Bel-Rea Institute of Animal Technology Reviews

"Please never go here. The faculty is extremely rude and doesn’t care about your success. The higher ups are extremely unprofessional and disorganized. If you’re looking for quality education this place isn’t it. For how much money you spend it isn’t reflected."

"I am a student at Bel-Rea and want to first acknowledge that many of these negative reviews are exceptionally old. I don't know what the school might have been like before I began, but my experience has been incredibly pleasant. The program itself is projected at 24months (two years for an associates), but it is essentially four years of information and can absolutely be difficult to keep up with. You can extend the program for up to 36 months to make the program more bearable. The staff is very friendly, especially the registrars Jennifer and Casey, and they are more than happy to work with students on developing a course plan that accommodates all of your needs. For myself, I will be extending my course by taking only 3 classes per semester, rather than 4. My tuition will still be paid at the same rate, so when it is time to do my internship I will have my tuition fully paid off and will be able to use that semester's financial aid to cover all of my living expenses, allowing me to focus solely on my internship. The school also offers a ton of free tutor opportunities, but with somewhat limited availability (the tutors are volunteer) so you should apply as early as possible for classes you know will be hard for you. It can be hard to work while in the program as some classes do have funky schedules, getting into a 24/7 ER clinic is certainly easier since the latest classes end at 2pm and most local GP practices close around 6pm, but you can speak with the registrar and move around your classes a bit if necessary. The class times themselves are locked but they were willing to move classes back a semester or forward a semester to accommodate me. They also are happy to help you find work, and in my experience working in ER vet clinics, many places very much prefer Bel-Rea graduates. Some of these reviews speak to the contrary, but in my own anecdotal experience I have found that Bel-Rea graduates are generally sought after particularly in specialty and emergency clinics. Yes, the tuition is quite hefty, however with a 80% plus success rate on passing the VTNE on the first try, to say that they don't prepare you is simply not fair. The internship options they have at the end of the program are numerous, even including some specialty options such as working with exotics, large animal, or wildlife rehabilitation (although some of the best internship programs do require a 3.5 GPA or higher). The program is also 100% vet tech focused, meaning that all of your professors are knowledgeable in the field and all of your classmates are there for the exact same reason, lending itself to a lot of support and opportunity for growth. The truth of the matter is that this is a medical program, and yes some of the professors can be very strict (especially regarding tardiness and attendance), but they are still much more accommodating than professors in most human nursing programs. As for continuing education, if you would like to pursue a bachelors degree (which is not necessary to be a registered/certified vet tech) they do have colleges listed who accept credits from Bel-Rea including a college partnership that accepts FULL credit transfer. All in all, the staff cares very much about their students, the whole faculty has a great love for animals that they show exuberantly. The resident animals are well loved and well cared for. The program itself is difficult but you can absolutely make adjustments to accommodate your lifestyle and needs. There are completely free tutoring opportunities if you choose to take them and if you communicate your concerns with the registrars and your admissions advisor, they can help you find a way to make it all work. I work two full time jobs alongside full time enrollment and it is opening up lots of opportunities and I am learning a lot of useful information rapidly and effectively. I think it is absolutely worth the high tuition."

"I'm not going to make this long, but my god. I don't reccomend this school. They talk about how hands on it is and the only hands on I got was cleaning the cages for them during animal care. Some of the teachers talk down to you and will tell you to drop the class if you ate struggling. They rather see you fail than help you achieve. If you decide to change career paths, most of the credits don't transfer over to other colleges. The internship, which you will make no money doing. How do the expect people to work, go to college and do an internship all at the same time. There are other places I'd recommend CCD."

"I graduated from Bel-Rea in 2019 after being in the vet field for 5 years prior, I worked my butt off through school but was treated horribly by most of the teachers, if you were having any issues or a hard time in class they treat you like you're stupid. I feel like this program was a waste of my money and I could have gotten a better and more hands on education through a different program as I do not feel this was worth the 32k when you also had to pay for housing, supplies, etc and be employed full time to be able to live and not being paid for 400hours of an internship and having to work full time destroyed me mentally and physically. DO not recommend this program to anyone. Go to CCD!"

