How to Apply to University and College in Newfoundland and Labrador: Steps, Deadlines and Requirements

No central application centre

Unlike Ontario's OUAC or British Columbia's EducationPlannerBC, Newfoundland and Labrador does not run a shared application portal for its post-secondary institutions. You apply to Memorial University and College of the North Atlantic separately, each through its own online application system. If you plan to apply to both, expect two separate accounts, two application fees, and two sets of required documents.

Applying to Memorial University

Memorial's application process runs through a portal at apply.mun.ca . The steps are the same for every undergraduate applicant. Pick your program and campus, since Memorial offers more than 300 program and campus combinations across St. John's, Grenfell Campus, the Marine Institute and the Labrador Campus. Check the deadline for your entry term. Confirm you meet the admission requirements for the program. Create an account and complete the online application. Pay the application fee by Visa or Mastercard, since debit cards are not accepted. Then wait for an offer.

Memorial states that offers typically arrive within 10 business days of the university receiving all required documents, so a slow document upload delays your decision more than the application itself does.

A shortcut for NL high school students

If you graduated or are graduating from an NL Grade 12 program, Memorial pulls your academic record automatically from the Department of Education. You do not need to request or upload a transcript yourself. This does not apply if you completed high school outside Newfoundland and Labrador, wrote a GED, or studied through CEGEP or another provincial system. In those cases you still submit your own transcripts through the application portal.

Memorial's key deadlines for fall entry

Memorial publishes deadlines on its admission deadlines page for every entry term. For fall entry, three dates matter most.

Memorial also admits students for winter and spring semesters, each with its own deadline set on the same admission deadlines page. Applying earlier than the priority deadline gives you more time for academic advising, transfer credit assessment and course registration before classes start.

Applying to College of the North Atlantic

CNA applications run through the college's own application system, reachable from its main site . Program intakes and deadlines vary by campus and by program, since CNA runs 17 campuses across the province with staggered start dates for trades, health and technology programs. Check the specific program page for the campus you want, since a program offered in Corner Brook may open at a different time than the same program in St. John's or Stephenville.

What you need before you start

Have your NL Grade 12 course list or out-of-province transcript ready, along with any prerequisite courses your target program lists. Confirm your program's specific entry requirements on the Memorial or CNA program page, since requirements vary by faculty and by diploma stream and are not the same across every program. Set aside funds for the application fee, and check whether your program needs supplementary material such as a portfolio or reference, which some Memorial fine arts and education programs require in addition to the standard application.

Applying as a transfer or mature student

If you already hold college or university credit, whether from CNA, another Canadian institution or abroad, apply through the same portal and flag your prior study so Memorial or CNA can assess it for transfer credit. Memorial's transfer guide process reviews your prior courses against equivalent Memorial courses, and an official evaluation usually follows your admission offer rather than happening before it. Mature applicants without a standard Grade 12 record can apply through a mature student route at both institutions, which weighs work experience and other coursework instead of a recent high school transcript. Check the specific mature student policy on your target program's page, since age and experience thresholds vary.

After you accept an offer

Accepting an offer is not the end of the process. You still need to confirm your spot, often with a deposit, register for specific courses once registration opens for your term, and arrange residence if you plan to live on campus, since residence spots at Memorial's St. John's campus fill up ahead of the fall semester. Set a personal checklist that covers course registration, residence or housing, health insurance enrollment, and your student aid application, since these run on separate timelines and none of them happen automatically just because you accepted your offer.

Application costs to budget for

Beyond the one-time application fee, budget for a possible confirmation deposit once you accept your offer, and for the cost of getting any out-of-province or international transcripts sent officially to Memorial or CNA. These are separate from tuition and mandatory fees, which only apply once you are enrolled and registered in courses.