How Much Does It Cost to Study in Malta?

So Malta is English-taught and EU, but it is not free. Below: every figure in euros and Naira, University of Malta vs MCAST vs private colleges, living costs, the two-stage funds trap, the cheapest routes, and how to fund it all.

The real cost of studying in Malta (summary)

Here is the first-year picture for a non-EU African student at the University of Malta (UM), the safest and best-value pathway. Naira figures use €1 = ₦1,575 (mid-market, as of June 2026; the rate is volatile).

Cost item	EUR	≈ Naira (₦)	Notes
Tuition — BA arts/business	€8,500/yr	₦13.29M/yr	UM official non-EU rate (SL 327.177)
Tuition — BA science	€10,800/yr	₦16.88M/yr	Excludes Medicine/Dental
Tuition — MA taught	€10,800–13,400/yr	₦16.88M–20.94M/yr	Arts/business vs science
Living costs (sharing)	~€1,400–1,600/mo	₦2.19M–2.50M/mo	UM’s own realistic estimate
Health insurance	~€180–600/yr	₦281,000–938,000/yr	UM students exempt at permit stage; needed for visa
Student D-visa fee	€100	₦156,300	One-off
e-Residence permit fee	€50	₦78,150	One-off, after arrival

Indicative first-year total for a BA arts/business student: tuition €8,500 + living ~€14,400 + visa €100 + permit €50 + insurance ~€250 ≈ €23,300 (≈ ₦36.7M), excluding flights. That is more than tuition-free Germany, but still far below the UK or US — and the whole degree is taught in English.

Want the full picture beyond cost? Start at our study in Malta hub and the Malta student visa guide.

University of Malta tuition (BA vs MA)

The University of Malta is the country’s only globally ranked university (QS World 2026 band 741–750) and the primary route for African students. Its non-EU/third-country tuition is set in Subsidiary Legislation 327.177. EU students pay heavily subsidised rates — these figures are for third-country nationals, which includes all African origins.

Programme	EUR/year	≈ Naira (₦)/year
BA — arts-based & business	€8,500	₦13.29M
BA — science-based	€10,800	₦16.88M
MA — arts/business (taught)	€10,800	₦16.88M
MA — science (taught)	€13,400	₦20.94M
Executive MBA	€14,400	₦22.51M
Doctor of Medicine & Surgery (MD)	€26,000	₦40.64M
Bachelor of Dental Surgery	€24,000	₦37.51M
PhD / Doctoral	€11,000	₦17.19M
Foundation Studies (non-EU)	€6,600	₦10.32M

Source: University of Malta tuition schedule (SL 327.177).

Two honest warnings:

• These rates were fixed for AY 2016/17 and remain in force unless replaced — but individual course pages may show updated figures. Always confirm the fee on your specific course page before you apply. Treat as volatile.
• A figure of “€1,080–1,360 per semester” circulates on agency sites. That is the EU/EEA part-time evening rate — not the third-country fee. Don’t let anyone quote it to you as your cost.

For the full course and field breakdown, see our universities in Malta guide.

MCAST and the public alternatives

The University of Malta is not the only public, degree-awarding body:

• MCAST (Malta College of Arts, Science & Technology) — applied science, engineering, ICT, business and creative arts up to master’s level (MQF 7), taught in English.
• ITS (Institute of Tourism Studies) — tourism, hospitality and culinary programmes up to MQF 5.

Both are public and licensed self-accrediting institutions, which makes them low visa-risk. Their published non-EU tuition is not available in a single official schedule the way UM’s is — you must confirm the fee with the MCAST or ITS admissions office for your exact course before quoting a number. We don’t guess at figures we can’t verify.

Private colleges — proceed with care

Malta has many MFHEA-licensed private and foreign-branch colleges — American University of Malta, GBSB Global, Global College Malta, St Martin’s Institute, the Queen Mary (Barts) medical school in Gozo, and others. Private fees are often €6,000–12,000/year, but most institutions’ fee pages are not machine-readable or not officially confirmable, so confirm the figure directly with each admissions office before relying on it.

Two honesty points before you choose a private college:

• Pick MFHEA-licensed institutions only. Malta has tightened scrutiny of bogus colleges and student-visa abuse. The safest providers are the public ones (UM, MCAST, ITS) or properly licensed private HEIs.
• “University” is a protected status in Malta. Most private providers are licensed as “Higher Education Institutions”, not universities. That is legal and fine — but don’t pay extra believing you’re buying a ranked “university” degree.

For most African applicants, the University of Malta is the best-value, lowest-risk pathway.

Living costs in Malta (EUR + ₦)

The University of Malta publishes a realistic monthly budget. It is higher than the minimum the visa requires — UM warns students not to plan to the visa minimum. Here is the official breakdown for a student sharing accommodation.

