Universities in Nova Scotia have a message for students worried about what work-to-rule might mean for the application process: don't panic.

The Nova Scotia Teachers Union announced Monday it would begin work-to-rule next week, meaning a major reduction in the things teachers do during school hours.

A union spokeswoman said transcripts would still be issued as usual, but a decision hasn't been made yet on teachers writing reference letters for students.

Universities monitoring the situation

A Dalhousie University spokesman said the school would make sure students applying from Nova Scotia aren't affected by the labour situation.

"We'll ensure there is no negative impact to students in relation to awarding Dalhousie-administered scholarships," said Brian Leadbetter.

"For any scholarships that have a letter of reference component, we will develop an alternative procedure to ensure that students from Nova Scotia are given equal consideration."

Many programs don't require reference letters

Michael Holmes, the international admissions officer for Acadia University, said officials there are following the process just like everyone else. Generally, he said, the admissions process at Acadia and entrance scholarships don't require reference letters.

"Our regular course of operations, we don't expect that that's going to be affected," he said.

"We would certainly hope that students aren't concerned about the situation, regardless of what might happen, and continue to apply to Acadia."

A spokeswoman for St. Francis Xavier University was unable to provide information Tuesday about any steps that school might be taking to address the situation.

Province will work with universities

A spokeswoman for the Nova Scotia Community College said very few of their programs require reference letters anymore. Kathleen Cameron encouraged any student with concerns about the process to contact admissions staff for help and to answer any questions.

The Advanced Education deputy minister said Tuesday his department would work with all colleges and universities in the province to try to address any challenges that might arise for students as they apply for school.