The Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges (AAVMC) was formed in 1966 by the deans of the 18 U.S. and three Canadian veterinary colleges. During the 1970s, AAVMC's membership expanded to include the departments of veterinary science in colleges of agriculture.

Today, the Association of American Veterinary Medical Colleges coordinates the affairs of all 28 U.S. veterinary medical colleges, four Canadian colleges of veterinary medicine, nine departments of veterinary science, seven departments of comparative medicine, three veterinary medical education institutions, and six international veterinary schools. The association represents more than 4,000 faculty, 5,000 staff, 10,000 veterinary students, and 3,000 graduate students at these institutions.

In July 1995, the association launched its Veterinary Medical College Application Service (VMCAS). VMCAS is the central distribution, collection, and processing service for applications to the veterinary medical colleges. VMCAS has enjoyed steady growth during its short time in existence, and it is proud to be known as one of the most reliable centralized application services available.