Located in Halifax, Canada, Dalhousie University is Atlantic Canada’s largest university, serving a community of over 20,000 students across undergraduate and graduate degree programs.
The Foundation supported the launch and expansion of Together@Dal, a first-year transition program designed to increase sense of belonging, academic self-efficacy, and community engagement among first year undergraduates. The program pairs students with upper-year mentors from their respective faculties for regular group and one-on-one meetings, social activities, and events.
Initially launched in 2020 to help students navigate their university experience during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, early results indicated that students who participated in Together@Dal experienced higher levels of sense of belonging, higher academic marks, and better retention rates. Dalhousie has continued to run the program, with these same indicators of success repeating year-over-year, and for diverse student populations.
Learn more about the program here.