International Student Emergency Bursary

Emergency financial assistance is available for international students in financial difficulty due to unforeseen circumstances. Unfortunately, funds are limited so there is no guarantee that all eligible applicants will receive assistance. Read below for more information. To inquire about your application, please contact dsuvpf@dal.ca.

PLEASE NOTE: Your application will not be considered if it is incomplete. 

Purpose

The purpose of this fund is to enable students in good academic standing to continue or complete their program of study at Dalhousie University. Emergency financial assistance will be issued only if the committee is satisfied that the funds will fulfill the student’s need and provide a final solution to the financial difficulty. Students can apply for this Emergency financial assistance only once per academic year.

Eligibility

The application will be considered in view of the following criteria. Applicants for the international student emergency fund must

  • Be in their 2nd year or more of study at Dalhousie University.

  • Be a Dalhousie University international degree student (exchange students are not eligible for Emergency financial assistance).

  • Be studying at Dalhousie University with a valid Study Permit issued by Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada-IRCC (formerly CIC).

  • Be enrolled as a full-time student in the academic session in which they are applying. (students who are not registered will not be considered for emergency financial assistance). Full-time studies are considered to be 9 credits are more. If you are taking a reduced course load due to disability, you are still eligible! Please note this in the “notes” section of your application.

  • Demonstrate by documentation that their financial situation is a result of a one-time unforeseen circumstance, e.g. political unrest, foreign exchange restrictions, unexpected illness/death, or other special circumstances. Applications without appropriate documentation will not be considered.

Awarding

In assessing bursaries, all efforts should have been made by the student to keep costs at a minimum, e.g. sharing accommodation, moving to a less expensive apartment, and reducing personal expenses. This can be demonstrated in the statement. Students will receive notification of the outcome of their application by email. 

Reversal of Awards

The DSU reserves the right to reclaim the emergency financial assistance should the student withdraw from studies at Dalhousie University or if information becomes available which changes the student's eligibility for emergency financial assistance.

Application Deadline

There is no application deadline. Applications will be assessed on an ongoing basis. The committee meets every 3 weeks, beginning July 9, 2021, to process applications.