Memorial University of Newfoundland, or MUN (), is a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

research university A research university or a research-intensive university is a university that is committed to research as a central part of its mission. They are "the key sites of Knowledge production modes, knowledge production", along with "intergenerational ...

in the province of

Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the populatio ...

, based in St. John's, with satellite campuses in

Corner Brook Corner Brook ( 2021 population: 19,316 CA 29,762) is a city located on the west coast of the island of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Corner Brook is the fifth largest settlement in Newfoundland and Labrado ...

Happy Valley-Goose Bay Happy Valley-Goose Bay (Inuit: ''Vâli'') is a town in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Located in central Labrador on the coast of Lake Melville and the Churchill River, Happy Valley-Goose Bay is the largest population centre ...

, Saint Pierre, and

Harlow Harlow is a town and local government district located in the west of Essex, England. Founded as a Planned community, new town in 1947, it is situated on the border with Hertfordshire, and occupies a large area of land on the south bank of the ...

, England. Memorial University offers certificate, diploma, undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate programs, as well as online courses and degrees. Founded in September 1925 as a memorial to Newfoundlanders and Labradorians who died in the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, Memorial is the largest university in

Atlantic Canada Atlantic Canada, also called the Atlantic provinces (), is the list of regions of Canada, region of Eastern Canada comprising four provinces: New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. As of 2021, the landma ...

and Newfoundland and Labrador's only university. As of 2018, there were 1,330 faculty and 2,474 staff, supporting 18,000 students from nearly 100 countries.

History

Founding

At its founding,

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region of Labrador, having a total size of . As of 2025 the population ...

was a

dominion A dominion was any of several largely self-governance, self-governing countries of the British Empire, once known collectively as the ''British Commonwealth of Nations''. Progressing from colonies, their degrees of self-governing colony, colon ...

of the United Kingdom. Memorial University began as Memorial University College (MUC), which opened in September 1925 at a campus on Parade Street in St. John's. It was founded to honour the war dead from World War I, to provide a way of educating school teachers for the local religious schools, and to offer students higher education locally. Before that, there was no high-ranking post-secondary education in the dominion; students often went to Canada, the United Kingdom, or the United States. Students were first admitted into a non-degree program in 1925. The original location on Parade Street in St. Johns was established with the help of a grant from the

Carnegie Corporation of New York The Carnegie Corporation of New York is a philanthropic fund established by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 to support education programs across the United States, and later the world. Since its founding, the Carnegie Corporation has endowed or othe ...

. The college was established as a memorial to the Newfoundlanders who had lost their lives on active service during the First World War. It was later rededicated also to encompass the province's war dead of the Second World War. The first president was

J. L. Paton J, or j, is the tenth letter of the English alphabet. J may also refer to: * Palatal approximant in the International Phonetic Alphabet * J, Cyrillic letter Je Astronomy * J, a provisional designation prefix for some objects discovered bet ...

. It offered the first two years of university studies. MUC's initial enrollment was 57 students, which peaked at over 400 in the 1940s. In 1933, it merged with the adjacent Normal School and took responsibility for teacher training.

Early period

The period from the founding in 1925 until 1949 in Newfoundland was chaotic, reflecting Newfoundland's shifting economic and political situation, from the last flowering of independence to depression and life on the dole. The 1940 discovery of Newfoundland as a strategic military asset brought a new period of prosperity. Newfoundland gave up dominion status in 1934, ending self-government in exchange for British Commission of Government rule as a crown colony. Newfoundland remained a crown colony until it joined Canada as a province in 1949. The post-Confederation government elevated the status of Memorial University College to full university status in August 1949, renaming the institution to Memorial University of Newfoundland. Memorial University was established by the Memorial University Act. The enrolment in Memorial's first year was 307 students.

Expansion

In 1959, Memorial pioneered the Extension Service as a model for field education and community development. In 1961, enrolment increased to 1400, and Memorial moved from Parade Street to its present location on Elizabeth Avenue (St. John's Campus). On 8 March 1965, the government of Newfoundland announced free tuition for first-year students enrolled at Memorial University in St. John's. The

Faculty of Medicine of Memorial University of Newfoundland Faculty of Medicine of Memorial University of Newfoundland is located on the eastern edge of North America and is one of two medical schools in Atlantic Canada. It was founded in 1967 and is the academic core of health research in the province. ...

was established in 1967, and the first students were admitted in 1969. It admits approximately 80 students into the M.D. program each year and also offers MSc and PhD programs. Memorial maintains a campus in

, England which opened to students in 1969. This campus has been a popular location for internships in education, and now offers credit courses, work terms, and internships in a number of areas. The campus accommodates approximately 50 students. Memorial established the Institut Frecker in St. Pierre in 1973, to offer one-semester French immersion programs. It was housed in a building provided by the Archdiocese of St. Pierre until 2000. Now known as the Program Frecker, it is run from the

FrancoForum The FrancoForum is a specialized language teaching facility owned and operated by the local government in Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, a French collectivity located off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada. Staffed by professional French instructors, ...

