Place of Residence
Entrance to the Dalhousie Medicine MD program is currently 169 students annually.
Beginning with the current 2025 application cycle (for entry in August 2026) the six (6) Out of Province Positions at the Halifax campus are limited to applicants in the Indigenous Admissions Pathway and/or Black Learners Admissions Pathway. There are no longer General Pool Out of Province positions at any Dalhousie Medical School campus.
Applicants must be Canadian citizens or Canadian permanent residents (valid and non-expired) at the time of application deadline. International students are not eligible for these positions.
Residency Policy
For the purpose of applying to Dalhousie Medical School, you are considered a resident of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick or Prince Edward Island if you meet one of the three following criteria:
| Criteria A | Within [twelve (12) years] of the date of application, the applicant has completed four (4) years of junior high/high school between grade 7 and grade 12 in the same Maritime Province (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick or PEI). This includes those students who are deemed to have met Nova Scotia, New Brunswick or PEI junior high/high school requirements through other equivalent means (e.g. homeschooling) in the same Maritime Province. Proof of completion of high school in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick or PEI via an official government-issued or local school transcript may be required. |
| Criteria B | At the time of application to the Faculty of Medicine, and for at least the immediate 6 prior years, the permanent** address for the applicant is located in the same province (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, or PEI) for the purpose of attending high school and/or post-secondary study and/or employment. |
| Criteria C | At the time of application to the Faculty of Medicine and, for at least the immediate three prior years, the permanent address** for the applicant is located in the same province (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, or PEI) while NOT attending a post-secondary institution on either a part-time or full-time basis, in-person or virtually. |
Applicants may be required to provide evidence of permanent home address in the Province in the form of government-issued documents.
**An applicant's 'permanent address' is defined as:
- the address where one physically resides for at least 10 months each year for the last 3 consecutive years immediately prior to application while not attending a post-secondary institution on a full-time or part-time basis, in person or virtually; OR
- the address where one physically resides for at least 10 months each year for the last 6 consecutive years immediately prior to application while attending high school and/or post-secondary institution and/or actively employed; OR
- the address within 100km of one's employment for the last 3 years immediately prior to application while not attending a post-secondary institution on a full-time or part-time basis, in person or virtually.
If you do not meet any of the criteria above but believe your application should be considered a resident of one of the Maritime provinces (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick or PEI) for other reasons (including but not limited to having recently acquired Canadian Permanent residency or Canadian Citizenship and have lived only in the same Maritime province prior to application deadline; those identifying as Indigenous and/or African Nova Scotian who are currently living outside of the Maritime Provinces and have substantial connections to Mi'kmaq, Wolastoqiyik, Peskotomuhkati, African Nova Scotian or Black Maritime communities, you can submit a brief statement (250 words) providing your rationale within Section 1 of the online application which is due by July 31.
Applications may be reviewed on a case-by-case basis at the discretion of the Admissions Committee for evidence of substantial connection to and engagement with Maritime communities such as, but not limited to, birthplace, location of educational study, extended periods of lived experience in Maritime Communities, total number of years lived in the same Maritime province. Additional documentation (such as but not limited to birth certificate, high school diploma, academic transcripts, utility bills with address over the designated time period, residential lease or mortgage, payroll documents and redacted tax returns) may be requested. Submitting a statement does not guarantee allocation of in-province status.
The six (6) Out of Province positions at the Halifax campus are limited to applicants in the Indigenous Admissions Pathway and/or Black Learners Admissions Pathway. There are no longer General Pool Out of Province positions.
If you do not meet any of the criteria listed above you do not qualify for eligibility.
Please note admissions staff do not make admissions decisions and are unable to provide advice or guidance on individual applications or circumstances. All decisions are made by the admissions committee through a comprehensive review process. As applicant statements are reviewed on a case-by-case basis by the Admissions Committee, Admissions Office staff are unable to provide pre-assessments or guarantees regarding outcomes.
Applicants are required to give complete information on their residency status and residency history in their application. Submitting false, misleading, or fraudulent information during any stage of the application process will result in cancellation of your application.