Study in Malta from Egypt
You can study in Malta from Egypt in English, but the Thanaweya Amma does not give direct entry to a Maltese bachelor's degree. University of Malta tuition for non-EU students is €8,500–10,800 per year, and you apply for the National long-stay (D) visa at VFS Cairo. Egyptian school-leavers must first pass a foundation year of 12 months.
Is Malta a good choice from Egypt?
Malta teaches in English and Maltese, and the programmes open to international students run in English, so you do not add a language year as you would in Germany or France. Tuition is billed in euro: €8,500–10,800 per year for a non-EU bachelor’s at the University of Malta, €5,750–19,500 per year at the private colleges.
The sector is small — 8 recognised institutions and 8,252 international students in 2023/24, of whom 502 were African. The catch is entry: the University of Malta puts Thanaweya Amma and Al-Azhar Certificate holders on its Foundation Studies pathway before a bachelor’s, which adds a year and a separate fee. Our Malta country guide sets out the rest of the picture.
Entry with the Thanaweya Amma
The University of Malta requires Thanaweya Amma and Al-Azhar Certificate holders to complete its Certificate in Foundation Studies before bachelor’s entry, plus a Secure English Language Test. That year runs 12 months at €6,600–16,000 per programme, and its medical and dental stream secures a place in Medicine and Surgery for students who pass it.
Queen Mary University of London’s Malta campus does not list the Thanaweya Amma among the qualifications it accepts, so you would need A-levels, an International Baccalaureate or an approved foundation programme.
American University of Malta, Global College Malta, GBSB Global Business School and MCAST publish no grade table and assess each file individually, usually against an MQRIC comparability statement. Recognition is a separate cost: an MQRIC statement for a foreign qualification costs €50 plus €2 postage. The English floor is IELTS 6 for a bachelor’s and 6.5 for a master’s, with no exemption for Egyptian applicants.
The student visa from Egypt
You apply at VFS Cairo. The government fee is €100–150 plus a separate VFS service charge, and biometrics are required. Cairo quotes 15 working days, extendable to 30–60 in exceptional cases, while Malta’s published range is 3–9 weeks; submit at least nine weeks before your course starts. Funds are checked twice — €746–950 per month, the lower figure for the visa and the higher one for the residence permit after arrival, excluding tuition.
Prove them with bank statements for the last three months, or a sponsor’s bank statement with a signed declaration letter. Travel cover of at least €30,000 is needed at entry. The tuberculosis check happens after arrival: a chest X-ray within four weeks. Egypt is not a Hague Apostille country, so your certificates go through Ministry of Foreign Affairs ratification and then embassy legalisation in Cairo. See the Malta student visa guide and how to show proof of funds.
Money: what a first year costs
Tuition at the University of Malta is €8,500–10,800 per year for a bachelor’s and €10,800–13,400 per year for a master’s; the foundation year is €6,600–16,000 per programme.
Add living costs of €950–1,600 per month, health cover at €150–400 per year, the visa at €100–150 and the residence permit application at €50. Malta publishes no national scholarship for non-EU students beyond Erasmus Mundus, for which Egyptian nationals are eligible. Individual university bursaries for Egyptian applicants are not published. See Malta scholarships and scholarships for Egyptian students.
From Egypt to Malta: key facts
| Where to apply | VFS Cairo |
|---|---|
| Who takes the application | VFS Global |
| Apply without leaving Egypt | Yes |
| Visa or permit fee | €100–150 |
| Processing time (national guide) | 3–9 weeks |
| Refusal rate | 55.64% (2024) — short-stay visas, not a student figure |
| School certificate | Thanaweya Amma |
| Certifying documents | Consular legalisation — no apostille |
| TB test | Screening after arrival |
| Scholarships open to Egyptian nationals | Erasmus Mundus |
Last verified 2026-09-09 against official sources (gov.uk · identita.gov.mt).
What works in your favour
- Teaching is in English, so no separate language year and no French or German requirement: Malta’s languages are English and Maltese.
- You may work up to 20 hours a week from the first year of a full-time recognised degree, against a national minimum wage of €994.24 per month.
- After graduating you can stay on the Graduate seeking-employment/business permit for 9 months, at a card fee of €27.50.
- Private colleges undercut the public rate, from €5,750–19,500 per year for a bachelor’s, and the foundation year’s medical stream guarantees progression into Medicine and Surgery.
