Admissions

Equity Ethos Statement

The development of this statement contributes to Dalhousie’s strategic vision as a civic university and as a foundation for inclusion and distinction.

Equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility are necessary conditions for inclusive excellence, which includes our intentional efforts to attract and support a diverse mix of exceptional learners. Dalhousie University pledges to identify and eliminate barriers within university policies, regulations, procedures, and practices related to the recruitment, admission, retention, and success of historically and currently equity-denied learners. These learners may reflect one or more of the following identities:

• Mi’kmaq, Wolastoqiyik, Peskotomuhkati, and other Indigenous peoples
• African Nova Scotian* and other Black and African peoples
• Racialized persons
• Persons with (dis)abilities – visible and invisible
• Persons identifying as members of 2SLGBTQ+ communities
• Persons whose gender is under-represented within a particular academic discipline
• Former youth-in-care, and those who continue to experience the long-term effects of adverse childhood events
• Asylum-seekers, refugees, and other learners who have been forcibly displaced due to persecution, violence, conflict, human rights violations; political instability, weak governance, and state repression; or natural hazards, disasters, and man-made environmental crises
• Persons who traditionally have not had opportunity or access for post-secondary education because of economic, social, and cultural reasons; lack of formal education; or residence in non-urban areas 

*African Nova Scotians /Indigenous Blacks are a distinct people who descend from free and enslaved Black planters, Black loyalists, Black refugees, Maroons, and other Black people who inhabited the original 52 land-based Black communities in Mi’kma’ki.

Applicants are encouraged to self-identify upon application for admission to Dalhousie to receive information about academic programming, including unique pathways and access options and any designated scholarships and bursaries. Those who self-identify will be considered on an individual basis, and additional information may be required from the applicant by the applicable faculty, school, or unit. Where possible, several factors indicative of academic and personal readiness to succeed at Dalhousie will be considered. The academic and institutional culture will be enhanced by the value equity-denied students bring to Dalhousie.

The above ethos statement is meant to reinforce or bolster existing equity-related statements or regulations at the faculty/department level or serve as a reference point in instances where there is no such statement or regulation.

Regulations in all Academic Calendars fall under the jurisdiction of the University Senate as per Dalhousie’s constitution.

 

Final Dates for Receipt of Applications for Admission

Regular Session - September Start Date

• Graduate Studies^1,2 (except as below)                   June 1
• Non-Canadian Students (Graduate Studies)              April 1

Several programs have different application deadlines. Please refer to the specific departmental sections in the calendar for these dates

 ¹ All supporting documentation must be submitted by the appropriate deadline.

² Consideration for scholarship support often requires applications to be completed before the indicated deadlines to allow for program review and nomination. Please review scholarship deadlines on the Faculty of Graduate Studies Funding Opportunities website, and plan to submit complete applications in advance of these deadlines.

Admission in January or May

Some programs allow for a student to start either January 1 or May 1. Check the detailed program descriptions or with the department directly to see if such start dates are permitted. See Faculty Regulation 4.2, for appropriate application deadlines.

General Application Deadlines	Canadian Applicants	Non-Canadian Applicants
For September Admission	June 1	April 1
For January Admission	October 31	August 31
For May Admission	February 28	December 31