University in Canada
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
University profile
Mount Saint Vincent University (MSVU) is a public university at 166 Bedford Highway, Halifax, Nova Scotia, on a 40-acre campus overlooking the Bedford Basin. It was established in 1873 by the Sisters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul, Halifax, as an institution for the education of women, and describes itself as a university established by women for the advancement of women, with social responsibility and social justice at its core. It has more than 4,000 students representing close to 70 countries, about 600 faculty and staff and more than 35,000 alumni. The campus sits in Mi'kma'ki, the unceded and ancestral territory of the Mi'kmaq People.
Teaching is organised into the Faculty of Arts, the Faculty of Science, the Faculty of Professional Studies, the Faculty of Education and Graduate Studies. Undergraduate programs cover Arts, Science, Education and professional degrees in Applied Human Nutrition, Business Administration, Child and Youth Study, Information Technology, Public Relations, and Tourism and Hospitality Management. There are 34 graduate degrees, including Applied Human Nutrition, Child and Youth Study, Communication, Education, Aging and Family Science, Public Relations, and Women and Gender Studies, as well as a PhD in Educational Studies and a Doctor of Psychology, alongside certificate and diploma programs. Programs are offered in person and online.
Distinctive programs include the only four-year Bachelor of Public Relations in Canada, a Child and Youth Study degree that is the only one of its kind in the Atlantic region, and Tourism and Hospitality Management, the first such program in a Canadian university. MSVU is home to the longest-standing and second-largest accredited co-operative education program in Atlantic Canada, running since 1979, and every undergraduate program has experiential learning attached. The average class size is 24 and the faculty-to-student ratio is 1:20.
Student life: three furnished residences on campus (Assisi Hall, The Birches and Westwood) house students, with dining on campus, a fitness centre and campus recreation, athletics (the Mount Mystics), a health office, counselling services, an art gallery, a writing centre and academic advising. The mascot is Captain Crow. Student services are free to all MSVU students.
International students are served by the International Education Centre, which provides personal, academic, cultural and immigration advising and supports study abroad. International students are eligible for most MSVU scholarships and bursaries; Canadian government student loans are not available to them. More than $3 million a year goes to MSVU scholarships and bursaries, and MSVU was the first Atlantic Canadian university to offer a tuition-waiver program for former youth in care.
Entrance scholarships are awarded automatically to qualified applicants with a complete application for admission received by March 1. The scholarship average is the top five Grade 12 academic grades including English, topped up with Grade 11 academic grades if needed, using the latest transcript received by March 1; at least three Grade 12 academic grades must be on the transcript. Each IB, AP or advanced-level course in the calculation adds one percentage point. High-school graduates within one year of graduation who have not attended post-secondary study are eligible. Named awards include the 125th Anniversary Mount Saint Vincent Alumni Association Entrance Scholarship, the Aramark Canada Ltd. Scholarship, the Business & Tourism and Hospitality Management Scholarship (preference to an Indigenous or Black student), the Dennice Leahey, CM Scholarship, the Dr. Elizabeth Parr-Johnston Endowed Scholarship, the Dr. Sheila A. Brown Endowed Scholarship, the Elizabeth L Foley Burbridge Endowed Scholarship, the Farmers Co-operative Dairy Endowed Scholarship, the Frank and Mary Elizabeth (Brady) O'Brien Scholarship, the Liam P. Sneyd Tourism and Hospitality Management Scholarship and the Lillian Wainwright Women in Science Entrance Endowed Scholarship. Entrance scholarships.
Bursaries are non-repayable awards based mainly on financial need and require a formal application with financial information; applicants are expected to have applied for government student aid. Undergraduate Entrance Bursaries of $500 to $2,500 each go to students entering a first undergraduate degree, including transfer students (Bachelor of Education and graduate students are not eligible); the 2026-27 application opened February 1 with a June 8, 2026 deadline, and three renewable bursaries run up to four years. In-Course Bursaries for continuing undergraduate and graduate students open on or after October 1, with a deadline in the first week of November and results in December; applicants need at least 2.0 units between September and April and must attend both terms. Financial aid; contact [email protected].
In-course prizes and awards, graduate and undergraduate assistantships, and a post-care tuition-waiver program for former youth in care are also offered. International students are eligible for most MSVU scholarships and bursaries. Scholarships and awards.
Ten-course undergraduate tuition for a Nova Scotia student is $9,106 to $9,558 with required fees of $1,141 and a health/dental plan of $582; room and board is $12,575. New international undergraduate tuition and fees (10 courses) are $23,215 to $23,667 and graduate (6 courses) $15,789. Residence applications require a $500 non-refundable deposit.
