The labour disruption ended on September 16 and classes resumed on September 23.
Sept 22: Updates on the fall break, exam schedule and more
Sept 17: DFA collective agreement ratified by both DFA and Board
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
These FAQs are being updated following the ending of the labour disruption. New information will be added as details become available.
Updated September 22, 2025
Students
Classes, courses and programs
| When do suspended courses resume? | Suspended classes resumed on Tuesday September 23, 2025. |
| What is happening with courses at the University of King's College? | All classes at King’s resumed Monday, September 15 with a small number of exceptions that will resume when all Dal courses resume. More information here. |
When will I receive my summer course final grades? |
If you took a summer course and do not yet have your final grades, you have been assessed a “pending” grade. This is a temporary status and will be replaced over the next few weeks with your final grade. |
| Where do I go if I have questions or concerns about my accommodations plan? | Please contact the Student Accessibility Centre team with any questions. |
Academic dates and deadlines
Will the fall term be extended? When will the final day of classes be? |
The final day of classes for courses that were suspended during the labour disruption will now be Wednesday, December 10. For these courses, the final day of classes will follow a MONDAY class schedule, meaning classes that normally run on a Monday will run on Wednesday. Courses that have been ongoing since September 2 will end as scheduled on Wednesday, December 3. For these courses, the final day of classes will follow a MONDAY class schedule, meaning classes that normally run on a Monday will run on that Wednesday. These changes have resulted in a small number of course scheduling conflicts on Wednesday, December 3. Your instructors are aware of this and will afford flexibility where conflicts arise in the few classes that are affected. The exam schedule for ALL courses will be modified to allow for more instruction time for classes that resume on September 23. The exam period for all courses will begin Thursday, December 11 and end on Sunday, December 21. |
Is there going to be a fall break? |
The fall break will remain unchanged (November 10-14). |
| Will there be a refund for suspended classes? | We appreciate there has been much discussion around tuition fees in relation to the labour disruption. We will be supporting instructors in adjusting course delivery to meet required learning outcomes, which when combined with the changes to the academic calendar will allow for completing the term and preserving students’ ability to progress in their degrees and towards graduation. Based on changes to academic dates and scheduling, we are confident this will be the case for all students. For this reason, tuition refunds or rate changes will not be offered |
| Is the December exam schedule going to change? | The exam schedule for ALL courses will be modified to allow for more instruction time for classes that resume on September 23. The exam schedule will be available October 17. |
| When is the add/drop date for courses? | October 7, 2025 |
| When is the honours application deadline? | October 22, 2025 |
| When are the withdrawal dates for courses? | The last date to drop fall courses without a “W” will be October 22, 2025. The last date to drop fall courses with a “W” will be November 20, 2025. |
Tuition, fees, student loans
When are tuition and fees due? |
October 7, 2025. More information can be found on the Money Matters site. |
| Will tuition fees be reduced (or refunded, if already paid) as a result of the labour disruption? | We appreciate there has been much discussion around tuition fees in relation to the labour disruption.We will be supporting instructors in adjusting course delivery to meet required learning outcomes, which when combined with the changes to the academic calendar will allow for completing the term and preserving students’ ability to progress in their degrees and towards graduation. Based on changes to academic dates and scheduling, we are confident this will be the case for all students. For this reason, tuition refunds or rate changes will not be offered. |
| How do I confirm the status of my student loan? | There have been some delays in loan processing this month, but a dedicated team continues to work to process loan confirmations as quickly as possible. If you’re awaiting your loan confirmation and experiencing temporary financial hardship, please consider exploring our Temporary Loans Program and Bursary Program. To be eligible for a full-year loan, you must be registered for full-time studies in both the Fall and Winter terms. For detailed questions about loans contact awards@dal.ca. |
Other questions
| What does ‘ratification’ mean? | When bargaining teams reach a tentative agreement, the Board and DFA members must vote to ratify or accept the tentative agreement. An agreement needs to be ratified before the negotiation process can conclude and the new agreement can take effect. |
Faculty and staff
DFA members
| What is return-to-work protocol and what does it cover? | A return-to-work protocol is a formal negotiated agreement between the parties that sets the terms of the employees’ return, detailing how employees will resume work after a labour disruption (strike or lockout), covering issues like timelines and the general process for reintegrating into the workplace to ensure a smooth and orderly transition. The return-to-work date for all the DFA members was Thursday, September 18. Classes resumed on Tuesday, September 23. Professional Counsellors, Librarians and Members with no instructional duties shall recommence their regular duties on Monday, September 22, 2025. |
| Do DFA members have access to their Dalhousie email, as well as digital services such as Brightspace, myDal, OneDrive, etc.? | Effective Sept 10, DFA members' NetIDs have been reactivated. This includes access to their dal.ca email accounts and many other digital services. Access to any remaining services will be restored following ratification. |
