Universities in Atlantic Canada: Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, PEI and Newfoundland and Labrador

Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador each have one university in our directory: the University of Prince Edward Island and Memorial University. A separate page for each would be one school long, so we cover all four Atlantic provinces here, with a section for each.

There's no shared application service. Dalhousie takes applications through its own portal, Acadia through its own, and Université Sainte-Anne through Omnivox. Each charges its own fee. Acadia's is $40 and Sainte-Anne's is $55 for Canadian undergraduates.

Most schools open in the fall. Dalhousie opened Fall 2027 applications on October 1, Saint Mary's opened October 1, 2026, and UPEI opened in September 2026.

Nova Scotia has nine universities in our directory: Dalhousie, the University of King's College, Saint Mary's, Mount Saint Vincent NSCAD University, Acadia, Cape Breton University, St. Francis Xavier and Université Sainte-Anne.

King's and Dalhousie are closely tied. King's says students in arts, music and science can take courses at both and graduate with a joint degree that carries the stamp of each university. King's calls itself Canada's oldest chartered university and is known for its Foundation Year Program.

Watch Dalhousie's early dates. Nursing, Health Sciences, Medical Sciences and Social Work close February 15, 2027, the same day as entrance scholarships. Other programs stay open until classes start if there's space. Our Dalhousie acceptance rate and Dalhousie nursing pages give more detail.

StFX publishes its own key dates page, which we couldn't open for this review. Check its site directly before you plan around a date.

New Brunswick has four universities in our directory: the University of New Brunswick, Mount Allison, St. Thomas and the French-language Université de Moncton.

UNB's general deadline is March 31, with scholarships due March 1. It says every program keeps accepting fall applications after the deadline while seats remain. UNB's admission average is the average of the courses your program requires. If your Grade 12 marks aren't in yet, it uses the matching Grade 11 course. Its scholarship average adds up to four bonus points for enriched courses, such as AP or IB, where you scored at least 75%.

Mount Allison admits on a rolling basis from October. Its scholarship date is March 1, and Music and Fine Arts need extra material by February 10 and February 15. St. Thomas opened September 2027 admission on July 1, 2026, with scholarships due March 1, 2027.

For program detail, see UNB engineering and UNB nursing.

PEI has one university in our directory, the University of Prince Edward Island.

UPEI opened applications for 2027-28 in September 2026. Scholarship applications open December 1, and the scholarship deadline for Canadian students is March 1. The Bachelor of Science in Nursing closes earlier, on February 15. First-year course registration starts in March 2027.

UPEI's timeline doesn't list a final date for other programs. If you apply after March 1, contact the admissions office to confirm your program is still open.

Memorial University is the one university in our directory for this province. It has more than 17,000 students and four teaching campuses: St. John's, Grenfell, the Marine Institute and Labrador.

Memorial's tuition page lists $225 per credit hour for Newfoundland and Labrador residents and the same $225 for other Canadians and permanent residents. That's $6,750 for 30 credit hours. International students pay $750 per credit hour, or $22,500. The page shows current rates without naming a year.

Ontario applicants need five Grade 12 courses: an English, a math, a lab science, a social studies or modern language course, and one more 4U or 4M course. You need an overall average of at least 70% in those five and a pass in each.

Apply by March 1 for priority and early entrance scholarships. Applications close September 9, but some programs close much earlier: Music on January 15, Nursing on January 20 and Pharmacy on February 1. See Memorial engineering and Memorial nursing.

Two Atlantic universities teach in French. The Université de Moncton calls itself Canada's largest French-language university outside Québec. It was founded in 1963 and has three campuses, in Edmundston, Shippagan and Moncton.

Université Sainte-Anne is the only French-language post-secondary institution in Nova Scotia. Its main campus is at Church Point (Pointe-de-l'Église). After you apply, the director of its French Immersion Department calls you to check your spoken French, and it runs spring and summer immersion sessions.

If you studied in French in Ontario, either school is worth a look. If you want French and English in one city, see our Quebec guide.

It depends on the school. Acadia charges Canadians from outside Nova Scotia $10,986.04 in tuition for 2026-27, against $10,254.84 for Nova Scotia residents, and its full fee totals are $12,935.34 and $10,921.14.

Others use one domestic rate. UNB Fredericton Arts lists $9,189 in tuition for all domestic students, St. Thomas lists $9,224 for a Canadian BA student, and Memorial charges every Canadian the same per credit hour.

Dalhousie gives a domestic range of $10,790 to $13,462 for tuition and fees, without splitting residents from other Canadians. For any school not in our table, use its own fee page, and add residence and travel home to your budget.

Nova Scotia Community College has campuses across the province, including Akerley, Ivany, Kingstec, Truro and Sydney Waterfront. It offers seats as it receives completed applications, so some programs fill fast. Apply early.

College of the North Atlantic has 17 campuses across Newfoundland and Labrador, from St. Anthony to Happy Valley-Goose Bay.

For more college options, see our college directory.

The biggest risk is missing a scholarship date. Ontario students are used to one OUAC deadline in January. Here, the final dates are often late, but the money dates are not. Put each school's scholarship date in your calendar the day you apply.

Acadia asks for an unofficial transcript with your Grade 11 marks and current Grade 12 marks, then your official final transcript by the end of June. Check each school's own document list, because the steps differ.

If you're applying from the Caribbean, check each school's international dates, which can be earlier. King's, for example, closes international applications on April 1, 2027. Our Caribbean pathways guide, English test guide, deadlines guide and application fees guide cover the rest. Compare with the Ontario list too.