Medical School Admissions

Faculty of Medicine

Rural Applicant Pathway ‑ Cape Breton Medical Campus*

Cape Breton University is proud to partner with Dalhousie University to bring the Cape Breton Medical Campus (CBMC) to Cape Breton Island in August of 2025. 

This strategic partnership will ensure more Nova Scotians have the opportunity to receive an excellent medical education in their home province and will assist with the recruitment and retention of physicians to the Cape Breton region, and to rural Nova Scotia. With a focus on family medicine and rural medicine, the Cape Breton Medical Campus will provide training that will greatly benefit the health needs of many communities of Nova Scotians, including Indigenous and African Nova Scotian communities. 

30 Nova Scotia students will be admitted to the CBMC, and will attend classes in Sydney, Nova Scotia in years 1 and 2. Year 3 and 4 clinical clerkship placements will primarily be located in Cape Breton and rural NS communities, but also occur throughout the Maritime provinces.  

By accepting an offer to the DMNS-Cape Breton Medical Campus, the matriculant agrees to a 5 year return of service agreement to practice in a rural Nova Scotia community and a commitment to Family Medicine, or other area of generalist medicine need in rural Nova Scotia as determined by the provincial government. The Return of Service Agreement is currently being finalized by the Provincial Government. Applicants are encouraged to acquire information on the return of service prior to submitting an application. For further information please contact: medadms@dal.ca

*pending MPHEC approval

Requirements

Applicants who are considered under the Rural Applicant Pathway must complete and submit each requirement that is listed here. To be eligible for Dalhousie Medicine Nova Scotia - Cape Breton Medical Campus applicants must meet the following: 

Place of Residence

  • Must be a Canadian Citizen/Permanent Resident at the time of application
  • Applicants must be a Nova Scotia resident as defined by Place of Residency Definition.
  • Offers to the DMNS-Cape Breton Medical Campus will be prioritized for qualified Nova Scotia applicants with lived rural experience who have completed an application, including supplemental information for the Rural Admissions Pathway and/or have expressed DMNS-Cape Breton Medical Campus as their preferred campus site.

Degree Requirement

All applicants are required to complete a 90-120 credit hour baccalaureate degree granted by an accredited institution. This degree must be complete prior to the start of the undergraduate medical education program.  For more information please click here.

GPA Requirement

A minimum GPA of 3.3 is required for eligibility. For more information on how your GPA is assessed please click here.

Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT)

An MCAT score completed within the past 5 years is required. No MCAT thresholds are required for eligibility under the Cape Breton Medical Campus Rural Applicant Pathway

Computer-Based Assessment for Sampling Personal Characteristics (CASPer)

All applicants are required to complete CASPer on designated dates for Dalhousie Medicine within the current application cycle. For more information please click here.

Personal Statements

Applicants will be required to complete 2 short answer questions specific to the Rural Applicant Pathway (250 words) 

Section 2 Online Application

Must complete and submit all  mandatory components of Section 2 of the online application by the stated deadline. For more information please click here.

By accepting an offer to the DMNS-Cape Breton Medical Campus, the matriculant agrees to a 5 year return of service agreement to practice in a rural Nova Scotia community and a commitment to Family Medicine, or other area of generalist medicine need in rural Nova Scotia as determined by the provincial government. The Return of Service Agreement is currently being finalized by the Provincial Government. For further information please contact physician.resources@novascotia.ca  

Seat Allocation

All eligible Nova Scotia applicants may be considered for first year positions at both Halifax and Cape Breton campuses. All Nova Scotia applicants will be required to rank their campus site preferences (Cape Breton, Halifax) via Section 2 of the online application.

Prioritization of selection to DMNS-CBMC will be for Nova Scotia applicants who: 

i. are eligible under the Indigenous Admissions Pathway or Black Learners Admissions Pathway and have indicated a preference for a position at DMNS-CBMC or;

ii. qualified Nova Scotia applicants with lived rural experience who have completed an application, including supplemental information for the Rural Admissions Pathway and/or have expressed DMNS-Cape Breton Medical Campus as their preferred campus site.

By accepting an offer to the DMNS-Cape Breton Medical Campus, the matriculant agrees to a 5 year return of service agreement to practice in a rural Nova Scotia community and a commitment to Family Medicine, or other area of generalist medicine need in rural Nova Scotia as determined by the provincial government. The Return of Service Agreement is currently being finalized by the Provincial Government. For further information, please contact physician.resources@novascotia.ca

FAQ