Dalhousie Engineering admission requirements: the 70% minimum, Grade 12 sciences and the two-year core

Dalhousie's Engineering program asks for a completed Grade 12 with a minimum overall average of 70%. Required subjects are academic English 12, pre-calculus math 12, academic chemistry 12, academic physics 12 and one more academic subject.

Dal's Ontario course list counts ENG4U, ETS4U, EAE4U or NBEU4U as English, and Advanced Functions (MHF4U) or Calculus and Vectors (MCV4U) as pre-calculus. If you're missing pre-calculus but otherwise qualified, Dal may admit you on condition that you finish an upgrading course before you arrive.

Plan your Grade 12 courses with our course planner.

Dal publishes a 70% minimum overall average for Engineering. It says the program may use a competitive average for admission, so meeting the minimum doesn't guarantee a place. Dal doesn't publish a higher figure for Engineering.

Dal doesn't publish an Engineering acceptance rate. Our Dalhousie acceptance rate page shows what it does publish. Compare other schools in our engineering requirements guide.

Engineering isn't on Dal's list of programs with a fixed Fall 2027 deadline. Dal considers applications to these programs before classes start in September, where space is available, and encourages high school students to apply early.

The dates that matter are February 15, 2027 for entrance awards and May 15, 2027 for the guaranteed residence application. Accept your offer by May 1, 2027 by paying your admission deposit, unless your letter says otherwise.

You apply through Dal's application portal, and the application fee is $70. If your OUAC number is on file, Dal usually receives your Ontario grades automatically.

Everyone starts in the Core Engineering Program: two years of math, science, engineering science and design. You can take it in Halifax or start on the Truro campus, where classes average 20 to 30 students.

You apply for your discipline in first year, take related courses in second year, then focus on it from third year. Dal offers seven: Chemical, Civil, Computer, Electrical, Environmental, Industrial and Mechanical Engineering.

If you stop after two years, you can earn a Diploma of Engineering with a minimum GPA of 2.00. You can also combine engineering with a Bachelor of Science or Bachelor of Arts.

To start on the Truro campus, choose Truro Start after you submit your application, or select the Truro campus for your program. Dal's Truro Start page describes guaranteed residence, one-on-one advising and smaller classes, and guarantees residence to new direct-from-high-school students with a complete application by May 1.

Truro Start's general page describes a first year in Truro before moving to Halifax, while the Engineering page says the two-year core can be taken in Truro. Ask Dal which applies to your engineering timeline.

Design starts in first year with Design 1 and ends with a senior capstone project for an industry client. Students also join design teams that have launched satellites and raced solar and electric vehicles, and Dal runs the Emera ideaHUB, an early-stage deep tech incubator.

The degree is accredited by the Canadian Engineering Accreditation Board and recognized internationally through the Washington Accord. After graduation you can register as an Engineer-in-Training on the path to P.Eng.

Co-op is an optional five-year stream with paid work terms at more than 90 partner organizations. Dal says co-op students earn an average of up to $15,000 per semester on a work term, and work terms count toward the experience you need for a P.Eng.

Co-op adds a program fee of $562.38 and an orientation course fee of $337.84 in 2026-27.

Dal charges tuition by billing hour. In 2026-27, Halifax Engineering is $373.40 per billing hour, or $5,601 for a 15-hour term. With incidental fees, Dal estimates $6,991.05 for the fall term and $6,191.26 for winter.

International students entering from Fall 2024 are on Dal's guaranteed tuition model. For 2026-27, guaranteed program tuition in the Faculty of Engineering is $48,594.

Dal offers entrance awards from $1,000 to $80,000. Most need the General Entrance Award application, due February 15, 2027, and Dal says you typically need an 80% average or 26 predicted IB points. Check your average with our Top 6 average calculator.

Dal's entrance awards include scholarships based mainly on grades, bursaries based on financial need, and hybrid awards that combine merit, leadership and need. Some are one-time and some renew for up to four years.

Dal looks at your whole application: academic achievement, leadership and initiative, extracurricular involvement, community service, financial need and cultural identity. To apply, you need to come straight from high school, or be a mature student with no transferable post-secondary study, and start in the fall.

Your award average uses the five courses required for your program, so for Engineering that's your English, pre-calculus, chemistry, physics and additional academic course. Domestic and international students can both apply, and gap-year students qualify if they haven't taken transferable post-secondary courses.

Dal's published bar is lower than most Ontario engineering programs, and there's no fixed engineering deadline. The scholarship form is the real deadline: February 15, 2027.

The Truro start gives smaller classes in the first two years. Nova Scotia students may also qualify for the Nova Scotia Student Bursary of up to $1,283 a year, listed in Dal's fee schedule.