With dairy courses and access to dairy cattle declining at many universities, the US Dairy Education and Training Consortium was established in 2008 to provide a unique educational opportunity through both classroom and experiential learning experiences. Since its inception, 342 students have completed the 6-wk program. A survey of the former students was conducted (62% response rate) to determine the impact the consortium had on their future and the impact the classes and hands-on experiences had on their professional career. Of the 213 respondents, 99 are currently still enrolled at a university, 111 are employed and 3 are not employed. Of those enrolled at a university, 37% are undergraduate students, 30% are working toward advanced degrees and 30% are obtaining a veterinary degree. Of the former students which have since entered the job market, 34% have found employment on a dairy, 33% are employed in a dairy related position (allied industry), 5% are in a non-dairy livestock positon, 6% are in a non-dairy agricultural position and 21% are employed outside of agriculture. Of those employed, 87 students obtained a BS, while 11 completed their MS, 2 students are Ph.D.’s and 9 students graduated with a DVM degree. When asked “What impact attending the consortium had on their current status,” 92% replied important, very important or extremely important. When asked about the impact the classes and experiential learning experiences had on their course work and subsequent careers, 44% replied extremely helpful, 35% very helpful and 15% helpful. When asked to rank the consortium classes as compared with other courses taken, 55% gave the consortium an A+ and 36% an A. When asked for general comments, the hands-on experiences and access to exceptional faculty were the student’s main remarks. The USDETC has proven to be a positive alternative or complementary education opportunity for students that do not or have limited access to dairy courses or the related experiential learning experiences at their home universities.