| Does strike time accrue as credit towards sabbatical, etc.? | Sabbatical/education/special/administrative leaves in progress at the commencement of the labour disruption shall be continued as though no labour disruption had occurred. Leave dates will not be extended. Members on sabbatical leave, special leave, or education leave during the labour disruption shall be provided six (6) months service credit towards their subsequent leave. |
| What will happen to applications for reappointment, tenure, etc. now that the labour disruption is over? | The Association Board Committee (ABC) shall meet to review all dates in the Collective Agreement to determine the relevant deadlines requiring further extensions. Deadlines in the Collective Agreement shall be extended by one calendar month unless otherwise agreed by ABC. |
| Will I receive back pay now that the labour disruption is over? | No, DFA members will not be compensated by the university for pay during the labour disruption. |
| What are the new grade submission deadlines? | The deadline for submitting summer term grades, which was previously August 31, will be September 29. The deadline for submitting fall term grades will be Friday, January 2. The deadline for grade submission associated with thesis defenses has been extended to October 17. |
Research
Research FAQs
| When will DFA members be able to resume access to Research Services? | The Office of Research Services will provide regular supports to DFA members once an agreement is ratified. |
| When will DFA members have access to ROMEO, including ROMEO checklists? | Effective September 10, DFA members’ access has been restored to their email and digital services, including ROMEO. Review and approval of ROMEO submissions will recommence upon agreement ratification. |
| Are there any changes to internal grant application review deadlines post-labour disruption? | ORS has implemented a rapid review process to manage a high volume of submissions. On a temporary basis, internal deadlines are shortened to five business days, and ORS will focus on institutional policy compliance only. All applications must be submitted through the Romeo Portal, with Departmental and Faculty approvals fully completed in time to meet this 5-business-day requirement. Faculties must confirm PI eligibility and application completeness via ROMEO approval. Researchers should ensure their applications meet funder guidelines. |
| Are funder agency deadlines being extended due to the labour disruption? | For the most part funder deadlines remain unchanged. ORS will communicate any agency-provided deadline extensions or flexibility directly to affected researchers and ADRs as they become available. |
| Are there any changes to ORS Legal service timelines? | ORS Legal Review timelines remain unchanged (3–4 weeks). If urgent, researchers should provide a clear explanation of urgency upon submission, as per usual practice. |
| What steps should be taken to safely resume laboratory or workshop activities following the end of the labour disruption? | As laboratory and workshop activities resume, the Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) Office recommends that Faculty use the Laboratory Start-Up Checklist — Lab Startup and Closure. This tool helps ensure that equipment, materials, and procedures are properly in place and that spaces are safe for use, whether you are restarting after a pause or setting up a new laboratory. In addition, it is important to confirm that required safety training is up to date. Anyone who works with, or in proximity to, hazardous products in the workplace must have valid WHMIS training. Faculty, principal investigators, and supervisors are also strongly encouraged to complete the Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) training, which helps ensure they are aware of their responsibilities and liabilities as supervisors under the Occupational Health and Safety Act and are better prepared to support their teams effectively. Both WHMIS and OHS training, along with other environmental health and safety courses, are available free of charge for faculty, staff, and students: Training. |
| I submitted an application to the Research Ethics Board before/during the labour disruption. When can I expect to hear back? | Please plan for at least four weeks from the time the Research Ethics Boards resume their ethical review activity until you will receive a response. Due to the increased volume of work, the Research Ethics Boards may face additional delays beyond the four-week target response time. |
| When will regular Research Ethics Board meetings resume? | The Research Ethics Board meeting schedule will resume in October. Submission deadlines can be found here. |
| I submitted an application to the University Committee on Laboratory Animals (Halifax campuses) before/during the labour disruption. When can I expect to hear back? | Please plan for at least four weeks from the time the University Committee on Laboratory Animals resumes its review activity until you will receive a response. The University Committee on Laboratory Animals is making every effort to address the backlog in a timely manner. |
| When will the regular University Committee on Laboratory Animals (Halifax campuses) meetings resume? | The University Committee on Laboratory Animals meeting schedule will resume in October on the third Thursday of the month. Submissions deadlines can be found here. |
| I submitted an application to the Animal Care and Use Committee (Agricultural campus) before/during the labour disruption. When can I expect to hear back? | Any protocols submitted to ACUC before September 30 will be added to the October agenda. ACUC will meet to review in the third week of October, and communication about the reviews will be sent to PI’s the same day. If protocols were submitted prior to the labor disruption and not reviewed, they will be given priority based on start date, and on a case-by-case basis considered for expedited review. After September 30 we will resume regular processes. More information here. |