, a language teaching facility owned by the government of St. Pierre. The program is partially supported by the governments of Canada and Newfoundland and Labrador. In September 1975, a campus was opened in

; it was first renamed

Sir Wilfred Grenfell College Grenfell Campus, formerly Sir Wilfred Grenfell College, is a campus of the Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN). It is located in the city of Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The campus has approximately 1,300 students enrol ...

in 1979 and renamed again in 2010 as

Grenfell Campus, Memorial University of Newfoundland Grenfell Campus, formerly Sir Wilfred Grenfell College, is a campus of the Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN). It is located in the city of Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The campus has approximately 1,300 students enrol ...

. 1300 students attend Grenfell, which offers full degree programs in several disciplines and partial programs in many other subjects which can be completed at the St. John's campus. QEII and Clock Tower

In 1977, the Memorial University of Newfoundland Educational Television Centre implemented the Telemedicine project. In 1992, the Institute of Fisheries and Marine Technology in St. John's became affiliated with Memorial University as the Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University of Newfoundland. Today, it is named the

Marine Institute of Memorial University of Newfoundland The Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University of Newfoundland, popularly referred to as the Marine Institute (MI) or simply Marine, is a post-secondary ocean and marine polytechnic located in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Can ...

. It offers both degree and non-degree programs. In the early 1990s, open-source collaboration between the Department of Computer Science and the Department of Computing and Communications produced the LabNet system, which today remains the underlying network of computers at Memorial (particularly in the Library Commons).

The modern day

In 2008, the university's hiring process for incoming presidents came under scrutiny for political interference by the province's education minister, Joan Shea. In May 2021, the Board of Regents of Memorial University recommended that the institution should proceed with officially changing its name to ''Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador''. However, changing the university's legal name will require an act of the province's

House of Assembly House of Assembly is a name given to the legislature or lower house of a bicameral parliament. In some countries this may be at a subnational level. Historically, in British Crown colonies as the colony gained more internal responsible g ...

, and has not yet taken effect. In September 2019, the Memorial University Senate voted unanimously to create a degree-granting campus in Labrador. Memorial University subsequently established the School of Arctic and Sub-Arctic Studies in 2020. A campus in

(renovated from the former provincial courthouse on Hamilton River Road) was expected to offer courses in fall 2022. In October 2023, a report by the Auditor-General found several concerns with the University's operations and expenses.

Presidents

John Lewis Paton John Lewis Paton (1863 - 1946) was a British missionary and academic who served as an educationist and high school headmaster. Biography He was born on 13 August 1863 in Sheffield, England. He was the son of John Brown Paton, a Scottish mi ...

(1925 to 1933) * Albert Hatcher (1933 to 1952) *

Raymond Gushue Raymond Gushue, (June 20, 1900 – December 18, 1980) was a Canadian lawyer and academic administrator. He was the President and Vice-Chancellor of the Memorial University of Newfoundland from 1952 to 1966. Born in Whitbourne, Newfoundland, ...

(1952 to 1966) * Moses Morgan (''pro tempore'', 1966 to 1967) * The Rt. Hon. The Lord Taylor of Harlow (1967 to 1973) * Moses Morgan (1973 to 1981) * Leslie Harris (1981 to 1990) *

Arthur May Arthur James May (1899–June 13, 1968) was an historian, a professor, and "an authority on the history of modern Europe." May was born in Rockdale, Pennsylvania. He received a Bachelor's Degree from Wesleyan University and a Master's and Docto ...

(1990 to 1999) * Axel Meisen (1999 to 2007) * Eddy Campbell (acting, 2008 to 2009) * Chris Loomis (''pro tempore'', 2009 to 2010) * Gary Kachanoski (2010 to 2020) *

Vianne Timmons Vianne Timmons, OC (born 1958) is a Canadian academic who most recently served as president and vice-chancellor of Memorial University of Newfoundland from 2020 to 2023. She was president and vice chancellor of the University of Regina, from 2008 ...

