Admission requirements
The Faculty of Graduate Studies sets the minimum admission standards that are required for entry into graduate programs. Individual departments may require additional qualifications of their candidates, and enrolment limitations usually mean that successful applicants possess qualifications that considerably exceed the minimum requirements. For more information on additional qualifications please see the program you are applying to on the graduate program page.
Department-specific admission requirements
English language proficiency
English is the language of study at Dalhousie; therefore all applicants whose first language is not English must demonstrate their capacity to pursue a graduate-level program in English before admission (see chart below). The language competency test may be waived if the applicant has completed a degree at a recognized university where the language of instruction is English in a country where English is one of the national languages. The claims must be verified by the Faculty of Graduate Studies. Test scores are valid for two years from the date the test was written.
Dalhousie accepts a number of different English proficiency test scores:
| Test Name | Minimum Acceptable Score |
|---|---|
| Internet-based TOEFL (Academic iBT) | 92 |
| IELTS (Academic) | 7 |
| MET | C1-level and 4-skills test required 64 (with no skills area below 53) |
| CAEL | 70 with no band score lower than 60 |
| Dalhousie College of Continuing Education (CCE) | A- |
| Pearson English Test PTE Academic | overall score of 65 and nothing below 54 |
Please note there are a number of programs that require higher test scores. See below for a list of these programs.
The Faculty of Graduate Studies is accepting the results of at home TOEFL tests and the CAEL ONLINE test as official. The use of these tests for admission to graduate studies at Dalhousie may be reassessed in the future.