St.JHON’S: As students settle into a new academic year at Memorial University of Newfoundland, student campaigner Nicholas Keough is renewing a long-standing political battle against tuition hikes. Keough has returned to campus to collect signatures on a petition demanding that provincial officials hold the line on tuition fees once again. Tuition at the university was frozen between 1999 and 2021, keeping the annual cost of a full course load under $3,000. When the freeze was lifted in 2022, fees more than doubled to $6,750 for 10 courses. In response to mounting pressure, politicians reinstated a freeze in 2026, directing university administrators to find budget balance elsewhere.
This fight comes as post-secondary costs across Canada continue to outpace inflation. According to Statistics Canada, the average annual tuition for an undergraduate program in Canada rose from $7,915 in 2022 to $9,292 in 2026—an average annual increase of about 4.1 percent. Graduate program costs also saw increases, climbing from $8,400 in 2022 to $9,273 in 2026. Keough and Erika Merschrod, president of Memorial University’s faculty association, argue that governments across the country are stepping back from heavily subsidizing higher education. Earlier in 2026, Ontario also lifted its own tuition freeze.
Although the provincial government of Newfoundland and Labrador increased funding for Memorial University from $311 million in 2025 to $330 million in 2026 (a 6.2 percent increase), student leaders contend it is not enough to keep education accessible. Andrew Lo, CEO of financial planning firm Embark, noted that rising tuition and residence costs are discouraging families from opening Registered Education Savings Plans (RESPs). Even though tuition at Memorial University remains relatively low compared to the national average, campaigners insist that maintaining the freeze is crucial to ensuring higher education remains accessible to all.
