As Newfoundland and Labrador’s only university, Memorial has a special obligation to the people of this province. Established as a memorial to the Newfoundlanders who lost their lives on active service during the First World War and subsequent conflicts, Memorial University draws inspiration from these sacrifices of the past as we help to build a better future for our province, our country and our world.

At Memorial University nearly 18,000 students from over 120 countries come together to discover. From the classics to advanced technology, Memorial offers certificate, diploma, undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate programs across five campuses and online. A global network of almost 100,000 accomplished alumni throughout the world strengthens Memorial University’s capacity and reputation for leadership in research, teaching and public engagement. Read more fast facts about Memorial University.

Research

Over 40% of Memorial’s research is ocean-related (in just the Faculty of Science it’s 68%). If there’s research happening in the North Atlantic, there’s a high likelihood Memorial University is involved. In fact, Memorial is a partner with the Ocean Frontier Institute, a $220 million collaborative research initiative aimed at harnessing the vast potential of the world’s ocean. Memorial is also part of Canada’s Ocean Supercluster, a private sector-led partnership using innovation and commercialization to drive increased sustainable economic growth from our oceans.

As one of the top 20 research universities in Canada, Memorial has more than 30 research centres and received more than $130 million in research funding in 2019-20. Memorial and its funding partners have long believed in investing in talented students and we’re proud to say we have more than 1,500 graduate fellowships and 854 PhD students.

In 2020, 64 Memorial researchers were on the World's Top 2% Scientists list. 

Awards & Honours

Memorial’s faculties have been recognized with numerous awards and honours for their meaningful contributions to society. The Arctic Inspiration Prize, SSHRC Impact Awards (including Gold Medal and Insight Award), Governor General’s Innovation Award (2018 and 2019), and the UN’s Climate Solution Award are just a few of the national and international accolades that demonstrate Memorial’s place as a global research university.

Most recently, Memorial was named top challenger in North America by University Business Incubators, and the Memorial Centre for Entrepreneurship was been recognized as one of the top five emerging entrepreneurship centres in the world.

Many individuals affiliated with Memorial are nationally and internationally recognized including:

  • 31 fellows of the Royal Society of Canada
  • 21 Canada Research Chairs
  • 19 fellows of the Canadian Academy of Engineering
  • 13 fellows of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences

Teaching & Learning

Offering more than 100 degree programs and over 90 professional development courses and certificate programs, Memorial University is one of the largest universities in Atlantic Canada.

  • $1.5 Million in entrance scholarships
  • 750 scholarships awarded annually
  • $9.5 Million in graduate fellowships and scholarships
  • 16:1 student-faculty ratio (one of the best in Canada)
  • 450+ courses available online
  • 1,600 co-op placements and internships around the world
  • 50+ Rhodes Scholars educated at Memorial 

Memorial offers a number of unique programs including:

Memorial’s faculty are widely recognized for their teaching and supervision, with many notable achievements and honours including nine recipients of 3M Teaching Fellowships, five recipients of the Atlantic Association of Universities’ Distinguished Teacher Award and two recipients of the Northeastern Association of Graduate Schools Geoffrey Marshall Mentoring Award.

Internationalization

Memorial is privileged to be able to bring together students, faculty and staff from Canada and other countries, building mutual respect, cultural understanding and meaningful relationships. That’s why Memorial is committed to internationalization, international co-operation, student mobility and cultural sensitivity.

According to the Canadian Association for Graduate Studies, Newfoundland and Labrador has the highest percentage of full-time international master’s and doctoral students in Canada. In 2015, Memorial ranked first among Canadian universities in the International Student Barometer in the category of support from the graduate school.

  • 3,400+international students from 110+ countries.
  • 20% of the student population is international students and nearly 40% of all graduate students are international students
  • 125 exchange agreements in more than 40 countries
  • 1 of only 2 Canadian universities with a campus in the United Kingdom.

Start-up and entrepreneurial culture 

Memorial’s vibrant entrepreneurial culture inspires students, faculty and staff to embrace innovation and challenge convention.

Memorial students have a long history of success in national and international entrepreneurship competitions. In nine of the past 10 years, Memorial has been crowned national champion in annual competitions of Enactus, an international non-profit organization promoting student entrepreneurship. We’re incredibly proud that Memorial is a two-time winner of the Enactus World Cup.

Investing in entrepreneurs and contributing to the development of an attractive entrepreneurial ecosystem within Newfoundland and Labrador, Memorial has three centres dedicated to supporting entrepreneurship:

The Memorial Centre for Entrepreneurship

Open to students, faculty and staff to help promote entrepreneurship and the development of new ideas, the Memorial Centre for Entrepreneurship offers programs, funding, events and resources to inspire and support start-ups. In 2019, MCE was recognized as one of the top five emerging entrepreneurship centres in the world. 

The Centre for Social Enterprise

A partnership among the Faculty of Business Administration, the School of Music and the School of Social Work, the Centre for Social Enterprise aims to enhance the quality of the human experience via social enterprise and social innovation.

