Universities in Malta for International Students

Below: how to choose a Maltese institution, the public universities and licensed private colleges with their type and fees, the all-English instruction, the entry requirements from African qualifications (no APS — Malta uses MQRIC, not Germany’s system), and exactly how to apply.

Choosing a university in Malta

Malta is small, and so is its higher-education sector. There is no genuine “top 10–15 universities” here — be wary of any list that pretends otherwise. The honest picture:

• One ranked university. The University of Malta (UM) is the national flagship and the only Maltese institution with a global ranking (QS World University Rankings 2026: band 741–750 — its best-ever, up from 801–1000 in 2021). It is public, comprehensive, and where most African applicants will look first.
• Two other public, degree-awarding bodies. MCAST (applied science, engineering, ICT, business, creative arts, to MQF level 7) and the Institute of Tourism Studies (ITS) (tourism, hospitality, culinary, to MQF level 5) are public and well-regarded for vocational and applied fields.
• Licensed private institutions. A number of smaller private and foreign-affiliated colleges operate too — but only enrol at one that is on the MFHEA register. Malta has tightened scrutiny of bogus colleges and student-visa abuse, so the safest providers are the public ones (UM, MCAST, ITS) or properly MFHEA-licensed private HEIs.
• “University” is a protected status. Under Maltese law (SL 607.03, art. 47(1)), the title “University” is granted only if strict MFHEA criteria are met; most private providers are licensed as “Higher Education Institutions” (HEIs), not universities. That is a legal distinction, not a quality judgment — but it tells you what you are actually signing up for.

For the full money picture — tuition, the two-stage proof of funds and living costs in your local currency — see our guide to the cost of studying in Malta.

University of Malta, MCAST and licensed private colleges

The table below covers the public institutions plus a sample of licensed private colleges. Verify every private college against the live MFHEA register before applying or paying anything — and treat every private fee as indicative only.

The fee rule in one line: UM’s official non-EU tuition runs roughly €8,500–€13,400/year for most taught degrees, with Medicine (MD €26,000) and Dental Surgery far higher. UM’s figures come from Subsidiary Legislation 327.177 — individual course pages may show updated figures, so verify per course. Private-college fees were not confirmable from official institutional pages at the time of research; confirm each one by email or on the college’s own fee page before quoting.

“English instruction = Yes” reflects that English is the standard medium across Maltese institutions — not a special EMI track. The real hurdle for African applicants is the English-test (SELT) requirement, not the language of teaching (see below).

All-English instruction

This is Malta’s biggest advantage over countries like Germany. English is one of Malta’s two official languages and the University of Malta’s language of instruction — so:

• Bachelor’s: effectively all UM undergraduate degrees are taught in English. English is the default, not a special track.
• Master’s: effectively all UM taught master’s programmes are in English.

UM does not publish a separate “English-taught” count because English is the medium for virtually all courses — you simply browse the course catalogue per level. Strong fields include Medicine & Surgery, Dental Surgery, Health Sciences, ICT/AI, Engineering, Business (FEMA), Law, and Arts, with Tourism and Hospitality via ITS.

Where English is not enough. A few programmes have Maltese-language elements — typically those with Maltese-law components, local teacher-training, or clinical placements that involve dealing with local patients. These are the exceptions; most African applicants will not hit them, but check the language requirements on your specific course page.

The English-test catch. Even though teaching is in English, UM does not grant an automatic English-test (SELT) waiver to any of the six African origin countries we cover. UM’s nationality-based exemption list covers only named English-speaking countries (such as the UK, Ireland, USA and Canada) — Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Zambia and South Africa are not on it. This corrects the common agency claim that anglophone Africans are auto-exempt. In practice you will usually need:

• Bachelor’s: typically IELTS 6.0 overall, an accepted equivalent (TOEFL, PTE, Cambridge or Trinity), or UM’s on-campus ISET band 5.
• Master’s/Doctoral: typically IELTS 6.5 overall, an accepted equivalent, or ISET band 6.

A qualification-based waiver is possible for any nationality if you hold a recognised English pass such as UK GCE/GCSE English, MATSEC English, or IB English — so students from Cambridge-system schools (common in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Ghana) may qualify without sitting a fresh test (check the grade thresholds on UM’s admissions pages). IELTS/TOEFL results are valid for two years from course start.

Entry requirements for African students

To study in Malta you need a recognised entrance qualification, and what counts depends on your level and your home certificate.

For a bachelor’s: UM requires its Matriculation Certificate or a recognised equivalent, plus the subject requirements for your course. International qualifications are assessed for equivalence on a per-case basis. Many African school-leaving certificates (WASSCE/NECO, KCSE, ZIMSEC, NSC and similar) do not automatically meet matriculation on their own — equivalence is decided per case by UM Admissions and MQRIC. Where your certificate falls short, the route is UM’s Foundation Studies Course (MQF 4) — a roughly one-year bridge, non-EU fee around €6,600/year — after which you progress to the degree.

