ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — A surge in late registrations has led to a record enrolment for Memorial University, including increases at Grenfell Campus, the Marine Institute and the St. John’s campus, the university said Thursday.
A news release states that while official registration numbers aren’t typically tallied until the end of the drop and add date on Sept. 23, the first day of classes saw Memorial peak at 19,429 students — only the second time student numbers topped 19,000 at the province’s only university.
It is the largest year-over-year growth since 2003.
Memorial University president Vianne Timmons says the enrolment figures are a reflection of the times, but also show that students are resilient and focused on the future.
“Despite the challenges posed by COVID-19, today’s students are looking beyond the pandemic and are working to improve their future by seeking a post-secondary education,” said Timmons. “Growing enrolment is a positive sign for the university, but also for the economic future of the province.”
Grenfell Campus enrolment is up almost five per cent, while the Marine Institute has 3.8 per cent more students this fall than last.
While the number of graduate students remained relatively stable, there are currently more than 700 more undergraduate students at Memorial than during the fall semester in 2019.
University registrar Tom Nault said Memorial has been supporting students throughout the COVID-19 pandemic while offering a primarily online or remote-learning environment for students.
“Initiatives including the Kickstart Your Degree and MUN 101 programs are only a few examples of how bolstering and maintaining our undergraduate enrolment efforts is a top priority for the entire Memorial community,” Nault said.