The Genesis Centre

Memorial’s incubator for technology-based ventures with high-growth potential, the Genesis Centre is one of the top-ranked incubators in Canada and was named Canadian Incubator of the Year in 2011. Since its launch in 1997, Genesis has incubated hundreds of start-up companies, raised $700 million in capital, generated $650 million in revenue and created over 2,500 jobs.

You might recognize some these start-ups:

Navigate Entrepreneurship Centre – Corner Brook

Navigate is a partnership of Grenfell Campus, Memorial University, and the Corner Brook campus of the College of the North Atlantic (CNA). The centre supports entrepreneurs through its business incubator and makerspace. The Navigate Business Incubator, located at CNA, and the Navigate Makerspace, at Grenfell Campus, aim to support business diversification and create a stronger culture of innovation and entrepreneurship on the west coast of the island.

The Entrepreneurship Training Program

Memorial’s Entrepreneurship Training Program (ETP) is a first-in-Canada training program for international graduate students interested in starting a business. The program covers core entrepreneurship themes and skills such as problem solving and design learning, lean start-up, sales, marketing and financial planning. The ETP has graduated over 200 students and has received multiple national awards for innovation in student services and career education.

Rankings

Maclean's

Memorial ranked 8th in Maclean’s magazine’s top comprehensive schools category for 2022. 

Times Higher Education

The Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings take a multi-category approach to ranking universities. Overall, Memorial ranked within the top 601-800 universities globally, for 2022.

When it comes to specific subject areas, Memorial is ranked in the top 251-300 universities in the category of Engineering and Technology. In the categories of Life Sciences; Arts and Humanities; Education; Psychology; Physical Sciences; and Computer Science, Memorial ranks in the top 401-500. In the areas of Clinical, pre-clinical and health, Business and Economics and Social Sciences, Memorial is in the top 501-600. 

In 2022, Memorial ranked among the top 101-200, out of  1406 global universties, as part of the THE Impact Rankings. These rankings, are the only assesment measuring universities' contributions to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). 

Memorial ranked among the top 30 universities worldwide for its leadership in addressing issues related to life below water (goal 14) – placing No. 28.

It also placed:

Among the top 101-200 globally for its impact on quality education, Goal No. 4;

Among the top 101-200 globally for its impact on gender equality, Goal No. 5;

No. 64 globally for Goal No. 9, industry, innovation and infrastructure; and

Among the top 101-200 globally for its partnerships for the goals, Goal No. 17.

Shanghai Ranking (Academic Ranking of World Universities )

Memorial University is in the top 601-700 in the world, according to the 2021 Academic Ranking of World Universities, commonly known as the Shanghai Ranking.

Notably, as part of the 2022 Global Ranking of Academic Subjects, Memorial is the only Canadian university – for the fifth year in a row – to make the list of the world's top post-secondary institutions for the study of marine/ocean engineering, placing 38th among global universities ranked.

Memorial also achieved notable rankings in the following subjects:

  • Among the top 51-75 for Food Science and Technology.
  • Top 76-100 in Oceanography; Telecommunications Engineering; and Remote Sensing.
  • Top 101-150 worldwide for Political Sciences.
  • Top 201-300 for the study of Earth Sciences; Ecology; Geography; and Law.
  • Among the top 301-400 for the study of Mathematics; Atmospheric Science; Chemical Engineering; Computer Science and Engineering; Electrical and Electronic Engineering; Management, Psychology and Business Administration.
  • Among the top 401-500 for the study of Environmental Science and Engineering; Agricultural Sciences; and Public Health. 
  • Top 500 in Agricultural Sciences, Clinical Medicine and Environmental Science
QS

Overall, the 2022 QS World University Ranking placed Memorial in the top 751-800 universities globally. Memorial's subject-specific rankings for 2022 include:

  • Top 51-100 in Petroleum Engineering
  • Top 351-400 for Electrical and Electronic Engineering.
  • Top 501-520 for Mechanical, Aeronautical and Manufacturing.
  • Top 451-500 in Mathematics.
  • Top 501-550 in Medicine.

For more information on university rankings, including Memorial's performance, visit the Centre for Institutional Analysis and Planning's website.  

Alumni

With nearly 100,000 alumni active throughout the world, Memorial’s economic, social and cultural impact is felt far and wide. In addition to generating wealth and prosperity locally and internationally, our alumni proudly volunteer and mentor current students to become leaders of tomorrow. Our ranks of alumni include renowned scholars, Rhodes Scholars, Fortune 500 executives, Juno award-winning musicians, a former chief of defence staff of Canada, a Supreme Court Justice, Olympic gold medalists and notable broadcasters and authors.

Public Engagement

Memorial University encourages and supports collaboration with individuals and groups from the public to develop and execute projects that strengthen the community, advance teaching and learning and uphold Memorial’s mission as a public university. Support is provided through faculties, units and dedicated centres offering programming to help facilitate engagement, as well as with funding and the Public Engagement Framework. Some projects that illustrate the interactions and impacts of Memorial in the community are:

 Interested in learning more? Take a look at the people and stories of Memorial.