(2020 to 2023) *Neil Bose (''pro tempore'', 2023 to April 2025) *Jennifer Lokash (''pro tempore'', April to August 2025) * Janet Morrison (from August 2025)

Chancellors

* Viscount Rothermere of Hemsted (1952 to 1961) *

Lord Thomson of Fleet Roy Herbert Thomson, 1st Baron Thomson of Fleet, (5 June 1894 – 4 August 1976) was a Canadian-born British newspaper proprietor who became one of the moguls of Fleet Street in London. He first came to prominence when he was selling radios in ...

(1961 to 1968) * G. Alain Frecker (1971 to 1979) * Paul G. Desmarais (1979 to 1988) *

John Crosbie John Carnell Crosbie (January 30, 1931 – January 10, 2020) was a Canadian provincial and federal politician who served as the 12th lieutenant governor of Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Prior to being lieutenant governor, he served as a ...

(1994 to 2008) *

Rick Hillier Rick J. Hillier (born June 30, 1955) is a retired Canadian Armed Forces, Canadian Forces General (Canada), general, who served as the Chief of the Defence Staff (Canada), chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) from 4 February 2005 to 1 July 2008. He pr ...

(2008 to 2012) * Susan Dyer Knight (2012 to 2022) * Earl Ludlow (2022 to present)

Motto, shield, and arms

The university's motto is Provehito in Altum, 'to launch forth into the deep.' The arms of the university, designed by

Alan Beddoe Lieutenant-Commander Alan Brookman Beddoe, OC, OBE, HFHS, FHSC (June 1, 1893 – December 2, 1975) was a Canadian artist, war artist, consultant in heraldry and founder and first president of the Heraldry Society of Canada in 1965. Bor ...

, have as their charges a

cross moline The cross moline (also cross anchory, French ''croix ancrée'' "anchor cross") is a Christian cross, constituting a kind of heraldic cross. History The name derives from its shape, which resembles a millrind, the iron clamp of the upper millsto ...

, three books, and waves representing the sea, and were registered with the

Canadian Heraldic Authority The Canadian Heraldic Authority (CHA; ) is part of the Canadian honours system under the Monarchy of Canada, Canadian monarch, whose authority is exercised by the Governor General of Canada. The authority is responsible for the creation and gran ...

on 10 September 1992.

Academics

Schools and faculties

Memorial has seven faculties (Business Administration, Education, Engineering, Humanities and Social Sciences, Medicine, Nursing, and Science) and seven Schools (Arctic and Subarctic Studies, Fine Arts, Graduate Studies, Music,

Pharmacy Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medication, medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it ...

, Human Kinetics and Recreation, and Social Work). These offer undergraduate and graduate degree programs. Memorial's Faculty of Business Administration is recognized as a leader in Canadian business education with a high ranking, offering programs at undergraduate and graduate levels, including a bachelor of commerce, international bachelor of business administration, bachelor of business administration, master of business administration, master of employment relations and Ph.D. degrees. Students can choose to specialize in the following engineering disciplines: Civil Engineering,

Computer Engineering Computer engineering (CE, CoE, or CpE) is a branch of engineering specialized in developing computer hardware and software. It integrates several fields of electrical engineering, electronics engineering and computer science. Computer engi ...

Electrical Engineering Electrical engineering is an engineering discipline concerned with the study, design, and application of equipment, devices, and systems that use electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism. It emerged as an identifiable occupation in the l ...

, Mechanical Engineering,

Ocean The ocean is the body of salt water that covers approximately 70.8% of Earth. The ocean is conventionally divided into large bodies of water, which are also referred to as ''oceans'' (the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian Ocean, Indian, Southern Ocean ...

and Naval Architectural Engineering (combined degree),

Engineering Management Engineering management is the application of engineering methods, tools, and techniques to business management systems. Engineering management is a career that brings together the technological problem-solving ability of engineering and the organi ...

, and

Process Engineering Process engineering is a field of study focused on the development and optimization of industrial processes. It consists of the understanding and application of the fundamental principles and laws of nature to allow humans to transform raw mate ...

. The St. John's campus is home to the Faculty of Medicine, co-located with the Newfoundland Health Science Center General Hospital. The Faculty of Medicine grants undergraduate and graduate degrees in medicine while also providing residential and advanced training. It is one of only four medical schools in Atlantic Canada (the others are

Dalhousie University Faculty of Medicine The Faculty of Medicine at Dalhousie University, also known as Dalhousie Medical School, is a medical school and faculty of Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The Faculty of Medicine has operated continuously since 1868 and is ...

