HALIFAX--Tuition fees in Nova Scotia are more than double those in Newfoundland and Labrador according to 2011/12 university tuition fee data released today by Statistics Canada."There is no longer any doubt that high tuition fees are forcing young people to leave Nova Scotia" said Maxime Audet, Chairperson of the Canadian Federation of Students-Nova Scotia. "Students studying in Newfoundland and Labrador get a high quality education for half the price of a university degree in Nova Scotia."A report by researchers at Memorial University, Matriculating Eastward: Maritime Student Migration to Newfoundland and Labrador, found that the number of Nova Scotians studying at the Memorial University of Newfoundland has increased by 1,079% since 1999. According to the report "total cost" was the most influential factor for Maritimes students who chose to attend university in Newfoundland and Labrador.In 2011, the Nova Scotia government lifted a three-year tuition fee freeze, cutting funding to universities by 4%, while increasing tuition fees by 3%. The government is currently in the process of negotiating a Memorandum of Understanding with university presidents that will set funding and tuition fee levels for years to come."The negotiation of a new Memorandum of Understanding provides an opportunity for the government to protect Nova Scotia students and their families," said Gabe Hoogers, Nova Scotia Representative of the Canadian Federation of Students. "Newfoundland and Labrador has done the right thing by reducing and freezing tuition fees and it is time for Nova Scotia to follow suit."According to Statistics Canada average undergraduate tuition fees in Nova Scotia are currently $ 5,731, $365 dollars more than the national average of $5, 366. Students in Newfoundland and Labrador pay $2,649.