Dal enrolment continues to climb

The sidewalks are crowded between classes.(Nick Pearce Photo)

Despite demographic trends that portend darkly for the post secondary world, Dalhousie continues to hold its own when it comes to enrolments.

As of the beginning of September, enrolment is up by 500 students compared to the same time last year.

“I’m pleased,” says Asa Kachan, Dalhousie’s Registrar. “We have an increase in both our overall enrolment and our number of new students to Dalhousie. This is great news.”

Oft-reported trends show signs of trouble on the horizon. Numbers of high school students have been declining for years and show no sign of quick turnaround. Demographic trends in Nova Scotia project an aging population and that means fewer home-grown students ready for higher education.

But Dalhousie enjoys a bit of a built-in safeguard against those trends. Unlike other schools in the region, Dal’s student body is comprised, about equally, of students from this region and those who come from “away” (meaning those from other parts of Canada or international students, both of which have been sources of growth for Dal). 

“That diversity within our applicant pool makes us less vulnerable to any local decline in the number of high school graduates,” adds Ms. Kachan. Notable growth areas for Dal include the Middle East and Eastern Asia.

The strong numbers didn’t just happen by accident. In addition to strong marketing campaigns telling Dal’s most compelling stories and targeting students from around the globe, the growth represents the hard work of Dal’s recruitment and admissions team. Ms. Kachan notes they visited high schools, hosted tours on campus, connected prospective students with current students and faculty and spent time counseling applicants, many of whom are now part of the incoming class.

“The new students we are talking to everyday are delighted in their choice of Dalhousie,” she points out. “There's a great buzz on campus, and that makes the work we do very rewarding.”