, University of New Brunswick Medical Training Centre and Université de Moncton Medical Training Centre. The Department of

Biochemistry Biochemistry, or biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. A sub-discipline of both chemistry and biology, biochemistry may be divided into three fields: structural biology, enzymology, a ...

has a dietetic program accredited by the Dietitians of Canada, and the university's graduates may subsequently become registered dietitians. Queen's College, an affiliated College of Memorial University, offers diploma and degree studies in theology, pastoral studies, church history, and related programs. It is an associate member of the

Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada The Association of Theological Schools in the United States and Canada (ATS) is an organization of seminaries and other graduate schools of theology. ATS has its headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. History The ATS was found ...

with 166 students. The university operates the

Bonne Bay Marine Station Bonne Bay Marine Station is a marine ecology research and teaching facility on Bonne Bay along Newfoundland's west coast. It offers services to students, researchers, educators and the general public. The station is within Gros Morne National Park ...

Gros Morne National Park Gros Morne National Park is a Canadian national park and World Heritage Site located on the west coast of Newfoundland. At , it is the second largest national park in Atlantic Canada after Torngat Mountains National Park, which has an area o ...

Research

Research at Memorial University spans six faculties and six schools on the St. John's campus, three at the Grenfell Campus, and three at the Marine Institute, covering a broad range of basic, interdisciplinary, and applied research topics. It also includes centres in marine learning that study ocean technology,

aquaculture Aquaculture (less commonly spelled aquiculture), also known as aquafarming, is the controlled cultivation ("farming") of aquatic organisms such as fish, crustaceans, mollusks, algae and other organisms of value such as aquatic plants (e.g. Nelu ...

sustainable fishery A conventional idea of a sustainable fishery is that it is one that is harvested at a sustainable rate, where the fish population does not decline over time because of fishing practices. Sustainability in fisheries combines theoretical disciplines ...

, and offshore safety. Over 40% of Memorial's research is ocean-related (68% in the Faculty of Science alone). Memorial University joined with Dalhousie University and the University of Prince Edward Island to form the Ocean Frontier Institute, a collaborative research initiative aimed at harnessing the potential of the world's oceans. Memorial University is a member of the

University of the Arctic The University of the Arctic (UArctic) is an international cooperative network based in the Circumpolar Arctic region, consisting of universities, colleges, and other organizations with an interest in promoting education and research in the Arcti ...

, an international cooperative network of universities, colleges, and other organizations concerned with education and research in

Arctic The Arctic (; . ) is the polar regions of Earth, polar region of Earth that surrounds the North Pole, lying within the Arctic Circle. The Arctic region, from the IERS Reference Meridian travelling east, consists of parts of northern Norway ( ...

region. Memorial is also a member of the

International Association of Universities The International Association of Universities (IAU) is a membership-led non-governmental organization working in the field of global higher education. It has more than 600 members in over 130 countries, including institutions, organizations, aff ...

Universities Canada Universities Canada () is an organization that represents Canada's universities. It is a non-profit national organization that coordinates university policies, guidance and direction. Formed in 1911, as the Association of Universities and Colleg ...

Association of Commonwealth Universities The Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) is a charitable organization that was established in 1913, and has over 400 member institutions in over 40 countries across the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth.Canadian Virtual University The Canadian Virtual University (; abbreviated bilingually as CVU-UVC) was a consortium of Canadian universities that specialized in online distance education. Founded in 2000 to promote online programs in post-secondary education, CVU-UVC was ma ...

, and the Canadian Bureau for International Education. In 2009, Memorial University launched Yaffle to provide researchers and community partners an opportunity to connect and exchange ideas, expertise, research interests, and publicly engaged activities in an open and accessible way. Yaffle is managed by the Leslie Harris Centre of Regional Policy and Development at Memorial University.

Research impact

Out of 50 universities in Canada, Research Infosource ranked Memorial University the 20th most research-intensive for fiscal year 2016, with a sponsored research income of $91.178 million, averaging $93,500 per faculty member. Times Higher Education ranked Memorial University 17th among Canadian universities for subject-normalised total citations. According to Memorial University's President's Report 2017, Memorial's total research funding for the fiscal year 2016-17 was over $100 million. Memorial is the seat of 20 active Canada Research Chairs and 13 sponsored research chairs.

