost child meeting point
You may report or bring lost children and lost items to the information table in the Welcome Tent.
Elevators
There are two elevators in the Basic Sciences Building to help you reach exhibits on the second floor:
- At the main (east) entrance
- Behind the Anatomy Lab, on the southwest side of the building
Food
Meals are available for purchase from the Production Medicine Club in the courtyard between the Small and Large Animal Clinics.
Comments and concerns
If you wish to contact the College of Veterinary Medicine with a non-emergency question or concern, go to the Welcome Tent or email editor@vetmed.illinois.edu for a reply during regular business hours.
Important notices
No food zones
Food is allowed only in the courtyard between the Large and Small Animal Clinics and in the café at the southwest corner of the Basic Sciences Building. Do not bring food into the animal areas. Please sanitize your hands immediately after any animal contact.
Have you been outside the U.S. in the past 2 weeks?
If so, please notify a student in the Welcome Tent before entering the Large Animal Clinic. To protect the health of our animal patients, the Veterinary Teaching Hospital requires us to assess whether you may pose a risk of spreading a foreign animal disease.
The Veterinary Medicine Open House is organized entirely by the students in the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree program.
Campus map
The map below shows all ten Open House locations. Here is where each one is:
- The Welcome Tent (1) is on the east side of campus near Lincoln Avenue. It has the information table and the lost-child meeting point.
- The Basic Sciences Building (2) is just north of the Welcome Tent. First aid and restrooms are on the first floor.
- The Poisonous Plant Garden (3) is at the far northwest corner of the grounds.
- The food booth (4) is in the courtyard between the Large Animal Clinic and the Small Animal Clinic.
- The Large Animal Clinic (5) is on the west side. The Kids’ Activity Tent (6) is at its south end, near Wards 3 and 4.
- Shelter Medicine (7) is south of the Small Animal Clinic auditorium lobby.
- The Lameness Arena (8) is at the southwest corner.
- The Clinical Skills Learning Center (9), which also has restrooms, is south of the Large Animal Clinic.
- The Wildlife Medical Clinic (10) is across Hazelwood Drive to the south, next to the Dr. John A. Coyne South Clinic.
A marked walking path runs from the Welcome Tent through the Basic Sciences Building and the clinics to the Wildlife Medical Clinic.
Chicago Connection
Thanks to Class of 2025 alumna Dr. Naomi Esquivel, the Chicago Village Bus Program was launched in 2023 to transport youth from Chicago to the University of Illinois Vet Med Open House.
For information about participating in this program, which also hosts a summer event for youth, please email: chicagovillagebus@gmail.com
Check out the 2025 Open House
Open House 2025 took place on Sunday, October 5, and featured various demos and booths free to the public!
Demos, booth, and activities included:
- Farrier (Horseshoeing) demos
- “Ask a Vet Student”
- Wildlife Medical Clinic ambassador animal talks
- Small Animal Surgery’s teddy bear repair
- Seeing a fistulated cow
- Hearing from the many veterinary organizations at the University of Illinois.