The honest downsides
- The foundation year costs €6,600–16,000 per programme and 12 months before your degree even starts.
- Malta refused 55.64% of Egyptian short-stay applications. That is a visitor-visa figure, not a study figure, but it signals heavy scrutiny of Egyptian files.
- Living costs of €950–1,600 per month on a small island with a tight rental market.
- Legalisation is slow: no apostille, so every certificate passes through ministry ratification and then the embassy before your university sees it.
- Deadlines are early and not yet fixed for your intake: the University of Malta’s cut-off for October 2026 was 1 July, and the 2027/28 date is not yet published.
Our core guidance is free, funded by university commission: we shortlist Maltese programmes that will actually accept a Thanaweya Amma file, map the foundation-year route and set the two-stage funds correctly. We vet every document before submission — MQRIC recognition, ministry ratification, admission letter, bank statements and insurance — so nothing is refused for a fixable error. Premium Placement is optional and paid. We never sell guaranteed admission or visas.
How to apply to study in Malta from Egypt
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Check your entry route
Confirm whether your target institution accepts a Thanaweya Amma file directly or requires the University of Malta Certificate in Foundation Studies first.
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Get your documents recognised
Apply to MQRIC for a comparability statement and have your certificates ratified by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, then legalised at the embassy in Cairo.
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Sit an English test
Book a Secure English Language Test. The floor is IELTS 6.0 for a bachelor's and 6.5 for a master's. No Egyptian applicant is exempt.
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Apply direct to the university
File your application with each institution before the published deadline, which for the last confirmed cycle was 1 July at 14:00 for visa-required applicants.
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Accept the offer and pay tuition
Accept your place, pay the required tuition instalment and obtain the admission letter stating course, level and language, which the visa file needs.
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Prepare funds and insurance
Assemble three months of bank statements, or a sponsor's statements plus a declaration, showing 746 to €950 per month, and buy cover of at least €30,000.
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Submit at VFS Cairo
Book an appointment, give biometrics and lodge the D-visa file at least nine weeks before your course starts. The Central Visa Unit in Malta decides.
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Complete formalities after arrival
Have a chest X-ray within four weeks of arrival and apply for the residence permit, showing €950 per month excluding tuition.
Frequently asked questions
Not directly at the University of Malta. Thanaweya Amma and Al-Azhar Certificate holders must complete the Certificate in Foundation Studies first, 12 months at €6,600–16,000, then enter a bachelor's in the matching subject area. Private institutions publish no grade table and assess each file individually, normally against an MQRIC comparability statement.
Tuition is €8,500–10,800 per year a year for a non-EU bachelor's at the University of Malta and €10,800–13,400 per year for a master's, with private colleges from €5,750. Living costs run €950–1,600 per month a month, insurance €150–400 per year a year, and the visa €100–150 plus a VFS service charge.
At VFS Cairo, for the National long-stay (D) visa. Cairo quotes 15 working days, which can extend to 30-60 days in exceptional cases; Malta's own published range is 3–9 weeks. The Central Visa Unit in Malta decides, not VFS. Submit at least nine weeks before your course starts.
€746–950 per month. The lower figure applies at the visa stage, set at 75% of the national minimum wage per month of study; the higher figure applies to the residence permit after arrival and excludes tuition. Show bank statements for the last three months, or a sponsor's statements with a signed declaration.
Yes. The University of Malta grants no nationality-based English exemption, and Arabic-medium schooling means you sit a Secure English Language Test. The floor is IELTS 6.0 for a bachelor's and 6.5 for a master's. British Council runs ten IELTS centres in Egypt; AMIDEAST Cairo and Alexandria offer TOEFL.
Erasmus Mundus is the scheme on file, and Egyptian nationals are eligible. Malta publishes no national scholarship for non-EU students beyond it, and institution-level bursaries for Egyptian applicants are not published. Plan on self-funding or a sponsor, and budget tuition of €8,500–10,800 per year a year plus living costs.
Yes, 20 hours a week — from your first year on a full-time MQF-recognised higher-education course, or after the first three months on other MQF Level 5 and above courses. You need an employment licence from Jobsplus, and sectors can be restricted. The national minimum wage is €994.24 per month a month.
The proof-of-funds floor rises. Malta's minimum wage is legislated to increase again in January 2027 under the Low Wage Commission agreement, and the student funds requirement is pegged to it, so the current €746–950 per month will go up. The exact amount is not yet published.