MD Program — Dalhousie University (Faculty of Medicine)

Program status: Active — CACMS/LCME accredited. Atlantic Canada’s only English-language medical school. As of 2025, general out-of-province seats have been eliminated.

SpaceCat Fit Notes

1. CASPer: Moot — OOP seats eliminated. Details
2. GPA window & upgrading strategy: Moot — OOP seats eliminated. Details
3. Experiential / written advantage: Moot — OOP seats eliminated. Details

4. Out-of-province: Ontario resident. No general OOP seats remain. details

5. Overall assessment: Not viable — General OOP seats eliminated as of 2025. Remaining 6 OOP seats restricted to Indigenous/Black Learners pathways only.

“There are no longer General Pool Out of Province positions at any Dalhousie Medical School campus.”

“Beginning with the current 2025 application cycle (for entry in August 2026) the six (6) Out of Province Positions at the Halifax campus are limited to applicants in the Indigenous Admissions Pathway and/or Black Learners Admissions Pathway.”

Quick Facts

• Institution: Dalhousie University
• Program name: Doctor of Medicine (MD)
• Degree granted: MD
• City, Province: Halifax, Nova Scotia (regional campuses in New Brunswick and PEI)
• Program type: Standard (4-year)
• Duration: 4 years
• Delivery format: In-person
• Full-time / Part-time: Full-time only
• Language of instruction: English
• Start date(s): August
• Intake frequency: Annual
• Application deadline(s): Section 1 due July 31, 2025; Section 2 and fee due September 3, 2025; MCAT deadline August 9, 2025 (for fall 2026 entry) (Dal Admissions; Dal Deadlines)
• Application system: Dalhousie’s own online portal at apply.dal.ca — NOT OMSAS (Dal Application Process)
• Application fee: $70 (non-refundable)
• Program URL: https://medicine.dal.ca/departments/core-units/admissions.html
• Accredited: Yes — CACMS and LCME accredited

Admission Requirements

GPA

• Minimum GPA: 3.3 for Maritime residents; 3.7 for out-of-province applicants. No minimum for Indigenous or Black Learners pathways. (Dal Admissions; AcceptedTogether Dal Guide)
• Competitive GPA: Average GPA of admitted students (Class of 2028): 3.8 (Dal Class Statistics)
• GPA calculation: Dalhousie removed specific course load requirements recently. A minimum of 3 years (90 credit hours) of undergraduate study is required. (AcceptedTogether Dal Guide)

MCAT

• Required: Yes — must be completed by the August deadline (August 9, 2025 for 2026 entry). (Dal Admissions)
• Minimum score: Sliding scale linked to GPA — a GPA of 3.3 requires minimum MCAT of 499; a GPA of 4.0 requires minimum MCAT of 492. Minimum 123 in each section regardless of total. (AcceptedTogether Dal Guide)
• Competitive MCAT: Average MCAT of admitted students (Class of 2028): 505 (Dal Class Statistics)

CASPer

• Required: Yes — all applicants must complete CASPer. Dalhousie will only consider applicants scoring above -1.5 standard deviations from the mean. (AcceptedTogether Dal Guide)

Interview

• Format: Multiple Mini Interview (MMI). (Dal Admissions)
• Pre-interview formula: 50% GPA + 25% MCAT + 25% CASPer. (AcceptedTogether Dal Guide)
• Interview invitations: Early-mid November; interviews take place one weekend in November. (Dal Application Process)
• Decision letters: End of March. (Dal Application Process)

Prerequisites

No specific prerequisite courses are required. Dalhousie recently removed all course load requirements. Any bachelor’s degree discipline accepted. (AcceptedTogether Dal Guide)

Supplementary Requirements

• Short answer questions and supplemental information required in Section 2 of application.
• Out-of-province applicants (equity pathways only) must submit a 250-word statement explaining their selection of Dalhousie. (Dal Application Process)
• Verifiers required for supplemental activities; contacted between November and February. (Dal Admissions)

Out-of-Province Considerations

CRITICAL: General out-of-province seats eliminated as of 2025

Beginning with the 2025 application cycle (for August 2026 entry), there are NO general pool out-of-province positions at any Dalhousie Medical School campus. The six (6) out-of-province positions at the Halifax campus are now limited exclusively to applicants in the Indigenous Admissions Pathway and/or Black Learners Admissions Pathway. (Dal Place of Residence)

Seat allocation (Class of 2028 data):

(Dal Class Statistics; NS Government News)

Maritime residency definition:

To qualify as a Maritime province resident, applicants must meet ONE of: - Criteria A: Completed 4 years of junior/senior high school (grades 7-12) within the last 12 years in NS, NB, or PEI. - Criteria B: Permanent address in one Maritime province for at least 6 consecutive years prior to application while attending high school, post-secondary, or employed. - Criteria C: Permanent address in one Maritime province for at least 3 consecutive years prior to application while NOT enrolled in post-secondary.

(Dal Place of Residence)

Exception process:

Applicants not meeting standard criteria may submit a 250-word statement by July 31 for case-by-case review, particularly those with Indigenous or African Nova Scotian heritage. Submitting a statement does not guarantee allocation of in-province status. (Dal Place of Residence)

Cost

• Tuition (annual, approximate): ~$26,783 CAD/year (AcceptedTogether Dal Guide; Dal Tuition Fee Schedules)
• Total 4-year estimated cost: ~$107,132 tuition + $60,000-$80,000 living expenses (AcceptedTogether Dal Guide)

Competitiveness

• Cohort size: ~150 students/year (expanding; was 114 NS seats + others; total ~169 including all campuses) (Dal Class Statistics; Dal Place of Residence)
• Total applications received (Class of 2028): 1,816 (625 Maritime + 1,165 non-Maritime + 18 government-sponsored) (Dal Class Statistics)

Information Not Found

No specific gaps identified for this program.