MUN first-year enrolment increases following tuition freeze
On Thursday, October 8, Memorial University announced via the Gazette that first-year undergraduate enrolment increased by 7.5%, and new graduate enrolment increased by 3%. This marks the first year since 2021 that undergraduate first-year enrolment did not decrease at MUN – 2021 was also the last year where tuition did not increase.
In a press release from the Canadian Federation of Students, they say they are pleased to see the tuition freeze impacting Memorial’s enrolment in such a positive way, and are calling on the government to extend the tuition freeze, and reduce tuition, in order to benefit both students and the financial health of the institutions they attend.
In 2022, when massive tuition hikes were imposed on students, first-year undergraduate enrolment dropped immediately by 19.1% and the St. John’s campus food bank had to close due to an extreme increase in demand. Every year since, MUN has seen a decrease in first-year enrolment according to the MUN Fact Book, published on their website. It is clear that increased tuition negatively impacts enrolment, as students have been saying for decades.
“We’re happy to see these increases to Memorial’s enrolment, and we are thankful that our advocacy efforts to freeze tuition have positively impacted the university as well as students’ wellbeing,” said Nicolas Keough, CFS-NL Chairperson. “Some students are saving almost $5000 a semester as a result of this work.”
Student advocates are calling on government to extend the tuition freeze by at least one year, and decrease tuition. “In 1999, when students won the first tuition freeze, government also reduced tuition by 25%. We need to see a reduction of at least that amount in the coming years in order to keep students attending post-secondary institutions in Newfoundland and Labrador,” said Keough.
CFS-NL has been collecting signatures on a petition entitled “Keep the Freeze”, calling on government to extend the tuition freeze, reduce fees to 2021 levels, and include the Centre for Nursing Studies in the freeze commitment made earlier this year. The petition has over 1000 signatures and is still being circulated.
While MUN claims responsibility for the increase in that they were able to “attract new students”, students know that tuition fees are the most significant factor when it comes to enrolment, and have been saying it publicly for years. Students are excited to see this increased first-year enrolment and are hopeful that this pattern will continue alongside a tuition freeze and overall tuition reductions.
Related Articles
