Cape Breton Medical Campus

Program Overview
Admission Requirements
Application Deadlines
Program Types:
Degree, Graduate
Fields of Study:
Health & Well-Being, Medicine
Applicants for this program will have the potential opportunity to study and train in Cape Breton, but must apply and be accepted via Dalhousie Medical School.
Canadian Students

General Requirements

  • Rural Applicant Pathway

    Applicants who are considered under the Rural Applicant Pathway must complete and submit each requirement that is listed for Dalhousie’s Medical School Admissions.

  • Canadian Citizen/Permanent Resident

    Must be a Canadian Citizen/Permanent Resident at the time of application

  • Place of Residency

    Applicants must be a Nova Scotia resident as defined by Place of Residency Definition.

  • Lived rural experience

    Offers to the Dalhousie Medical School Nova Scotia-Cape Breton Medical Campus will be prioritized for qualified Nova Scotia applicants with lived rural experience who have completed an application, including supplemental information for the Rural Admissions Pathway and/or have expressed Dalhousie Medical School Nova Scotia-Cape Breton Medical Campu as their preferred campus site.

  • Degree Requirement

    All applicants are required to complete a 90-120 credit hour baccalaureate degree granted by an accredited institution. This degree must be complete prior to the start of the undergraduate medical education program.  For more information on this degree requirement, please visit here.

  • GPA Requirement

    A minimum GPA of 3.3 is required for eligibility. For more information on how your GPA is assessed please click here.

  • Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT)

    An MCAT score completed within the past 5 years is required. No MCAT thresholds are required for eligibility under the Cape Breton Medical Campus Rural Applicant Pathway.

  • Computer-Based Assessment for Sampling Personal Characteristics (CASPer)

    All applicants are required to complete CASPer on designated dates for Dalhousie Medicine within the current application cycle. For more information on the CASPer requirement, please click here.

  • Personal Statement for CBMC

    Applicants will be required to complete 2 short answer questions specific to the Rural Applicant Pathway (250 words).

  • Section 2 Online Application

    Must complete and submit all  mandatory components of Section 2 of the online application by the stated deadline. For more information about the online application requirement, please click here.

  • Condition of Offer

    By accepting an offer to the DMNS-Cape Breton Medical Campus, the matriculant agrees to a 5 year return of service agreement to practice in a rural Nova Scotia community and a commitment to Family Medicine. The Return of Service Agreement is currently being finalized by the Provincial Government. For further information please contact physician.resources@novascotia.ca

    • See CBU’s English Language Requirements here.
CANADIAN DEADLINES
See program deadlines
For application deadline information, please review Dalhousie's Medical School Application Deadlines

Advancing Rural Healthcare for a Brighter Future

Cape Breton University is proud to partner with Dalhousie University to bring the Cape Breton Medical Campus (CBMC) to Cape Breton Island in August of 2025.

This strategic partnership will ensure more Nova Scotians have the opportunity to receive an excellent medical education in their home province and will assist with the recruitment and retention of physicians to the Cape Breton region, and to rural Nova Scotia. With a focus on family medicine and rural medicine, the Cape Breton Medical Campus will provide training that will greatly benefit the health needs of many communities of Nova Scotians, including Indigenous and African Nova Scotian communities.

Admissions

30 Nova Scotia students will be admitted to the Rural Applicant Pathway at the CBMC, and will attend classes in Sydney, Nova Scotia in years 1 and 2. Year 3 and 4 clinical clerkship placements will primarily be located in Cape Breton and rural NS communities, but also occur throughout the Maritime provinces.

A full list of admission requirements can be found here via Dalhousie Medicine Nova Scotia (DMNS).

By accepting an offer to the DMNS-Cape Breton Medical Campus, the matriculant agrees to a 5 year return of service agreement to practice in a rural Nova Scotia community and a commitment to Family Medicine. The Return of Service Agreement is currently being finalized by the Provincial Government. Applicants are encouraged to acquire information on the return of service prior to submitting an application.

Application Deadline

For application deadline information, please review Dalhousie’s Medical School Application Deadlines.

Seat Allocation

All eligible Nova Scotia applicants may be considered for first year positions at both Halifax and Cape Breton campuses. All Nova Scotia applicants will be required to rank their campus site preferences (Cape Breton, Halifax) via Section 2 of the online application.

Prioritization of selection to DMNS-CBMC will be for Nova Scotia applicants who:

i. are eligible under the Indigenous Admissions Pathway or Black Learners Admissions Pathway and have indicated a preference for a position at DMNS-CBMC or;

ii. qualified Nova Scotia applicants with lived rural experience who have completed an application, including supplemental information for the Rural Admissions Pathway and/or have expressed DMNS-Cape Breton Medical Campus as their preferred campus site.

For further information please contact: medadms@dal.ca

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