"ABSOLUTELY DO NOT RECOMMEND. There are so many other better options that are cheaper and have staff that actually care about their students learning/ graduating. I had a severe allergic reaction to the rabbits and was told to take Benadryl and continue working with the rabbits or I fail. Not to mention when I needed tutors all of the ones they provided didn't have the teacher I was with and told they couldn't help me. Save your money and go else where."

"Don't do it, this school will rob you blind! If... you graduate you will probably find a job that pays near to nothing and you will owe 60k in student loans with a degree that credits wont transfer for any other degree or school. Staff/teachers are unhelpful and don't care if you succeed or not, just want your money. Total waste of a career! Even if you do well, guaranteed you won't stay in the field more then 5 years and you will still be in debt over your head."

"I was excited to go to this school. The training I received during my 2 year time there was great. BUT... before you enroll, please read the fine print. I was led to believe that Bel-Rea would help graduates find a job after graduation. Maybe I didn't utilize the school in the fullest extent, but Bel-Rea did not help me find a job. They also tell you that this field is in the higher paying range of the job industry. HMMMM... veterinarians will more likely hire people off of the street that claim they are a "vet tech" when they are NOT, and pay them more in some instances. And my student loans? Still not paid. After I graduated I made $7.50 per hour. I thought I would be proud to be a "vet tech" but mainly I'm just disappointed. At least my fur babies get good care at home."

"Went to this school for 1 year. I went from being an amazing honor student to a C student. This school requires that it is your sole focus. It is a nightmare to work even part time at this school since they don't give you a lot of notice about mandatory outside of class events. I failed a class due to missing one day (because my best friend died and I went to her funeral. I had a hard time with that same class the quarter before so I was forced to retake it and pay an addition 250 per credit hour to retake it, which is absurd. So they put me on an academic 6 month probation for missing class for my dead friend. I asked the registrar if/how I can appeal the probation. She said she'd let me know when I can and then NEVER got back to me. The 2 week break came and I got a letter in the mail stating I was unenrolled from Bel-Rea. Then they blamed me for not appealing the probation and said it was too late to do so now. On top of that I was taking a class where a teacher was moving and she stopped teaching half way thru the quarter, I and a few other students went from a B to a D really fast and ended up failing it and they blamed it on us again. I am not typically a review writer and often I don't complain but this school only cares about making money and expects Bel-Rea to be your entire world for the entire 2 years. Don't go trust me, I was excited at first but they are truely horrible and a greedy organization. (btw they don't transfer credits to other vet tech schools)"

"The once top 10 school in the country for veterinary technician training has become, another just for profit school IMO. The school is on the smaller size, built inside an old ranch house. The size would not be an issue but they allow more and more people attend every semester and sometimes it feels impossible to maneuver around the hallways. There is parking in the back of the school, but this parking is minimal, and unless you get to the building super early (before 6am) or have a later class good luck finding parking. I lived 2 miles from the school and decided to walk every day knowing I would have to park a mile away anyway. The school has no on campus housing, your required to rent of campus. The school does try to do a good job in handing out information on local apartments. I meet some lifelong friends in college, but for the majority of the time I felt like I was back in high school with all the drama. The sad part is most of my classmates were in there 30s and 40s. The worst part of the school is if you spend a semester or two youre locked in to pay the full amount of the tuition, which is close to about 28k for a 2 year degree. So makes sure this career or school is for you because you will feel trapped. The material is good information; you will learn and be prepared to enter the field. With many community colleges offering veterinary technician programs these days at of the cost of a school like bel-rea, I strongly recommend you do not choose this school/program. I graduated in 2012 with my degree and I am currently working in the top of my field so I am not just another bitter reviewer that has a grudge."

"Hi! I chose to go to Bel-Rea Institute of Animal Technology in Aurora, Colorado, because they were able to provide a lot of hands on experience on campus, instead of having to commute to different clinics, shelters, etc. We did had to do extra volunteering hours (which is great for you!), but I confess it was a little hard to fit everything we had to accomplish since I kept my full time job (40 hours a week). The teachers present the lecture extremely well, and they give you all the tools for further reading and better understanding of the topic. I was also a TA (Teacher's Assistant), and by helping others with their struggles, also helped me to review the content and be sharp for the boards test! English is my second language, and I believe if I did it, anybody can do it too. I completed the program in 27 months, and it was perfect for me!"