For a master’s: a recognised bachelor’s degree (MQF 6) in a relevant field, and some programmes set a minimum classification. Thresholds are programme-specific, so check each course page.

No APS for Malta. This is worth clearing up because students who have researched Germany often assume every European country runs the same check. Germany’s APS (Akademische Prüfstelle) does not apply to Malta. Credential recognition runs through MQRIC — the Malta Qualifications Recognition Information Centre, within MFHEA, which is Malta’s ENIC-NARIC office. You:

• Apply via the MFHEA online system only (no email or in-person route); a fast-track option exists.
• Submit your final certificate, official transcript, and a certified English or Maltese translation if your documents are not already in English or Maltese.
• Pay a modest recognition fee (roughly €15–€65 depending on whether your qualification is already on the database or needs a new assessment), plus minor posting/admin charges — confirm the current rate on the MFHEA site.

The MQF mapping to keep in mind: Bachelor = MQF 6, Master = MQF 7, PhD = MQF 8, Foundation Certificate = MQF 4. Don’t pay anyone for an “APS certificate” for Malta — it does not exist here.

Tuition and fees

For the University of Malta, the official non-EU annual fees are:

• Bachelor’s: €8,500 (arts/business) or €10,800 (science, excl. Medicine/Dental).
• Master’s (taught): €10,800 (arts/business, excl. Executive MBA) or €13,400 (science, excl. Master of Dental Surgery).
• Higher-cost programmes: Doctor of Medicine & Surgery €26,000, PhD €11,000, Foundation Studies €6,600; Bachelor/Master of Dental Surgery are also higher (confirm the current Dental rate on UM’s fee schedule).
• Part-time non-EU: roughly half the full-time annual fee (confirm per course).

A figure circulating on aggregator sites of “€1,080–1,360 per semester” is the EU/EEA part-time evening rate — not the third-country fee. Do not let anyone quote it to you as the international price.

Private-college fees vary widely (often in the €6,000–€12,000/year range from secondary sources, with some — AUM is reportedly around €5,000 — lower) but were not confirmable from official pages — confirm with each college directly. For most African applicants, the public University of Malta is the primary, best-value and lowest-visa-risk pathway.

For the complete first-year breakdown — tuition, the two-stage proof of funds (about €746/month for the entry visa and €950/month for the residence permit), living costs and health insurance, all in your local currency — see our cost of studying in Malta guide. The visa and residence-permit side is covered on our Malta student visa page.

How to apply

Malta has no UCAS-style central clearinghouse — you apply to each institution directly. For the University of Malta:

1. Get your credentials recognised. Run your foreign qualification through MQRIC via the MFHEA online system, and confirm with UM Admissions that it meets matriculation (bachelor’s) or counts as a relevant MQF 6 degree (master’s).
2. Apply online via UM eSIMS. Applications open from the previous November. Submit your school certificate or degree and transcripts, plus your programme’s subject requirements.
3. Submit your English proof. Provide an accepted SELT (IELTS/TOEFL/PTE/Cambridge/Trinity) or sit UM’s ISET — unless you qualify for a GCE/GCSE/MATSEC/IB exemption.
4. Watch the non-EU deadlines. For the October 2026 intake, the non-EU visa-applicant deadline is 1 July 2026 — earlier than the general deadline. UM’s main intake is October, with a smaller February intake; high-demand programmes such as Medicine (MD) for overseas qualifications close much earlier, so check your specific course deadline well ahead.
5. Accept and pay, then secure accommodation early (UM’s Campus Hub Residence avoids some of the paperwork that can delay your residence permit).
6. Apply for the student visa. Submit the National Long-Stay “D” visa at a VFS centre at least 9 weeks before your course start. After arrival, apply for the e-Residence permit through Identità within your first 90 days. Full detail is on our Malta student visa page.

A note on agents. The UM application is yours to submit directly through eSIMS, and MQRIC recognition runs only through the official MFHEA system. Be wary of anyone who claims a “special channel” or sells you an “APS” — there is no shortcut, and we help you submit cleanly rather than pretend to bypass the system.

Scholarships

Be realistic about funding for Malta. The country’s flagship government scheme, Endeavour II, requires foreign nationals to already hold a permanent residence permit — so it is not open to fresh applicants from abroad. UM’s own institutional scholarships are concentrated at research level (Master-by-Research and PhD) rather than taught degrees — there is no broad taught-degree international scholarship. For most African applicants the realistic routes are home-country sponsorship or self-funding.

For the wider picture across destinations, see our scholarships hub.

How we help

World Study helps African students choose the right Maltese institution (verified against the MFHEA register), run the MQRIC credential check correctly, prepare a clean UM eSIMS application, and get the student visa — honestly, with real costs and no inflated promises. Our core guidance is free; you only pay if you choose our optional premium visa-and-relocation support.

Talk to a World Study advisor on WhatsApp or take the free 2-minute eligibility check → to see which universities in Malta you qualify for.