Study in Malta from Uganda
You can study in Malta from Uganda with your UACE going straight into a bachelor's degree, with no foundation year. Tuition at the University of Malta is €8,500–10,800 per year and teaching is in English. There is no Maltese mission in Uganda, so the visa is a courier application to Malta at €300, taking about six to eight weeks once your passport reaches Malta.
Is Malta a good choice from Uganda?
Uganda is one of only two of our origin countries whose school certificate the University of Malta accepts for direct bachelor’s entry, saving a year and a foundation fee. Teaching is in English and Maltese. Tuition is billed in euro: €8,500–10,800 per year for a non-EU bachelor’s, €10,800–13,400 per year for a master’s, and from €5,750–19,500 per year at 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 the visa: with no Maltese mission in Uganda you courier your passport to the Central Visa Unit in Malta and wait. Start with our Malta country guide.
Entry with the UACE
The University of Malta gives UACE holders direct bachelor’s entry when they meet its overall average-grade rule and offer a language, a humanities and a science subject — no foundation year. A Secure English Language Test is still required: English being an official language and the medium of instruction in Uganda earns no exemption, and the floor is IELTS 6 for a bachelor’s and 6.5 for a master’s.
Queen Mary University of London’s Malta campus also accepts the UACE directly for its MBBS, at top principal grades including Biology or Chemistry and a second science subject. American University of Malta, Global College Malta, GBSB Global Business School, MCAST and the Institute of Tourism Studies publish no UACE grade table and assess each file individually against an MQRIC comparability statement, which costs €50 plus €2 postage for a foreign qualification.
The student visa from Uganda
With no Maltese mission or visa centre covering Uganda, you use Identità Malta’s online Premium service and courier your passport to the Central Visa Unit in Malta; the service is offered case by case. The flat fee is €300, described as covering all associated fees, and processing takes about six to eight weeks once your passport reaches Malta. Because your passport travels to Malta and back, 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, shown as bank statements for the last three months, or a sponsor’s bank statement with a signed declaration letter. Cover of at least €30,000 is required at entry.
Tuberculosis screening happens after arrival: a chest X-ray within four weeks. Uganda is not a Hague Apostille country, so UNEB issues a verification of results, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs authenticates it, and the mission legalises it. See the Malta student visa guide and proof of funds explained.
Money: what a first year costs
Tuition is €8,500–10,800 per year for a bachelor’s and €10,800–13,400 per year for a master’s at the University of Malta, from €5,750–19,500 per year at private colleges. Add living costs of €950–1,600 per month, health cover at €150–400 per year, the visa at €300 and the residence permit application at €50.
Erasmus Mundus is the only scheme on file for Malta and Ugandan nationals are eligible; Chevening and the Commonwealth Scholarship, which you also qualify for, fund study in the United Kingdom. See Malta scholarships and scholarships for Ugandan students.
From Uganda to Malta: key facts
| Who takes the application | Online, with the passport sent by courier |
|---|---|
| Apply without leaving Uganda | Yes |
| Visa or permit fee | €300 |
| Processing time (national guide) | 3–9 weeks |
| Refusal rate | Not published |
| School certificate | UACE |
| Certifying documents | Consular legalisation — no apostille |
| TB test | Screening after arrival |
| Scholarships open to Ugandan nationals | Erasmus Mundus |
Last verified 2026-09-09 against official sources (identita.gov.mt).
What works in your favour
- Direct bachelor’s entry at the University of Malta on your UACE, so no foundation year and none of the €6,600–16,000 per programme that WASSCE, KCSE and NSC holders pay.
- Queen Mary University of London’s Malta campus accepts the UACE directly for its MBBS, against medicine tuition of €26,000–39,500 per year.
- You may work up to 20 hours a week from the first year of a full-time recognised degree, at a minimum wage of €994.24 per month.
- After graduating, the Graduate seeking-employment/business permit gives 9 months, at a fee of €27.50.
The honest downsides
- No Maltese mission in Uganda: your passport is couriered to Malta and the service is offered case by case, and processing takes about six to eight weeks from the passport’s arrival in Malta before it comes back.
- The flat visa fee is €300, against Malta’s own government fee of €100–150 for applicants who have a visa centre.
- No refusal rate is published for the study visa, so any agent quoting a success rate is inventing it. Read how to spot a fake agent.
- Living costs of €950–1,600 per month on a small island, billed in euro.
Our core guidance is free, funded by university commission: we check your UACE against the direct-entry rule, shortlist programmes, and set the two-stage funds correctly before anything is submitted. We vet every document — UNEB verification, ministry authentication, MQRIC statement where needed, admission letter, bank statements and insurance — because a couriered application you cannot correct in person is the wrong place to discover an error. Premium Placement is optional and paid. We never sell guaranteed admission or visas.
How to apply to study in Malta from Uganda
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Check your UACE against the entry rule
Confirm your UACE meets the University of Malta average-grade rule with a language, a humanities and a science subject, which gives direct bachelor's entry without a foundation year.
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Verify and legalise your documents
Obtain the UNEB letter of verification of results, have the Ministry of Foreign Affairs authenticate it, then have the mission legalise it. Request an MQRIC statement if the institution asks.
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Sit an English test
Book a Secure English Language Test at British Council Kampala. The floor is IELTS 6.0 for a bachelor's and 6.5 for a master's. No exemption applies for Ugandan applicants.
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Apply direct to the institution
File with each institution before its published deadline, which for the last confirmed cycle was 1 July at 14:00 for applicants who need a visa.
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Accept and pay tuition
Accept the offer, pay the required instalment and obtain an admission letter stating the course, level and language of instruction for the visa file.
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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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Apply to the Central Visa Unit and courier your passport
Request the Premium online service, upload the file, pay the €300 flat fee and courier your passport to Malta at least nine weeks before the course starts.
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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
Yes. The University of Malta gives direct entry to UACE holders who meet its overall average-grade rule with a language, a humanities and a science subject, so no foundation year is needed. Queen Mary University of London's Malta campus accepts the UACE directly for its MBBS at top principal grades including Biology or Chemistry.
Through Identity Malta's online Premium service: you apply to the Central Visa Unit and courier your passport to Malta, because no visa application centre covers Uganda. The flat fee is €300, described as covering all associated fees, and processing is about 6 to 8 weeks after your passport arrives in Malta.
Tuition is €8,500–10,800 per year a year for a non-EU bachelor's and €10,800–13,400 per year for a master's at the University of Malta, from €5,750 at private colleges. Add living costs of €950–1,600 per month a month, insurance of €150–400 per year a year, the €300 visa and a €50 residence permit application.
€746–950 per month. The visa stage is set at 75% of Malta's national minimum wage per month of study; the residence permit after arrival uses the higher figure and excludes tuition. Show three months of bank statements, or a sponsor's statements with a signed declaration letter. A sponsor is allowed.
Yes. The University of Malta grants no nationality-based English exemption to any of our origin countries, so a Secure English Language Test is required even though English is Uganda's medium of instruction. The floor is IELTS 6.0 for a bachelor's and 6.5 for a master's. British Council Kampala is the confirmed centre.
No. The US$145 IOM certificate from Naguru is a United Kingdom requirement, not a Maltese one. Malta screens after arrival, with a chest X-ray within four weeks of landing. Do not pay for a pre-departure certificate Malta has not asked for, and ignore any agent who insists on one.
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 funds requirement rises. Malta's minimum wage is legislated to increase again in January 2027 under the Low Wage Commission agreement, and the student proof-of-funds floor is pegged to it, so the current €746–950 per month will be higher. The exact amount is not yet published.