Research centres and institutes

Memorial University operates and manages over 30 research units. Some fall under the direct authority of their respective faculties or schools, while others have a pan-university mandate or multi-organization consortium. Below is a sampling of the more prominent units: * Aging Research Centre – Newfoundland and Labrador * Autonomous Oceans Systems Laboratory * Bonne Bay Marine Station * Boreal Ecosystem Research Initiative, Grenfell Campus * Bruneau Centre for Excellence in Choral Music * Centre for Applied Ocean Technology, Marine Institute * Centre for Aquaculture and Seafood Development (CASD), Marine Institute * Centre for Fisheries Ecosystems Research, Marine Institute * Centre for Marine Simulation (CMS), Marine Institute * Centre for Sustainable Aquatic Resources (CSAR), Marine Institute * Craig L. Dobbin Genetics Research Centre * Digital Research Centre for Qualitative Fieldwork * eHealth Research Unit * English Language Research Centre * Environmental Policy Institute, Grenfell Campus * Folklore and Language Archive (MUNFLA) * Health Research Unit * Hibernia Enhanced Oil Recovery Laboratory * Institute of Social and Economic Research * Janeway Pediatric Research Unit * Lewisporte Regional Fisheries and Marine Centre * Maritime History Archive * Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Applied Health Research * North West River Research Station, Labrador Institute * Nursing Research Unit * Ocean Engineering Research Centre (OERC) * Ocean Frontier Institute (OFI) * Ocean Sciences Centre * Offshore Safety and Survival Centre (OSSC), Marine Institute * Primary Healthcare Research Unit * Research Centre for the Study of Music, Media, and Place (MMaP) * SafetyNet * Support for People and Patient-Oriented Research and Trials (SUPPORT) Unit * The Centre for Risk, Integrity and Safety Engineering (CRISE) * The J.R. Smallwood Foundation for Newfoundland and Labrador Studies

Research awards and honours

Exchange programs

Memorial has 134 student programs, exchanges, and research partnership agreements in 40 countries. The Internationalization Office, formerly the International Student Advising Office, assists international students with housing, health insurance, academics, immigration, and career options. Memorial also has a British campus in

, Essex, and is one of only two universities in Canada with a foothold in the United Kingdom.

Arctic research

Memorial University of Newfoundland is an active member of the

. UArctic is an international cooperative network based in the Circumpolar Arctic region, consisting of more than 200 universities, colleges, and other organizations with an interest in promoting education and research in the Arctic region. The university participates in UArctic’s mobility program north2north. The aim of that program is to enable students of member institutions to study in different parts of the North.

Rankings

In ''

Maclean's ''Maclean's'' is a Canadian magazine founded in 1905 which reports on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, trends and current events. Its founder, publisher John Bayne Maclean, established the magazine to provide a uniquely Canadian ...

'' 2023 Canadian university rankings, Memorial University of Newfoundland placed seventh in the magazine's comprehensive university category. The university has also placed in several global university rankings. In 2022

Academic Ranking of World Universities The ''Academic Ranking of World Universities'' (''ARWU''), also known as the Shanghai Ranking, is one of the annual publications of world university rankings. The league table was originally compiled and issued by Shanghai Jiao Tong Universi ...

, the university ranked 701–800 worldwide. The 2024

QS World University Rankings The ''QS World University Rankings'' is a portfolio of comparative college and university rankings compiled by Quacquarelli Symonds, a higher education analytics firm. Its first and earliest edition was published in collaboration with '' Times ...

ranked the university 601-649 in the world. 2023

Times Higher Education World University Rankings The ''Times Higher Education World University Rankings'', often referred to as the THE Rankings, is the annual publication of university rankings by the ''Times Higher Education'' magazine. The publisher had collaborated with Quacquarelli Symon ...

placed the university 601–800 in the world. In the '' U.S. News & World Report'' 2022–23 ranking, the university placed 698th in the world.

Campuses and facilities

Memorial University has the following campuses: St. John's Campus on Elizabeth Avenue,

Signal Hill, St. John's Signal Hill is a hill which overlooks the harbour and city of St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The majority of Signal Hill, including Cabot Tower (St. John's), Cabot Tower, is designated a National Historic Sites of Canada, Nation ...

Grenfell Campus Grenfell Campus, formerly Sir Wilfred Grenfell College, is a campus of the Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN). It is located in the city of Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The campus has approximately 1,300 students enrol ...

, Holyrood Marine Base, Labrador Institute,

, Ocean Sciences Centre, Institut Frecker on the French island of St-Pierre, off Newfoundland's south coast, and in

, England. The largest campus in

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador St. John's is the capital and largest city of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. The city spans and is the easternmost city in North Ame ...

is split by Prince Philip Drive. The university also operates the Memorial University of Newfoundland Botanical Garden.

