At the end of the regular registration period for the fall 2024 semester, Memorial University has a total enrolment of 17,882 students across all campuses, an overall decrease of 5.4 per cent from the fall 2023 semester.

Total graduate student enrolment has decreased by 7.7 per cent, while total undergraduate student enrolment has decreased by 4.5 per cent.

Despite the overall decline there has been a 3.3 per cent increase in new, incoming Newfoundland and Labrador undergraduate students across all campuses this year over fall 2023, which shows that many students from Newfoundland and Labrador are choosing Memorial.

“Memorial, like many Canadian universities, is in the midst of a challenging time in history,” said Dr. Jennifer Lokash, provost and vice-president (academic). “Opportunity can be found in challenge, and we are working through the timely exercise of developing an updated strategic enrolment and retention plan, engaging the community and planning for the future of our university.”

Details on the work completed on the Strategic Enrolment and Retention Plan to date as well as next steps are available online here.

Memorial’s overall international enrolment has decreased by 14.5 per cent over fall 2023 (this excludes undergraduate and postgraduate medicine and Marine Institute non-degree enrolments).

International student enrolment at universities across the country is declining this year. In late 2023, the federal government made changes to its international student program resulting in a 35 per cent reduction in the number of study permits issued. As with many other Canadian universities, Memorial has experienced a decrease in international student enrolment.

“While it is impossible to conclusively comment on reasons for declines in student enrolment at this point, we can speculate that changes in process for international students may have resulted in deferrals and changed plans for some,” said Dr. Lokash. “We did, however, have good application rates and offers of admission, at both undergraduate and graduate levels.”

The overall student composition (excluding undergraduate and postgraduate medicine degree and Marine Institute non-degree enrolments) is as follows:

• 64.6 per cent N.L. students (undergraduate: 76.4 per cent; graduate: 30.5 per cent)
• 10.6 per cent Canadian students (undergraduate: 6.7 per cent; graduate 22.0 per cent)
• 24.8 per cent international students (undergraduate: 16.9 per cent; graduate: 47.5 per cent