Bachelor's Degree in Malta for African Students

What a bachelor’s degree in Malta looks like

The qualification is the Bachelor / Bachelor (Honours). It runs 3 to 4 years — six to eight semesters — and carries 180 ECTS, the credit system used across the European Union. Malta is an EU member state inside Schengen, so European employers and graduate schools read the degree without conversion.

Teaching starts in October, February: October is the main intake, February the smaller one, and not every programme runs it. Malta recognises 8 higher-education institutions, a short list by European standards.

Language is the part that matters most for an African applicant, and it is the simple part. Malta’s languages are English, Maltese, and higher education runs in English throughout. The University of Malta, MCAST, the American University of Malta, GBSB, Global College Malta and Queen Mary’s Malta campus teach their whole bachelor’s catalogue in English; the Institute of Tourism Studies lists 3 programmes and St Martin’s 9. There is no language year to sit and no second language to learn before you start.

Can you enter with WASSCE, KCSE, NSC or the Bac?

It depends which certificate you hold. Malta divides the eight origin countries in two. Split. Direct entry: Zimbabwe (ZIMSEC GCE Advanced Level, overall average grade C or better plus passes in a language other than English, a humanistic subject and a science subject, preferably Mathematics) and Uganda (UACE, overall average grade 3 or better, same subject spread). Foundation year required: Nigeria (WASSCE from 1999), Ghana (WASSCE from 2006), Kenya (KCSE), South Africa (NSC / IEB NSC), Zambia (School Certificate / GCE), Egypt (Certificate of General Secondary Education or Al-Azhar Secondary Certificate) and Morocco (Attestation du Baccalaureat) — UM states 'we offer pathway programmes to help develop the skills you need to pursue an undergraduate course at UM'. Recognition body for qualifications generally is MQRIC at MFHEA. English is satisfied by WASSCE English C5 or better (Nigeria, Ghana), KCSE English C or better (Kenya), NSC English mark 4 (50%) or better (South Africa), O/A-Level English grade C or better (Zimbabwe); Egypt, Morocco and Zambia holders need a Secure English Language Test.

The foundation year is not a language course — it is a full academic year that makes your certificate comparable to the Maltese Matriculation Certificate. The route is the Certificate in Foundation Studies (University of Malta, International School for Foundation Studies): 12 months at €6,600–16,000 per programme, the lower figure for humanities, business, engineering and ICT, science and health sciences, the higher for medical and dental sciences. Entry is at the School’s discretion.

Recognition is handled by MQRIC (€10 already on database / €20 Maltese qualification / €50 foreign qualification + €2 postage); an apostille is required (yes), an APS certificate is not (no). The private institutions publish no grade tables and assess WASSCE case by case; Queen Mary’s Malta campus does not accept it as a stand-alone qualification. Our Malta foundation year page covers the streams, and studying in Malta from Nigeria the documents.

How much a bachelor’s costs in Malta

Two price levels, and the public one is not the cheaper. The University of Malta charges non-EU undergraduates €8,500–10,800 per year — the lower rate for arts and business, the higher for science. Private institutions span €5,750–19,500 per year: Global College Malta €6,100 per year, St Martin’s €6,696 per year plus a one-off visa administration fee, GBSB €6,900 per year and the American University of Malta €8,000–9,000 per year. The Institute of Tourism Studies bills by semester at €3,950 per semester; MCAST prices the whole course at €19,500–26,000 per programme.

Then the small lines: living costs of €950–1,600 per month — €1,360–1,630 per month near the University of Malta’s Msida campus, €900–1,200 per month in Kalkara — health cover at €150–400 per year, the visa at €100–150 and the permit at €50. Budget one tuition line plus twelve months of living costs per year, and check you can fund all three or four years, not just the first. The breakdown is on our cost of studying in Malta page.

English requirements for a bachelor’s

The national floor at bachelor’s level is IELTS 6; each institution sets its own band around it. St Martin’s asks 5; Global College Malta, the Institute of Tourism Studies and MCAST ask 5.5; the University of Malta, GBSB and the American University of Malta ask 6; Queen Mary’s Malta campus asks 7. TOEFL iBT equivalents are 80 at the University of Malta, 87 at MCAST.