Expense	EUR/month	≈ Naira (₦)/month
Shared accommodation (2–3 sharing)	€550–700	₦859,650–1.09M
Food & beverages	€450	₦703,350
Electricity / water	€50	₦78,150
Mobile / Wi-Fi	€30	₦46,890
Laundry	€80–100	₦125,040–156,300
Other (toiletries, stationery)	€200–300	₦312,600–468,900
Public transport	Free	₦0 (e-Residence permit holders)
Indicative total (sharing)	~€1,400–1,600	~₦2.19M–2.50M

Source: University of Malta living costs. A single apartment runs €800–1,600/month instead of a shared room, which pushes the total much higher. Capital and coastal areas (Sliema, Gżira, St Julian’s, Valletta) are dearest; inland towns are cheaper. One genuine saving: public transport is free for e-Residence permit holders.

The two-stage proof-of-funds rule (read this carefully)

This is the figure most agency blogs get wrong. Malta checks your money twice, at two different amounts, at two different stages:

• Stage 1 — entry D-visa: you must show a bank statement and certificate proving at least 75% of the national minimum wage for every month of study — about €746/month at the 2026 minimum wage (≈ ₦1.17M/month). This figure is minimum-wage-linked and changes annually, so confirm it before applying.
• Stage 2 — e-Residence permit (after you arrive): you must show at least €950 for each month of stay, excluding tuition — about ₦1.485M/month, or roughly €11,400/year (≈ ₦17.82M).

The two figures differ because they apply at different points: the lower one gets you the visa to enter; the higher one is checked when you register your residence in Malta. Plan to the €950/month figure so the residence-permit stage doesn’t catch you short.

Honest note: UM states plainly that even €950/month is not enough to actually live on comfortably — the realistic budget above (~€1,400–1,600/month) is what you should fund. The proof-of-funds figure is a legal minimum, not a living budget. We walk through both stages in our Malta student visa guide. Source: Identità Central Visa Unit checklist and University of Malta visas.

Health insurance — also two-stage

Insurance, like funds, is checked twice:

• Entry D-visa: Schengen-valid medical and travel cover of at least €30,000, valid for the study purpose.
• Residence permit: University of Malta, MCAST and ITS students are exempt from the private health-insurance requirement. Private-college students must hold cover of €100,000 for the whole stay.

Typical student health policies cost about €180–250/year for UM-partnered plans, or €300–600/year through Maltese insurers (estimates — confirm before quoting). A chest X-ray (TB screening) is also required within four weeks of arrival for students from high-risk TB countries, which includes most African origins. Source: Identità healthcare-insurance rules.

The cheapest way to study in Malta

There is no tuition-free route in Malta the way there is in Germany — but you can keep costs down:

• Choose a BA arts or business degree (€8,500/yr) over a science degree (€10,800/yr) if your field allows. Avoid Medicine (€26,000/yr) and Dental Surgery unless that is your career.
• Share accommodation (2–3 students) at €550–700/month rather than a single apartment at €800–1,600. This is the single biggest saving.
• Live inland, not in Sliema, Gżira or St Julian’s. Coastal towns carry a premium.
• Use the free public transport that comes with the e-Residence permit.
• Apply to the University of Malta or MCAST (public) rather than a private college — lower fees in most cases, plus the residence-permit health-insurance exemption and the lowest visa risk.

A realistic “cheap” first year is therefore a BA arts/business at UM, sharing accommodation inland — roughly €23,000 (≈ ₦36M) all-in, excluding flights. That is the honest floor, not a discounted promise.

How to cover the cost — scholarships & part-time work

Malta is harder to fund than some destinations, so be realistic about where the money comes from:

• Scholarships are limited for fresh applicants. Malta’s flagship government scheme, Endeavour II, requires foreign nationals to already hold a permanent residence permit — so it is not open to students applying from abroad. The University of Malta’s own scholarships are research master’s and PhD only — there is no broad taught-degree international scholarship. For most African applicants, funding comes from family sponsorship or self-funding. Browse genuine options on our scholarships page rather than relying on Malta-only awards.
• Part-time work — only after you arrive. Non-EU students can work up to 20 hours/week, but only after the e-Residence permit is issued, via Jobsplus. At Malta’s 2026 minimum wage of about €5.74/hour, 20 hours/week is roughly €460/month before tax — a useful top-up, not a tuition fund.
• Family sponsorship satisfies the proof-of-funds rule: a sponsor’s three-month bank statement plus a signed declaration and ID can stand in for your own funds at both stages.

Honest note: part-time work cannot be your funding plan. Your savings or sponsor’s funds must prove out on their own, twice, before work is even allowed.

How we help

World Study helps African students choose genuinely affordable, MFHEA-licensed Malta institutions (not bogus colleges), plan for the two-stage funds rule so neither stage trips you up, and prepare a clean visa and residence-permit file — with real costs in Naira and no inflated promises. Our core guidance is free; you pay only for optional premium visa support.

Talk to an advisor on WhatsApp or take the free 2-minute eligibility check → to see whether Malta fits your budget.