Study in Malta from Nigeria
Malta teaches in English, but your WASSCE does not give direct entry: the University of Malta puts Nigerian applicants through its Certificate in Foundation Studies first. Public tuition then runs €8,500–10,800 per year, and the study visa is lodged in Lagos for €200. The catch is money: funds of €746–950 per month are checked twice.
Is Malta a good choice from Nigeria?
Malta is an EU and Schengen country whose languages are English and Maltese, and almost every degree is taught in English, so no language year stands between you and first year. It is small: 8 recognised institutions, and 502 African students among 8,252 international students in 2023/24. Public tuition at the University of Malta is €8,500–10,800 per year for a bachelor’s; the private colleges open lower, from €5,750–19,500 per year.
Living costs are what applicants underestimate on an island that imports most of what it sells: €950–1,600 per month. The catch is time, not admission: your certificate buys a foundation year rather than a first-year place, so a bachelor’s costs you an extra year of fees and rent. The Malta study guide has the national picture.
Entry with the WASSCE/NECO
The University of Malta does not admit WASSCE / NECO SSCE / NABTEB holders straight into a bachelor’s. You take the Certificate in Foundation Studies first, 12 months at €6,600–16,000 per programme, which then admits you to a UM course in the matching subject area; its medical and dental stream secures a place in Medicine and Surgery for students who pass it, billed within €26,000–39,500 per year.
Queen Mary University of London’s Malta campus does not accept the WASSCE as a stand-alone qualification at all. MCAST and the Institute of Tourism Studies publish no grade table: each certificate is compared individually by MQRIC at MFHEA. English is the part that works for you: WASSCE English at C5 or better meets UM’s requirement, against floors of IELTS 6 for a bachelor’s and 6.5 for a master’s. Compare universities in Malta.
The student visa from Nigeria
Nigerian files go to VFS Global in Lekki Phase I, Lagos, which acts for Malta’s Central Visa Unit. The old Honorary Consulate route is superseded. You apply for the National long-stay (D) visa, and the counter price is €200, the government fee plus the VFS service fee. Identità quotes 6–8 weeks, so lodge as soon as the acceptance letter and fee receipt exist.
Biometrics are taken at the centre, and the medical happens after arrival: a chest X-ray within four weeks. Entry insurance must cover at least €30,000. Malta’s rule assumes an apostille and Nigeria issues none, so certificates go through Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs authentication instead. Read the Malta student visa requirements and the proof of funds rules.
Money: what a first year costs
Everything is billed in euro. The foundation year costs €6,600–16,000 per programme; the bachelor’s that follows is €8,500–10,800 per year at the University of Malta or from €5,750–19,500 per year privately, and a master’s is €10,800–13,400 per year.
Add living costs of €950–1,600 per month, health cover at €150–400 per year, the visa at €200 and the residence permit at €50 after arrival. Malta funds no national scholarship of its own: the single scheme on file for the country is Erasmus Mundus, and Nigerian nationals are eligible. See study costs in Malta and scholarships for Nigerian students.
From Nigeria to Malta: key facts
| Where to apply | VFS Global, Lagos |
|---|---|
| Who takes the application | VFS Global |
| Apply without leaving Nigeria | Yes |
| Visa or permit fee | €200 |
| Processing time (national guide) | 3–9 weeks |
| Refusal rate | Not published |
| School certificate | WASSCE / NECO SSCE / NABTEB |
| Certifying documents | Consular legalisation — no apostille |
| TB test | Screening after arrival |
| Scholarships open to Nigerian nationals | Erasmus Mundus |
| Nigerian students in Malta | 453 (2023) |
Last verified 2026-09-09 against official sources (home-affairs.ec.europa.eu · identita.gov.mt).
What works in your favour
- Teaching is in English and WASSCE English at C5 or better satisfies the University of Malta, so the IELTS floors of 6 and 6.5 need not apply to you.
- Private colleges undercut the public rate: €5,750–19,500 per year against €8,500–10,800 per year at UM.
- You may work part-time from the first year of a recognised full-time course, once Jobsplus issues the employment licence you need.
- Graduates may stay on the Graduate seeking-employment/business permit for 9 months, at €27.50.
- The file is handled in Lagos in 6–8 weeks, with no third-country trip and no separate visa-authority language test.
The honest downsides
- The foundation year adds 12 months and €6,600–16,000 per programme before the degree starts.