MSVU Undergraduate Entrance Scholarships →
MSVU Undergraduate Entrance Bursary (2026-27) →
MSVU Graduate Entrance Scholarships →
Browse the scholarships listed for Mount Saint Vincent University and check each award’s eligibility.
View scholarships for Mount Saint Vincent University →Admission is based on Grade 12 academic courses; provincial requirements are set out for each province and territory, and CEGEP applicants are also addressed. Using Nova Scotia as the example, most programs require Grade 12 academic English with at least 65%, an overall average of 70% or higher and no individual grade below 60%. Bachelor of Arts: four additional Grade 12 academic courses (Psychology majors need Grade 11 or 12 academic or advanced Mathematics; Economics, Mathematics and Public Policy majors need Grade 12 academic or advanced Mathematics; applicants lacking the math may enter BA General Studies and complete MATH 0027). Bachelor of Science: Grade 12 academic or advanced Mathematics, a Grade 12 academic Natural Science (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Oceans, Geology, Food Science or Netukulimk) and two more Grade 12 academic courses. Business Administration and Tourism and Hospitality Management: Grade 12 academic or advanced Mathematics and three more academic courses, or Grade 12 Math at Work with 70% and four more academic courses. Bachelor of Public Relations is limited enrolment, filled first-come first-served, and requires 75% in Grade 12 academic English plus four additional academic courses. BSc Applied Human Nutrition: Grade 12 academic or advanced Mathematics, Grade 12 academic Chemistry, one further Grade 12 academic Natural Science (preferably Biology) and one more academic course.
IB courses with final grades of 5, 6 or 7 may earn 1.0 unit of transfer credit for Higher Level and 0.5 unit for Standard Level, to a maximum of 5.0 units. AP exams with grades of 4 or 5 may earn up to 5.0 units of transfer credit. Final IB or AP transcripts must be sent by the issuing body to the Registrar's Office, and transfer credit must be assessed before the end of the first term.
Applicants are expected to have completed a preparatory program leading to university entrance in their own country. Secondary-school applicants generally need an average of 70% across their five best academic subjects in their final year; post-secondary transfer applicants need an overall GPA of 2.0. Meeting the minimum does not guarantee admission. Most new international students need a Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) to apply for a study permit; MSVU issues the PAL with the Letter of Acceptance on payment of a CAD 6,000 confirmation deposit and the student's consent to the Province of Nova Scotia issuing the PAL. A PAL expires ten weeks after issue.
Required if English is not the first language. Undergraduate and Bachelor of Education minimums: IELTS 6.5 (no band below 6.0); CAEL 60 (no band below 60); Duolingo English Test 115 (no sub-score below 95); TOEFL iBT or TOEFL at Home 86-92 (no score below 21); PTE 59 (no band below 54); MELAB 80-84; Oxford ELLT 7.0 (no sub-score below 6.0). Graduate minimums: IELTS 7.0 (no band below 6.5); CAEL 70; TOEFL 93 (no score below 23); PTE 61 (no band below 54); MELAB 85. Applicants below the minimum may receive conditional admission and complete English study at a pathway partner institution.
A mature student is someone who completed high school but lacks the required average or courses and applies three years later, or who did not graduate and applies five years after their last year of high school. Admission is case by case, with official high-school or GED transcripts and any documentation of professional training or experience.
Transfer applicants receive a transfer credit assessment and a Transfer Equivalency Report; articulation agreements with partner colleges support 2+2 pathways, and prior learning assessment (PLAR) is available. About 32% of MSVU students are transfers.
Requirements vary by program and are available from the Graduate Admissions Office ([email protected]).
Complete dossiers (transcripts, supporting documents and the application fee) must reach the Admissions Office by the deadline. Undergraduate: September 2027 entrance - Education program December 7, 2026; entrance scholarship candidates March 1, 2027; international applicants May 3, 2027; domestic applicants August 2, 2027. January 2027 entrance - international applicants November 6, 2026 (extended); domestic December 1, 2026. May 2027 - Education December 7, 2026; international January 4, 2027; domestic April 1, 2027. January 2028 - international August 2, 2027; domestic December 1, 2027. Graduate deadlines are program specific, for example Applied Human Nutrition, Aging and Family Science and Natural Science master's programs February 15, 2027; Child and Youth Study, Education, Communication and Public Relations April 15, 2027; PhD in Educational Studies November 15, 2026 for July 2027. Applications are made through the MSVU online application centre.
Halifax campus, 166 Bedford Highway, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3M 2J6: the single campus, a 40-acre site with green space, modern and historic buildings, all faculties, graduate studies and the research centres, including the Margaret Norrie McCain Centre for Teaching, Learning and Research and the Sheila A. Brown Centre for Applied Research in Human Health.
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