Dalhousie university
🎓 Degree Requirements
1. Undergraduate Degree
- You must have a four-year undergraduate degree from a recognized, accredited university.
- Accreditation can be verified using the World Higher Education Database (WHED).
- Your transcript must show 90–120 earned credit hours.
2. Graduate Degree (if applicable)
- Graduate degrees (e.g., Master’s) from accredited universities are accepted.
- You must still provide unofficial transcripts for:
- Your undergraduate degree, and
- Your graduate degree (if you have one).
3. Conditional Offers for Students Still Studying
- If you’re still completing your undergraduate or graduate studies, you may apply.
- Any offer you receive will be conditional upon completing your degree by August 31 of the application year.
- Completion includes:
- All coursework and clinical practice,
- Thesis defense (if applicable), and
- Submission of the final thesis to your Faculty of Graduate Studies.
- You’re expected to apply during your final year of study.
- Deferrals (delaying admission to the next year) are rarely granted.
- If your graduate degree is not conferred by August 31, the Admissions Committee will review your case individually.
🌍 For International Degrees or Study Abroad Experience
1. International Degrees
- If your degree is from a non-Canadian university, you must submit a World Education Services (WES) course-by-course evaluation by the Section 2 deadline.
- This ensures your international education is assessed for Canadian equivalency.
2. Study Abroad or Exchange Programs
- If you completed an exchange program or took courses abroad that you want included in your most recent 60 credit hours (for GPA calculation):
- You must provide numerical or alphabetical grades for those courses.
- If those grades do not appear on your home university transcript, you must obtain a WES course-by-course evaluation for those exchange courses as well.
📊 GPA Requirements
1. Minimum GPA
- You must have at least a 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale (B average).
2. Calculation
- GPA is calculated using the most recent 60 credit hours of study.
- If you have a graduate degree, you may include up to 15 credit hours from it in this calculation.
- Pass/Fail grades are not included in GPA calculation.
- All prerequisite course grades (numeric or letter/alpha) must be included in the GPA calculation.
3. Competitiveness
- Based on previous admission cycles, a 3.7 GPA is considered competitive for acceptance.
📚 Prerequisite Course Requirements
1. Required Courses
- Human Anatomy
- Biochemistry
- Human Physiology
2. Level & Accreditation
- All prerequisite courses must be undergraduate-level.
- They must be completed at a recognized, accredited university (verify using the WHED).
- Courses from colleges or non-accredited post-secondary institutions will not be accepted.
3. GPA Inclusion
- All prerequisite course grades (numeric or letter/alpha) must be included in your GPA calculation.
- These grades must appear on your transcript at the time of application.
🌎 Residency Requirements
1. Maritime Applicants
Starting with the 2026 cycle (for January 2027 entry):
- 4 seats are allocated specifically for Maritime applicants:
- 3 seats for New Brunswick
- 1 seat for Prince Edward Island
- 20 of 24 total seats are prioritized for Nova Scotia residents.
- If these 20 seats are not filled, other Maritime applicants (NB or PEI) may be considered.
2. Outside the Maritimes
- Applicants not from the Maritime Provinces are not eligible.
- Applicants who are not permanent residents are also not eligible.
3. Further Details
- For complete details on eligibility, refer to the program’s Place of Residence page.
đź§ CASPer Requirement
1. Purpose
- CASPer evaluates non-cognitive skills and interpersonal characteristics important for success in the program and as a Physician Assistant.
- It complements other screening tools and promotes fairness and objectivity in selection.
2. Mandatory Completion
- All applicants must successfully complete CASPer to remain eligible for admission.
- CASPer scores are valid for only one application cycle.
- Previous results cannot be reused in future cycles.
- The test must be taken during the same cycle in which you apply.
3. Test Format
- Computer-based, approximately 90 minutes in duration.
đź“… CASPer Test Dates for 2026 Application Cycle
(for January 2027 entry; all times in Atlantic Daylight/Standard Time)
| Date | Time (ADT/AST) |
|---|---|
| Jul 20, 2025 | 5:00 PM ADT |
| Aug 12, 2025 | 9:00 PM ADT |
| Aug 28, 2025 | 9:00 PM ADT |
| Sep 11, 2025 | 9:00 PM ADT |
| Sep 23, 2025 | 9:00 PM ADT |
| Oct 4, 2025 | 8:00 PM ADT |
| Oct 9, 2025 | 9:00 PM ADT |
| Oct 15, 2025 | 7:00 PM ADT |
| Oct 15, 2025 | 9:00 PM ADT |
| Oct 16, 2025 | 9:00 PM ADT |
| Nov 6, 2025 | 9:00 PM AST |
| Nov 30, 2025 | 5:00 PM AST |
| Dec 2, 2025 | 9:00 PM AST |
| Jan 8, 2026 | 9:00 PM AST |
| Jan 22, 2026 | 9:00 PM AST |
| Feb 19, 2026 | 9:00 PM AST |