St. John's Campus

The largest campus is located in St. John's. Prince Philip Drive runs east–west through the St. John's campus, with Westerland Road bordering it to the west, Elizabeth Avenue to the south, and Allandale Road to the east. The majority of the academic buildings are located south of Prince Philip Drive: the Arts and Administration Building, the Science Building, Chemistry and Physics, Mathematics, Music, Education, Physical Education, and the Bruneau Centre for Research and Innovation. The University Centre is home to the food court, bookstore, campus bar ("Breezeway"), and the

CHMR-FM CHMR-FM is a campus radio station broadcasting on the campus of Memorial University of Newfoundland in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada at 93.5 MHz, Rogers Cable channel 942 and Aliant TV channel 825. The Memorial University of Ne ...

campus radio station.

Libraries and archives

The Memorial University Libraries contain collections of university Archives, Fine Arts from the 1880s to present; Human History and Natural Sciences. Memorial University of Newfoundland

Folklore Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, myths, legends, proverbs, Poetry, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also ...

and Language Archive collection consists of manuscripts, tapes, records, photographs and artifacts pertaining to Maritime Provinces, specifically Newfoundland and Labrador. The Queen Elizabeth II Library contains around 1,100,000 monographs, 105,000 maps, 6,000 audio-visual titles and 9,000 journal titles. The Commons, located on the main floor of the library, has computers available for students and a digital media centre.

Fisheries and Marine Institute

The

Marine Institute The Fisheries and Marine Institute of Memorial University of Newfoundland, popularly referred to as the Marine Institute (MI) or simply Marine, is a post-secondary ocean and marine polytechnic located in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador ...

is a marine

polytechnic A polytechnic is an educational institution that primarily focuses on vocational education, applied sciences, and career pathways. They are sometimes referred to as ''institutes of technology'', ''vocational institutes'', or ''universities of app ...

institution located on Ridge Road in St. John's within Pippy Park, north of the city. It has facilities such as a full ship's bridge simulator and the world's largest flume tank. It offers degrees, diplomas, certifications and industry training for the maritime sector.

Grenfell Campus

is a site in

. It has approximately 1400 students, 156 faculty, and 235 staff and offers Arts, Fine Arts, Business, Science, and Nursing programs. It was formerly known as Sir Wilfred Grenfell College until 10 September 2010.

Harlow Campus

Campus is Memorial's only international campus, located in

Old Harlow Old Harlow is the old town area of Harlow, in Essex, England. It was the historical town centre prior to Harlow being designated a new town in 1947 during the new towns in the United Kingdom movement. Old Harlow is situated in the north-ea ...

, Essex, England. As of November 2023, Harlow Campus was operated by 16 staff members and could accommodate around 60 students. It consists of the Maltings and Cabot House; also having a former schoolhouse and a teacher's cottage, which have been converted into a lecture facility; as well as a former shop has been converted into apartments. Harlow is not a school unto itself. Instead, professional schools and academic departments at Memorial use the Harlow Campus to deliver programs. Harlow offers courses in

Biology Biology is the scientific study of life and living organisms. It is a broad natural science that encompasses a wide range of fields and unifying principles that explain the structure, function, growth, History of life, origin, evolution, and ...

, Business, Drama & Performance, English Cultural Landscape, Fine Arts (both Theatre and Visual Arts), Faith, Love & Lore, and History & Political Science.

Labrador Campus

As a first step to campus status, the School of Arctic and Subarctic Studies (SASS) was founded within Labrador Institute (located at

) in July 2020, following a decision of the Memorial University Senate in September 2019. Afterwards, the Labrador Institute became Labrador Campus in 2022. SASS currently offers several graduate programs in Arctic and Subarctic Futures (MASF), and as of April 2024 was planning to launch its first undergraduate degree - the BASIS (Bachelor of Arctic and Subarctic Interdisciplinary Studies) - to commence in September 2024.

