Board approves new guaranteed tuition model for future international undergrads

- November 23, 2022

Pages from the now-approved proposal for international tuition.
Pages from the now-approved proposal for international tuition.

On Tuesday, the Board of Governors approved a new undergraduate international tuition model that will offer a tuition guarantee for future students. Students will pay the same price for tuition in each year of their program, a model offering students and their families cost certainty in the face of external factors like inflation.

Read the approved proposal: dal.ca/budget

“This plan will make tuition more stable for international students,” says Provost Frank Harvey “The new model will also bring Dal’s international tuition in line with other research-intensive Canadian universities and provide the resources we need to better support student success, both for our international students in particular and across our entire student community.”

Tuition guarantee and fee alignment


The tuition model applies to international undergraduate students starting their programs in Fall 2023 or later in most programs across the Faculties of Agriculture, Arts & Social Sciences, Computer Science, Engineering, Management, and Science. The guaranteed tuition price varies by Faculty but is held for the student for up to five years. Additional Faculties or programs may be added in future years.

Current international students, including those starting at Dalhousie in the 2022-23 academic year, will continue under the current tuition model, subject to normal increases.

As part of the new tuition model for future students, international tuition rates are increasing to better align Dal’s fees with those at similar Canadian universities. (Dal’s current international tuition prices are lower than the average of its comparators across the country.) This new fee model — like the tuition guarantee — would not apply to current international students, but only to students starting Fall 2023 or later. Tuition rates and the amount of increase varies by Faculty.

Supporting the student experience


Dalhousie currently welcomes more than 4,700 international students from more than 115 different countries. Over the past decade, the university’s international student population has more than doubled — a 128% increase.

“Students from around the world who select Dalhousie as their university of choice make our community stronger and more dynamic while also diversifying and strengthening our faculties and programs,” says Provost Harvey. “We want international students from around the world to continue to choose Dalhousie, growing and strengthening our student population.”

The new model will provide Dalhousie with resources to better support international student success through program enhancements, further investments in scholarships and bursaries, and improvement to academic buildings and learning spaces.

To learn more, you can review the full proposal that was approved by the Board of Governors at dal.ca/budget. For more information on international fees, visit the Money Matters website.