Increases in tuition at MUN are being met with predictable criticism.

Starting in the fall of 2022, a year’s tuition for any new domestic student will cost $6,000 — up from just over $2,500.

Students already enrolled now, or this coming fall, will instead see 4 percent increases every year until 2026.

The cost for international students will more than double, to $22,000.

MUN President Vianne Timmons says the university is bracing for a 20 percent fall-off in enrolment due to the increases.

That doesn’t sit well with this international student from Sri Lanka.

He says that 20 percent amounts to almost 4,000 people who won’t be able to attend the university, adding there’s too much focus on the bigger picture instead of the individual students affected.

The tuition increases mark the first of their kind dating back to the freeze imposed about 20 years ago.

Meanwhile, the province immediately announced changes to its student grants and loan systems to help offset some of the increases.

MUN says it was forced to act following a government rollback of almost $70 million in funding for the university over the next five years.