Signal Hill Campus

In 2013, Memorial University purchased the former Battery Hotel, located on Signal Hill, overlooking St. John's harbour. The hotel was a landmark property with a long history in the province's cultural life. ;Emera Innovation Exchange Signal Hill Campus opened to the public in September 2018. A large portion of the campus, the Emera Innovation Exchange, serves as Memorial's innovation and public engagement hub to facilitate university-community collaboration. The campus houses public-facing university organizations, a large conference centre, and graduate student living accommodations. Tenants are the Harris Centre, Gardiner Centre, Genesis, Office of Public Engagement, Office of Strategic Operations (Signal Hill Campus) and Conference Services, MUN Pensioners' Association, Newfoundland Quarterly, and Business & Arts NL. ;Conference Centre The Conference Centre on Signal Hill Campus is a convening space within the Emera Innovation Exchange. It houses convening spaces, each with full AV connectivity. The Conference Hall overlooks St. John's harbour and can be divided into three separate venues or combined as one larger venue with the capacity to host up to 450 people. The Atrium, a multifunctional event space spread over two levels and connected by a seated staircase, serves as a venue for public events and presentations. YAFFLE Connect, a space operating as a physical manifestation of the Yaffle application, Memorial's online connecting tool, was designed for small meetings, co-working sessions, dialogues and debates. There are eight meeting rooms on the lower level of the Atrium and a dining room with a built-in kitchen for private lunches or small dinner receptions. ;Accommodations The Harbour Wing and Tower areas of Signal Hill Campus are dedicated to graduate student living accommodations. There are 87 furnished rooms available, each single occupancy with a private washroom. The kitchen and lounge facilities on each floor are common areas shared between about 15 students.

Botanical Garden

The collection includes perennial and annual plants, aquatic plants, spruce, fir, and alder trees. The garden, founded in 1972, is located at Oxen Pond along Mount Scio Road. The park has adopted the Twinflower (''

Linnaea borealis ''Linnaea borealis'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Caprifoliaceae (the honeysuckle family). It is the only species in the genus ''Linnaea''. It is a boreal to subarctic woodland subshrub, commonly known as twinflower (sometimes ...

'') as its emblem.

Frecker Institute in St. Pierre

The Frecker Program in the French territory of St. Pierre and Miquelon consists of French immersion for 2nd year university students, with five “level 2000” French courses. The teaching is provided by teachers from the university's modern languages, literature and culture department and from

Francoforum The FrancoForum is a specialized language teaching facility owned and operated by the local government in Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, a French collectivity located off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada. Staffed by professional French instructors, ...

. 3rd and 4th year students go to the Côte d'Azur University in Nice or the Southern Brittany University in Lorient, while 5th year students go to the

University of Bordeaux The University of Bordeaux (, ) is a public research university based in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. It has several campuses in the cities and towns of Bordeaux, Dax, Gradignan, Périgueux, Pessac, and Talence. There are al ...

. The institute, and later the program, were named in honour of the Canadian politician

George Alain Frecker George Alain Frecker, OC (June 29, 1905 – September 30, 1979) was a Canadian politician and academic administrator. Early life Frecker was the son of George and Suzanna Frecker. He was born in St. Pierre in 1905 and moved to Halifax, ...

, who was born in Saint-Pierre and was formerly chancellor of Memorial University.

Student body and campus life

There are over 18,000 students enrolled in full and part-time studies at Memorial University. This number includes both undergraduate and graduate students. As of fall 2023, approximately 62% of students are from Newfoundland and Labrador.

International students

As of November 2024, international students comprised 24.7 percent of the student population at Memorial University. They are served by the Internationalization Office, which is a dedicated administrative unit of the University offering services such as immigration advising, social events, and off-campus housing, among others.

Campus housing

Student Residences provides on-campus housing at the St. John's campus in three residential complexes:

Paton College Paton College are residences operated by Memorial University of Newfoundland located on the eastern end of the St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John's campus. Paton College offers traditional dormitory style housing while Burton's Pond ...

, Macpherson College, and Burton's Pond Apartments. There is a dining hall for students in residence, R. Gushue Hall, serviced by Aramark. A meal plan is mandatory for students in Paton College and Macpherson College.

dormitories offer dormitory-style accommodations for approximately 1000 students in nine residences, called Houses, and named after persons associated with the university or Newfoundland and Labrador:

Barnes Barnes may refer to: People *Barnes (name), a family name and a given name (includes lists of people with that name) Places United Kingdom * Barnes, London, England ** Barnes railway station **Barnes Bridge railway station ** Barnes High Stree ...

, Blackall, Bowater,

Burke Burke (; ) is a Normans in Ireland, Norman-Irish surname, deriving from the ancient Anglo-Norman and Hiberno-Norman noble dynasty, the House of Burgh. In Ireland, the descendants of William de Burgh (''circa'' 1160–1206) had the surname'' de B ...

, Curtis, Doyle, Hatcher, Rothermere, and

Squires In the Middle Ages, a squire was the shield- or armour-bearer of a knight. Boys served a knight as an attendant, doing simple but important tasks such as saddling a horse or caring for the knight's weapons and armour. Terminology ''Squire'' i ...

