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Dalhousie University Acceptance Rate: Admission Minimums 70% to 80%
Dalhousie's published minimums run from 70% (Arts, Engineering, Nursing) to 80% (Medical Sciences). As of October 2026, Dalhousie’s admission requirements page lists minimum averages from 70% (Arts, Engineering, Nursing) to 80% (Medical Sciences), and its Faculty of Medicine reports 1,207 applications for a class of 177 in 2025. Dalhousie publishes those minimums instead of an undergraduate acceptance rate, and it does not post applicant or offer counts for first-year admission. Below are the minimums by program, the Medicine figures, and how to read both.
The short answer
- Dalhousie's published admission minimums run from 70% to 80%, depending on the program.
- For the Doctor of Medicine Class of 2029 (entering 2025), Dalhousie states 1,207 applications and a final class of 177 students.
- Dividing 177 by 1,207 gives 14.7%. That is a calculation from Dalhousie's own numbers, not a rate Dalhousie labels.
- Medicine is a professional program, so that figure says nothing about general undergraduate admission.
- Dalhousie does not publish an undergraduate acceptance rate. Its enrolment reports cover enrolled headcounts only.
Reviewed October 8, 2026 · Dalhousie is a Nova Scotia university, so Ontario’s OUAC system and Common University Data Ontario (CUDO) do not apply
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Dalhousie’s own statement
Dalhousie’s undergraduate admission requirements page, read on October 8, 2026, says:
“Admission to many programs at Dalhousie are competitive; meeting the minimum average doesn’t guarantee admission.”
Many program entries add: “This program may employ a competitive average for admission purposes; meeting minimum posted requirements does not guarantee admission.”
How to read these numbers
The 70% to 80% range is Dalhousie’s own published minimums, copied from its requirements page. We did not calculate them. A minimum is the lowest average Dalhousie will consider, not the average that wins a seat.
The only ratio on this page is for Medicine, and it is our calculation: 177 seats divided by 1,207 applications is 14.7%, from the Faculty of Medicine’s Class of 2029 profile. What it is not: it compares seats with applications, not offers with applicants, and it covers a professional program most students enter after a first degree. It says nothing about first-year undergraduate admission.
What official counts exist
Dalhousie publishes enrolment reports as of December 1 each year. The December 1, 2025 report by faculty and permanent residence records 21,103 enrolled students across every faculty and level. That counts students who enrolled, not applications or offers.
Dalhousie’s Planning and Institutional Effectiveness office links to no public fact book, common data set or admissions report. Rather than print an unofficial number, this guide sticks to Dalhousie’s own published figures.
Where Dalhousie publishes applications: Faculty of Medicine
Dalhousie’s Faculty of Medicine publishes application and class-size figures for its Doctor of Medicine (MD) program. For the Class of 2029 (entering 2025), its class-profile page lists 1,207 total applications (561 Maritime and 645 non-Maritime) and a total class of 177 students. That is still the newest class profile posted as of October 8, 2026.
By our calculation, 177 divided by 1,207 is 14.7%. Dalhousie does not call this an acceptance rate, and it is not one for first-year undergraduate admission.
Minimum averages by program
Dalhousie publishes a minimum for each program instead of one university-wide figure. Ontario students use the equivalent 4U and 4M courses.
| Program | Minimum average | Required courses |
|---|---|---|
| Arts | 70% | Academic English 12 and four more academic subjects. Math is not required. |
| Health Promotion; Recreation (Therapeutic) | 70% | Academic English 12 and four more academic subjects. Math is not required. |
| Music | 70% | Academic English 12 and four more academic subjects, plus an audition or interview and theory tests. |
| Management; Recreation Management; Applied Computer Science | 70% | Academic English 12, Academic Math 12 and three more academic subjects. |
| Computer Science | 70% | Academic English 12, Academic Math 12 (70%) or Pre-calculus Math 12 (65%), and three more academic subjects. |
| Community Design | 70% | Academic English 12, Academic Math 12, one academic Science 12 and two more academic subjects. |
| Engineering | 70% | Academic English 12, Pre-calculus Math 12, Academic Chemistry 12, Academic Physics 12 and one more academic subject. |
| Nursing (Semester 1 entry) | 70% | Academic English 12, Academic Math 12, Academic Biology 12 and Academic Chemistry 12, each at 70% or higher on the Nursing program page, and one more academic subject. |
| Commerce; Kinesiology | 75% | Academic English 12, Academic Math 12 and three more academic subjects. |
| Science | 75% | Academic English 12, Pre-calculus Math 12 and three more academic subjects. |
| Agriculture / Pre-Veterinary Medicine; Bioveterinary Science | 75% | Academic English 12, Pre-calculus Math 12 and three more academic subjects. |
| Health Sciences technologies (Diagnostic Medical Ultrasound, Nuclear Medicine, Radiological, Respiratory Therapy) | 75% | English, Math and named science courses at 70% or higher each, plus supplementary documents. International students are not eligible. |
| Medical Sciences | 80% | Academic English 12, Pre-calculus Math 12, Chemistry 12, Biology 12 or Physics 12, and one more academic subject. |
| Diploma in Business Management (Agricultural Campus) | 60% | Academic English 12, Academic Math 11, Academic Science 10, one Grade 11 science or agriculture course and four Grade 12 academic subjects. |
Source: Dalhousie University undergraduate admission requirements by program. For deadlines, tuition, scholarships and residence, see the complete Dalhousie University admissions guide.
Official sources
Every figure on this page links back to the Dalhousie source it came from.
- Undergraduate admission requirements by program
Dalhousie's statement that "admission to many programs at Dalhousie are competitive; meeting the minimum average doesn't guarantee admission," and the minimum overall average and required courses for each program on this page. Read October 8, 2026.
- Bachelor of Science (Nursing) program page
Dalhousie's Semester 1 Nursing requirements: a 70% overall average with Academic English 12, Academic Math 12, Academic Biology 12 and Academic Chemistry 12 each at 70%, plus one more academic subject. Read October 8, 2026.
- Applied Computer Science program-specific requirements
70% overall, 65% in Academic Math and Grade 12 English, and 60% in three other university-prep courses. The general table omits individual marks; confirm with Dalhousie. Read October 8, 2026.
- Computer Science program-specific requirements
Program-specific English, mathematics and additional-course floors, including the academic-math versus pre-calculus distinction. Read October 8, 2026.
- Medical Sciences program-specific requirements
80% overall, 80% in English and Pre-calculus, 75% in Chemistry and Biology or Physics, and one additional academic subject. The general table omits individual marks; confirm with Dalhousie. Read October 8, 2026.
- December 1, 2025 enrolment by faculty and permanent residence (PDF)
Dalhousie's total enrolled headcount of 21,103 across all faculties and levels for December 1, 2025. It counts enrolled students, not applications or offers. Read October 8, 2026.
- Planning and Institutional Effectiveness
Dalhousie's institutional-research office page. It lists contacts for its data hub and planning teams but links to no public fact book, common data set or admissions report. Read October 8, 2026.
- Faculty of Medicine: class statistics (Class of 2029)
Dalhousie's own figures for the MD class that entered in 2025: 1,207 total applications (561 Maritime, 645 non-Maritime) and a total class of 177. Still the newest class profile on October 8, 2026.
- About Dalhousie
Dalhousie's general description of about 21,000 students. The former facts-and-figures address now redirects here. Read October 8, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Direct answers about Dalhousie's minimum averages, what admissions data it publishes, and its Medicine application figures.
Planning a Dalhousie application?
A peer adviser who has been through Dalhousie admissions can help you plan your program choice. Dalhousie is the only official source for admission decisions.