School-certificate English replaces the test for some origins at the grades listed above; Egypt, Morocco and Zambia holders need a Secure English Language Test. The University of Malta grants no nationality-based exemption to any of the eight origin countries, so “we were taught in English at home” is not on its own an answer. The visa authority runs no language test of its own; alternatives are on our study in Malta without IELTS page.

Universities to look at for a bachelor’s

University of Malta, Msida. The national university, founded 1592 and ranked #696 (QS 2027), teaching in English at €8,500–10,800 per year. WASSCE, KCSE and NSC holders reach it through the foundation year.

MCAST, Paola. The public vocational college, ranked 701–900 (QS 2026) with 8,905 students. Bachelor’s courses are priced whole at €19,500–26,000 per programme, IELTS 5.5.

GBSB Global Business School, Birkirkara. Business only and almost entirely international — 98 per cent of its 358 students — at €6,900 per year, IELTS 6.

Global College Malta, SmartCity, Kalkara. The cheapest verified bachelor’s fee on the island at €6,100 per year, IELTS 5.5, on a campus in one of the cheaper rental areas.

St Martin’s Institute of Higher Education, Ħamrun. 9 English-taught bachelor’s programmes at €6,696 per year and the lowest English bar here, IELTS 5.

American University of Malta, Cospicua. A US-style campus at €8,000–9,000 per year plus €100–200 per semester, IELTS 6, WASSCE assessed case by case.

Institute of Tourism Studies, Luqa. Hospitality, culinary arts and diving safety management, billed at €3,950 per semester, IELTS 5.5. It is Malta’s public tourism institute rather than a private college.

Queen Mary University of London, Malta Campus, Victoria, Gozo. Medicine only, ranked #103 (QS 2027) at €39,500 per year, IELTS 7. Profiles of all 8 institutions are on our universities in Malta page.

How to apply for a bachelor’s in Malta

1. Check which group your certificate is in first. ZIMSEC A-Level and UACE holders apply into year one; WASSCE, KCSE, NSC, Zambian, Egyptian and Moroccan certificate holders apply to the foundation year.
2. Have the certificate recognised and apostilled. MQRIC issues the comparability statement; apostille the documents at home first.
3. Apply direct. Direct application to each institution; Malta has no national undergraduate clearing house. At the University of Malta applications are filed online through the UM applications system (esims.um.edu.mt), selecting 'Overseas Qualifications'.
4. Work to the visa deadline, not the late one. It is 1 July 2026, 14:00 (confirmed, Oct 2026 intake; 2027/28 date not yet published); the later general deadline is for applicants who need no visa.
5. Prove English. Submit the test at the band your institution asks, or the school-certificate grade where your origin allows it.
6. Accept the offer and read the admission letter. It must state the course, level and start date; a letter missing those is a listed refusal ground.
7. Show the money and file the visa. Funds are €746–950 per month, evidenced by Bank statements (last 3 months) / sponsor bank statement + signed declaration letter. The National long-stay (D) visa goes through VFS Global, costs €100–150 and takes 3 to 9 weeks, biometrics included (yes). File at least nine weeks before the start.
8. Finish the paperwork after landing. The residence permit costs €50, TB screening is post-arrival, and the rule is a Chest X-ray within 4 weeks of arrival. More is on our Malta student visa page.

After the bachelor’s: master’s or work?

Decide this before you enrol, because the window is short. The Graduate seeking-employment/business permit runs 9 months after a bachelor’s and costs €27.50. It is non-renewable: nine months to find an employer or start a business, and no second attempt. Converting it into a work permit is a separate employer-led application with its own fee, and a Jobsplus employment licence is needed to work at all (yes). The other route is a master’s, 90 ECTS over 1.5 to 2 years at €10,800–13,400 per year publicly, which buys another 9 months afterwards. Our master’s in Malta page covers entry with an African bachelor’s.