Memorial University of Newfoundland

ABOUT UNIVERSITY

Memorial University of Newfoundland (MUN) is a public research university based in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, with additional campuses in Corner Brook, Happy Valley-Goose Bay, and Harlow, England, offering certificates, diplomas, undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate programs, as well as online courses. Founded in September 1925 as a memorial to Newfoundlanders and Labradorians who died in the First World War, it is the largest university in Atlantic Canada and the only university in the province. As of 2018, the university had 1,330 faculty, 2,474 staff, and around 18,000 students from nearly 100 countries. At its founding, Newfoundland was a dominion of the United Kingdom, and Memorial University began as Memorial University College (MUC) on Parade Street in St. John’s with a grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York. The college was established to honor the war dead, provide local teacher education, and offer higher education opportunities that previously required travel to Canada, the UK, or the US. MUC initially admitted students into non-degree programs and offered the first two years of university study, with John Lewis Paton as its first president. Its enrolment started at 57 students and grew to over 400 by the 1940s. In 1933, it merged with the nearby Normal School, taking on teacher training responsibilities. The memorial purpose was later extended to honor the province’s Second World War casualties, and today, MUN continues its dual mission of commemorating war service while providing comprehensive education and research opportunities to a diverse student body.