MUN’s international student count falls 45% since 2023

Memorial University of Newfoundland had 2,682 international students this fall, down 45 per cent from 4,889 in 2023, after the federal government capped study permits, according to figures the university provided to CBC News.

The St. John’s university’s international enrolment fell to 4,179 in 2024 and 3,199 in 2025 before this year’s total. “There certainly was a stark decrease in previous enrolments,” interim registrar Angie Clarke said.

Ottawa capped study permits nationwide in 2024, saying it was responding to housing pressures and cracking down on some private colleges. Canada’s auditor general has since found the changes caused a sharper drop in international students than the federal government expected, with smaller provinces hit hardest. Newfoundland and Labrador was supposed to see more approved permits but saw fewer, the auditor’s report said.

Across Atlantic Canada, the number of international students is close to half what it was in 2023, according to the Association of Atlantic Universities. Its chief executive, Ava Czapalay, said federal visa officers are refusing more applications for Atlantic schools than for places such as Ontario. The University of Prince Edward Island reported a 20 per cent drop in international enrolment this year.

There are early signs of a turnaround at Memorial. Clarke said new international enrolment rose 14 per cent this September compared with last year, and the university is recruiting aggressively and cutting barriers in admissions. “We are doing everything we can to ensure that that positive start continues right to next September,” she said.

Taqi Yeasir, director of external affairs for the Memorial University of Newfoundland Students’ Union, said fewer international students means a hit to a university already cutting programs and staff, and could lead to more course cuts. International undergraduates pay about $22,500 a year in tuition, among the lowest rates in Atlantic Canada.

Premier Tony Wakeham has called on Ottawa to allow more foreign students into the province, which faces a need for more workers. AnnMarie Boudreau, chief executive of the St. John’s Board of Trade, said business leaders are worried about finding enough workers for upcoming provincial projects.

The federal immigration department said in a statement that it wants to attract skilled international talent while bringing immigration to a more sustainable pace. It said 21 per cent of new study permits this year went to master’s and doctoral students, up from 12 per cent last year.

Also in St. John’s, the final stretch of the Team Gushue Highway opens Friday. Read more on Canada’s population revision and our St. John’s coverage.

If you find reporting like this useful, consider supporting Canada News Media, an independent Canadian newsroom with no corporate parent.