For International students

Every year we welcome international applicants into the Master of Health Administration program.  The students who join us from around the world enrich our learning environment; they help to expand our horizons, and specifically, bring valuable lessons in health care from across the globe. 

Many of our international applicants are health care providers considering a long term, or even permanent, move to Canada.  The combination of our Residency program, the ELEMENT mentors and our academic and career advising provide an outstanding preparation for future employment.

International applicants might have seen recent reports (January 2024) about changes to the Canadian visa system impacting upon students both through their initial applications, and for post-graduation work visas.  These changes relate to undergraduate programs: our Master of Health Administation is not affected. 

This page has been designed by our current international students to support your application: we know that there are a lot of links here, and that this can be frustrating to navigate. However, it does mean that you are getting the most up-to-date information.  If you have further questions, sign up for an online Open House or request a call back from a current student.  We will do all we can to keep your application on track.  

Dalhousie has a dedicated department who look after all of our international applicants.  The international centre is the best possible source of up-to-date information for immigration processes, planning for your arrival, finding a place to live, arranging health insurance, and supporting a family while you study.  They also offer online appointments for a personalized service. While you are starting your application, it is particularly worth looking through their information for new students. 

You will find the International Centre's website here: link to International Centre (opens in new tab).

International students pay the same basic fee as a Canadian student, as well as an additional international student fee. 

You can find the most up-to-date fee information for the MHA here: Link to Fees and Financial Support (opens in new tab).

Note that the MHA has a set fee for the complete program; it is not charged by the course, so the main Dalhousie Fee Calculator will not give you an accurate estimate of the MHA tuition. 

For information on Scholarships, Bursaries and other financial supports, and on working to support your studies as an International Student, you can visit the dedicated pages within the International Student Centre website: link to International Finance Information (opens in new tab). 

For the most part, international students must complete the same admission process as Canadian students and Permanent Residents.  However, there are some exceptions. 

If English is not your first language, you must provide an English proficiency test score, unless:

• You received a degree where the medium of instruction is English, and
• Your degree is from a country where one of the national languages is English.

Please review our admission requirements for more information on the required test: Link to admissions information (opens in new tab).

Dalhousie will also need to confirm that undergraduate degrees taken abroad are equivalent to a Canadian Bachelor degree.   Qualifications from a number of educational systems around the world are listed below. Normally, they are recognised as equivalent to a Dalhousie University four-year bachelor's degree if they have been awarded from an institution that is recognised by the Faculty of Graduate Studies. The academic standings indicated are normally accepted as equivalent to a Dalhousie University B grade average. Please be advised that degree equivalences are subject to change on a continuing basis.

Please be advised that when a college is affiliated to a university the applicant must submit official transcripts and degree certificate from the university and not the affiliated college. This is because the university is recognized, not the college. If a college is autonomous to a university we will accept the transcripts but they must be accompanied with a degree certificate from the university.

If you are applying to start the program in September 2025, you will need to complete your application by January 31, 2025.  However, given the time it can take for a visa to be processed, we strongly recommend completing your application as soon as possible.  

If you receive an offer of a place on the MHA, you will then need to apply for a study permit.  To facilitate this, you will need a letter of acceptance from Dalhousie, which is a Designated Learning Institution (link to information on Designated Learning Institution (DLI), opens in new tab) as well as our DLI number: O19209939282.

For further information on this, use the link to the International Student Centre: link to study permit (opens in new tab).

If you wish to stay on to work in Canada after graduating from the MHA, you are likely to need a Post Graduate Work Permit.  You can find information and a step-by-step guide to the application process by following this link: Link to PGWP Page (opens in new tab).