UNB vs Mount Allison

UNB has two campuses, Fredericton and Saint John. Its program list runs from Arts and Science to Business, Computer Science, Engineering and Nursing. If you want a professional degree such as engineering or nursing, UNB is the choice of the two.

Mount Allison is a small university in Sackville. It lists six undergraduate degrees: the Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Music, Bachelor of Fine Arts and Bachelor of Arts and Science. It suits a student who wants a liberal arts or science degree in a close campus community.

So the first question is the program. If it exists at both schools, then compare class feel, cost and scholarships. The UNB Fredericton and Saint John guide helps if you are also choosing a UNB campus.

UNB lists exact New Brunswick courses by program. Arts needs English 122 with at least 60%, four electives from its first group and one more elective. Science needs English 122, Pre-Calculus A 120 and Pre-Calculus B 120, Chemistry 122 and one of Biology 122 or Physics 122, plus an elective. French-language courses such as Français 10411 count in their place.

Engineering at UNB is stricter. You need English 122, both Pre-Calculus 120 courses, Chemistry 122 and Physics 122, each at 70%. Business needs English 122 and both Pre-Calculus 120 courses at 60%, plus three electives.

Mount Allison's calendar asks for Grade 12 at the university-preparatory level, with a university-preparatory English course. Its Bachelor of Arts and Science asks for science-preparatory math too. It strongly recommends a balanced year with humanities, math, sciences and social sciences. Science and Commerce applicants must show they are enrolled in the right Grade 12 courses for an early offer.

UNB sets a minimum average for each program. It is 65% for Arts and 75% for Science, Business, Computer Science and Nursing. Engineering needs a 75% average with 70% in each core course. UNB works out your average from the courses your program requires.

If a Grade 12 course isn't finished when you apply, UNB uses the matching Grade 11 mark to estimate it. UNB does not accept mid-term marks. So a strong Grade 11 year helps at UNB too.

Mount Allison asks for at least 65% in each academic course it considers, across your last two years. Its calendar says meeting the minimum only gets your file considered. Students it admits usually have higher averages. Mount Allison also says it looks at activities, volunteering, work and references, not marks alone.

Mount Allison is open for the 2027-28 year. Early admission opened October 1, 2026. If you have an 80% average in five Grade 11 academic courses, including English, Mount Allison can make a conditional offer on those marks. You then send your Grade 12 mid-year marks to confirm it.

UNB's general fall deadline is March 31, and it keeps taking applications while seats remain. Some programs come earlier, such as Nursing on February 15. UNB's dates page shows these without a year, so treat them as the usual pattern.

Both schools use March 1 for scholarships. At Mount Allison your application and documents must be in by then. At UNB you apply for admission first, then file the entrance scholarship application once admitted, by March 1. Mount Allison asks you to accept by May 1 with a $100 deposit.

UNB promises a guaranteed scholarship to high school students with an 80+ scholarship average who apply. Its awards range from $500 to $100,000. UNB's scholarship average can include bonus points for enriched courses such as AP or IB.

Mount Allison considers every entering student with an 80% admission average for an entrance scholarship automatically. Those range from $4,000 to $20,000 over four years, or $1,000 to $5,000 a year. Its major scholarships go up to $70,000 and look at leadership and activities as well as marks.

UNB also hosts some national awards. Its page notes the Schulich Leader Scholarship, which needs a nomination from your guidance counsellor by January 27, 2027. If you are aiming for a large award, ask your counsellor early.

UNB Fredericton's 2026-27 schedule lists $9,189 in tuition for a full-time domestic Arts student across two terms. With its listed fees and the student union health and dental plans, the total is $10,395.50. Housing and meals are separate.

Mount Allison's 2026-27 estimate for a Canadian student lists $11,350 in tuition. A single room with an unlimited meal plan adds $15,965, fees are $1,930 and books are about $2,500. Its estimated first-year total is $31,745.

Those totals measure different things, so compare tuition with tuition. Mount Allison's is about $2,161 higher than UNB Arts, by our calculation. Add your own housing to the UNB figure before comparing totals. The UNB financial aid page and New Brunswick student aid guide cover help with costs.

Mount Allison's 2026-27 rooms run from $6,877 for a double to $10,898 for a single with a private ensuite. Every resident also pays $802 for residence services and $100 for programming. The all-access meal plan is $6,396 on top.

UNB Fredericton's 2026-27 rates list a yearly fee for each room. A double in a classic residence such as Bridges or Harrison is $5,720 a year. A single with a private bathroom in a renovated residence is $9,785. Most UNB residences also need a meal plan, priced separately, while Neill House does not.

UNB's table shows a second, higher total for each room that already includes the deposit. Use one of those numbers, not both, or you will count the deposit twice. Then add a meal plan before you compare with Mount Allison's room-and-meals figure.

Mount Allison's Fine Arts and Music degrees need more than marks. Fine Arts applicants send a portfolio by February 15. Music applicants send an application, an entrance assessment and a reference. Mount Allison's two pages differ on the Music date: the dates page says February 1, while the how-to-apply page says February 10. Plan for February 1.

If you apply early to Fine Arts or Music, Mount Allison may give you a Bachelor of Arts offer first while your portfolio or audition is reviewed. Early Science and Commerce applicants without proof of the right Grade 12 courses may also get a BA offer for now.

At UNB, programs such as Nursing, Engineering and Computer Science set their own course lists and minimums. Read the program rows before you pick your Grade 12 timetable, since Engineering's 70% floors apply course by course.

Choose UNB if your program is only offered there, or if you want a larger school with two campuses. Check the exact New Brunswick courses and minimum for your program.

Choose Mount Allison if you want a small campus and a liberal arts, science, commerce or fine arts degree. Apply early in the fall if your Grade 11 marks are strong, since an early offer can come before Grade 12 marks.

You can apply to both. Read the school hubs for housing and life on campus: UNB and Mount Allison. The Atlantic Canada guide compares dates across the region.