- Funds are tested twice at €746–950 per month, and unverifiable funds is the first refusal ground Identità lists.
- Malta publishes no study-visa refusal rate for Nigeria, so there is no benchmark for your odds. Any agent quoting a success rate invented it.
- Living costs of €950–1,600 per month sit on a small island rental market.
- The main intake is October, with February for some programmes; the University of Malta’s cut-off for October 2026 was 1 July, and the 2027/28 date is not yet published, so a late decision costs a year.
Our core guidance is free, funded by university commission. For Malta that means telling you whether your WASSCE or NECO means a foundation year or whether a private college will assess you directly, starting the MQRIC comparability statement early, and building the two-stage funds file the way Identità reads it. We vet transcripts, sponsor letters, bank statements and insurance before submission, because incomplete documents are a stated refusal ground. Premium Placement is optional and paid. If anyone promises a guaranteed Malta visa, read [how to spot a fake agent](/spot-a-fake-agent/) first.
How to apply to study in Malta from Nigeria
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Check whether you need the foundation year
The University of Malta requires its Certificate in Foundation Studies before a bachelor's for WASSCE and NECO holders. Private institutions assess the same certificate case by case.
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Order the MQRIC comparability statement
Send your WASSCE, NECO or degree certificate to MQRIC for a comparability statement. A foreign qualification costs €50 plus €2 postage; allow weeks, not days.
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Legalise your documents in Nigeria
Nigeria issues no apostille. Have WAEC or NECO results and degree certificates authenticated through the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs chain before you submit them.
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Apply direct to the institution
Malta has no central portal. Apply online to each institution, selecting Overseas Qualifications at the University of Malta, before the 1 July cut-off at 14:00 for an October start.
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Build the two-stage funds file
Show 746 to €950 a month: three months of bank statements, or a sponsor's statements with a signed declaration. The higher figure applies again at the residence-permit stage.
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Lodge the D visa at VFS Lagos
Book at VFS Global, Lekki Phase I. Pay €200, give biometrics and include insurance of at least €30,000. Processing runs 6 to 8 weeks, so apply well before the course starts.
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Complete the permit and X-ray after arrival
Apply for the residence permit at €50 and take the chest X-ray within four weeks of landing. Check whether your institution requires the higher permit-stage insurance cover.
Frequently asked questions
Budget the foundation year at €6,600–16,000 per programme, then €8,500–10,800 per year at the University of Malta or from €5,750–19,500 per year at a private college. Living costs run €950–1,600 per month, insurance €150–400 per year, the visa €200 and the residence permit €50.
No, and that is the most common mistake in this corridor. The University of Malta requires the Certificate in Foundation Studies first, 12 months long. Queen Mary's Malta campus does not accept the WASSCE as a stand-alone qualification either. Private institutions assess case by case through an MQRIC comparability statement, so a direct offer is possible but never guaranteed.
At VFS Global in Lekki Phase I, Lagos, the extended-services branch acting for Identità Malta. There is no Abuja office. The counter price is €200, covering the government fee and the VFS service fee, and processing is 6–8 weeks. Biometrics are taken at the appointment.
€746–950 per month, tested in two stages: the lower figure for the visa, the higher one excluding tuition for the residence permit after arrival. The evidence accepted is bank statements for the last three months, or a sponsor's bank statement with a signed declaration letter. A sponsor is allowed, provided the statements and the declaration match.
Often not. The University of Malta accepts WASSCE English at C5 or better as proof for undergraduate entry. Where a test is required, the floors are IELTS 6 for a bachelor's and 6.5 for a master's. No Maltese institution grants a blanket exemption by nationality, and the visa unit sets no separate language test.
Erasmus Mundus, which is the only national-level scheme on file for Malta and is open to Nigerian nationals. Malta operates no government scholarship for incoming non-EU students, and the national doctoral scheme requires prior residence in Malta, so it is closed to new arrivals. Fee reductions, where they exist, come from the institution itself.
Yes. Term-time work is up to 20 hours a week from the first year of a full-time recognised degree, and an employment licence from Jobsplus is required. After graduating you may hold the Graduate seeking-employment/business permit for 9 months, non-renewable, at €27.50.
The money threshold rises. Malta's national minimum wage is legislated to increase again in January 2027, and the proof-of-funds floor is pegged to it, so the €746–950 per month on file will be higher for 2027/28 applicants. The exact 2027 amount is not yet published. Plan your bank statements above the current figure, not at it.