Dalhousie Budget
Welcome to the Dalhousie Budget page, where you'll find up-to-date information about the university's financials.
Latest news
March 29, 2018
The Budget Advisory Committee (BAC) has released its updated Operating Budget Plan, featuring recommendations for the 2018-19 operating budget.
- Read the final Operating Budget Plan [PDF]
- Review the Supplemental Information document, including a summary of feedback from the Dal community [PDF]
Thanks to all who provided insights and feedback to the BAC.
The Board of Governors is set to vote on tuition and fees at its April meeting, followed by the full operating budget plan in June.
Key links:
- Read the full 2018-19 operating budget report & recommendations [PDF] and supplemental info [PDF]
- Review tuition and fee recommendations [PDF]
- Read more about the budget plan in the Dal News story
Email comments and contributions to the BAC are welcome at any time through BAC@dal.ca.
Dal's operating budget — at a glance
The operating budget funds the day-to-day operations of the university. It accounts for the majority (70%) of the university’s financial activity. The proposed operating budget plan for 2018-19 balances revenues and expenditures at $427.8 million.
The operating budget pays for salaries for faculty/staff; student assistance; facilities renewal and upkeep; library acquisitions; and general budgets for Faculties and service units.
Revenues
- Just over half of the budget (50.8%) comes from the provincial operating grant, set by the government. Increases have been limited to 1% in recent years.
- 39.5% comes from tuition fees, set by the university’s Board of Governors.
- 9.7% comes from other sources, including operating interest and endowment revenue.
Source: BAC projections, 2018-19
Expenses by type
- More than 3/4 of the budget goes directly to Faculties and service units.
- Most of this is compensation (salaries, benefits and pension) for faculty and staff (73.6% of the operating budget).
- Most of this is compensation (salaries, benefits and pension) for faculty and staff (73.6% of the operating budget).
- Student assistance (8%), facilities/campus renewal (7%) and utilities (5%) also make up significant portions of the operating budget.
Source: BAC projections, 2018-19
Expenses by function
- 62.8% of the Dal budget goes towards academic expenses.
- 30.9% goes to service and support, and 6.3% goes to administration.
- The percentage of Dal's budget spent on academics is above average both nationally (U15 avg: 60.1%) and in Nova Scotia (avg: 54.2%).
- Dal's admin spending is also lower than its peers (U15 avg: 9.6%; Nova Scotia avg: 12.8%)
- Dal's admin spending is also lower than its peers (U15 avg: 9.6%; Nova Scotia avg: 12.8%)
Source: Canadian Association of University Business Officers (CAUBO), 2015-16 (most recent data available).
Student assistance
- Dalhousie spends $67.4M annually on student assistance across all funds (operating, endowment, etc.). This includes scholarships, bursaries and campus employment.
- Student assistance has grown by approximately $10.4M over the past six years.
- 7% of the operating budget is devoted to student assistance — above the U15 average of 5.1%.