New York, NY - The American Kennel Club Veterinary Outreach Program is pleased to announce that $160,000 in scholarship money will be distributed to veterinary students for the 2003-2004 academic year.

The American Kennel Club (AKC) will continue its annual contribution of $60,000 while an AKC affiliate organization, AKC-Companion Animal Recovery, will again contribute $100,000.

In the 2002-2003 academic year, twenty-three scholarships totaling $160,000 were granted to students in accredited veterinary schools in the United States. Three students received Chairman's Awards of $15,000 each, President's Awards of $10,000 each went to three more students, and 17 students received grants of $5,000 each.

"AKC has been giving veterinary scholarships for 11 years, but this past year was the first time that we have been able to provide so generously to the veterinarians of the future," commented Debra Bonnefond, Director of the AKC Veterinary Outreach Program. "Getting through veterinary school is an expensive labor of love, and we're delighted to be able to help many students pursue their canine-related careers."

Application materials will be mailed in January to all 27 accredited U.S. veterinary schools. Completed applications will be accepted only from those schools. Recipients are selected on the basis of academic achievement and activities with purebred dogs, or related research, and will be announced in the summer of 2003.

In addition to administering the scholarships and other activities, the AKC Veterinary Outreach program maintains a web section to provide relevant information to veterinary professionals and students. For more information on the scholarships and other programs, please visit www.akc.org/vetoutreach.

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The AKC, founded in 1884, is one of the oldest sports-governing organizations. It maintains the largest registry of purebred dogs in the world, is responsible for overseeing the governance of the sport of purebred dogs, and keeps records of competitive results.

For further information about AKC and the sport of purebred dogs, visit AKC Online at www.akc.org or contact the Communications Department at 212-696-8343.