A rally against proposed tuition hikes at Memorial University left Harbourside Park in downtown St. John’s this afternoon to march through the Pedestrian Mall.

Last week, Memorial University announced that tuition will increase after the provincial government began the process of phasing out tuition offsets that maintained the tuition freeze, which has been in place for more than 20 years.

Chair of the Canadian Federation of Students NL, Katherine McLaughlin, says the doubling of tuition will result in lower enrollment and put students and families in greater hardship.

For middle and low-income families, lower tuition was the opportunity to pursue post-secondary education. Meanwhile, those who have been contributing to savings plans are suddenly finding out that the money they have put aside is not enough.

Tuition rates for international students are even higher, leading to added concerns about the impact on enrollment and immigration.

The students united will never be defeated #EducationForAll #Solidarity pic.twitter.com/j9SBzuNkXa

— Alyse Stuart (@alyse_stuart) July 17, 2021