Newfoundland youth are wondering if it is worth it to stay in NL long-term.
Despite steep tuition increases starting this fall and the rising cost of living, the Premier’s Youth Council believes young people in Newfoundland and Labrador will still attend Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador (MUNL) and stay in the province to work after graduating. But some MUNL students are pouring cold water on that belief.
Benjamin Oates, the Premier’s Youth Council Co-Chair, agrees there are issues but thinks they can be fixed.
“People who want to stay in Newfoundland and Labrador and those who want to come will,” Oates said.
22-year tuition freeze
Last summer, Memorial University announced the end of its 22-year tuition freeze.
First imposed in 1999, under the freeze, full-time students from Newfoundland and Labrador paid $2,550 per year in tuition– the lowest rate in Canada.
Canadian students from outside the province paid $3,330, and international students paid $11,460 for a year of full-time studies. Amounts do not include additional fees and residence costs.
Photo Credit: Screenshot of MUN Digital Archives
However, in Fall 2022, this will change for Memorial’s upcoming students.
For full-time NL and Canadian students starting in Fall 2022, rates will triple as full-time tuition rises to $6000/year.
For international students, tuition will rise to 20,000/ per academic year. Both Canadian and International students will see 4% increases each year until 2026.
Premier Furey notes such rates are still below international standards- something that could positively affect youth retention in Newfoundland and Labrador, rising tuition rates will cause upcoming students to consider other options.
Cheap tuition undervalues MUNL
Meanwhile, Premier Furey believes cheap tuition undervalues MUNL.
“I think it diminishes the value of the university if we just attach a price tag to it. You have to hit the sweet spot of recognizing the value of the university while also attracting people to it,” said Premier Furey.
Student Perspective
Disclaimer: By request, each student mentioned will remain anonymous.
During COVID, one student described their incentive to leave Newfoundland after finding the support at MUNL to be little to none- after being discouraged from pursuing nursing and speech therapy due to their 3.0 GPA.
Since leaving Newfoundland and Labrador and relocating to Quebec, the student has been accepted into Nursing at Vanier College: a three-year program with an exchange in Malawi.
“Even with the language barriers, it felt so much more prosperous than Newfoundland,” they said.
While the student would love to return to Newfoundland in the future,
“For now, it is much easier to prosper and excel in an environment where you have the support, the job opportunities and other necessities lacking at MUNL and in Newfoundland and Labrador.”
Cost of Living
On June 22nd, 2022, Statistics Canada announced that Canada’s inflation rate climbed to 7.7%. The most significant yearly increase since January 1983.
In Newfoundland and Labrador, the consumer inflation rate was 8.0% in May 2022, marking the highest year-over-year increase since April 1983, according to the Government of NL.
The government claims such increases “were mostly influenced by higher energy and food prices.”
Food prices were up 9.1%—the highest 12-month increase since 2009. Combined with increasing tuition, students are feeling the effects.
One student says the tuition hike will hurt international students more than Canadian students.
“To attract and retain immigrants and domestic students to the province, the university must prioritize making education accessible and affordable for all students. Adding additional courses, books, housing, and food expenses to this, it is clear that there is a price tag to education at this university (contrary to what Premier Furey commented), and it is getting too high for students to pay”, said the student.
Most full-time international students are only eligible to work 20 hours a week (according to the Government of Canada) while studying full time and were attracted to Newfoundland and Labrador for MUNL’s cheap tuition.
“The only thing that draws people to MUNL is the cheap tuition; we do not have a quality campus, we are not in the top universities in Canada, and all we have is cheap tuition which is currently rising compared to the schools that are on these lists,” said one student.
“It diminishes the value of the university if we just attach a price tag to it.”
While Premier Furey believes MUNL’s value is diminished by its association with cheap tuition rates, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador has forced tuition to rise.
In April, it was announced that MUNL’s Core Operating Grant would be cut by $13.6M, with additional cuts equating to $68.4M from Memorial’s budget over the next five years in Budget 2022.
President of Memorial University, Dr. Vianne Timmons, described Budget 2022 as “tough” for the university, while students are questioning why to stay in Newfoundland and Labrador.