. The newer Macpherson College consists of two similarly named Halls: Shiwak and Cluett, which house 250 students each and were officially opened in 2013. The five Courts of Burton's Pond apartments accommodate a total of 640 students (inclusive of any dependents) in four-bedroom apartments and provide a more independent lifestyle on campus. They are Baltimore, Cabot, Cartier, Gilbert, and Guy. Formerly, there were three residential colleges operated by different Christian church denominations at St. John's Campus. Coughlan College was operated by the

United Church of Canada The United Church of Canada (UCC; ) is a mainline Protestant denomination that is the largest Protestant Christian denomination in Canada and the second largest Canadian Christian denomination after the Catholic Church in Canada. The United Chu ...

, Queen's College by the

Anglican Church of Canada The Anglican Church of Canada (ACC or ACoC) is the Ecclesiastical province#Anglican Communion, province of the Anglican Communion in Canada. The official French-language name is ''l'Église anglicane du Canada''. In 2016, the Anglican Church of ...

, and St. John's College by the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. In the present day, none of the Colleges accept residents; they are now occupied by the University's academic and administrative units. File:Burton's Pond.png, Burton's Pond. File:Paton College in 2006.jpg, Paton College and the R. Gushue Dining Hall. File:MacPherson College.png, MacPherson College.

Sports, clubs, and traditions

Memorial's sports teams, the

Memorial Sea-Hawks The Memorial Sea-Hawks are the athletic teams that represent Memorial University of Newfoundland in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. There are varsity teams in men's and women's basketball, cross-country, soccer, swimming, and volle ...

(formerly The Beothuks), are part of the Atlantic University Sport (AUS) league of

U Sports U Sports (stylized as U SPORTS) is the national sport governing body for universities in Canada, comprising the majority of degree-granting universities in the country and four regional conferences: Ontario University Athletics (OUA), Résea ...

. There are varsity teams in men's and women's basketball, cross-country, soccer, swimming, and women's volleyball. Curling, track and field and wrestling are available as club sports. The university has student media, including a radio station,

, and a newspaper, '' The Muse''.

Cultural impact

Postage stamp

On 1 January 1943 and again on 21 March 1946, 'Memorial University College' stamps were issued based on a design by Herman Herbert Schwartz. The 2¢ / 30¢ stamps were perforated 12 and were printed by the Canadian Bank Note Company, Limited.

''Hudson & Rex''

The Canadian crime comedy/drama series ''

Hudson & Rex ''Hudson & Rex'' is a Canadian police procedural drama television series, based on the Austrian-Italian drama ''Kommissar Rex''. Played by John Reardon, Detective Charlie Hudson is a policeman in the Major Crimes Division of the St. John's Polic ...

'', based on the Austrian show

Inspector Rex ''Inspector Rex'' (German: ''Kommissar Rex''; Italian: ''Il commissario Rex'') is an Austrian-Italian police procedural television series created by Peter Hajek and Peter Moser. Originally an Austrian series aired from 1994 to 2004 on ORF 1, in ...

, is filmed at Memorial University regularly. The Bruneau Centre stands in for the headquarters of the fictional St. John's Police Department, while the rest of the campus has been used to portray the equally fictional Heritage University of Newfoundland and Labrador. File:The Bruneau Centre.jpg, The Bruneau Centre, seen here standing in for the fictional St. John's Police Department File:Heritage University Sign 20181215.jpg, A sign for the fictional Heritage University File:Filming School Daze 20181215.jpg, Filming at Paton College File:Filming School Daze 20181215-4.jpg, The orange muscle car belongs to protagonist Charlie Hudson, played by

John Reardon John Henry Reardon (born July 30, 1975) is a Canadian actor. Prior to 2015, Reardon starred as Blake Laviolette on the CBC Television series ''Arctic Air'' and had a recurring role as Greg Cameron on the Showcase series '' Continuum''. As of 20 ...

File:Hudson and Rex Filming.jpg, Filming at the Bruneau Centre

Notable faculty and alumni

Arms

References

Books

* * *

External links

*
Athletics website

Fact Book

''The Muse''
Memorial University's student newspaper {{DEFAULTSORT:Memorial University Of Newfoundland 1920s establishments in Newfoundland 1925 establishments in North America Distance education institutions based in Canada Universities and colleges established in 1925 Universities and colleges in Newfoundland and Labrador Universities in Canada Venues of the 2025 Canada Summer Games