Foundation and Preparatory Courses in Malta for African Students

Who needs a preparatory year in Malta — and who doesn’t

The line is drawn by the University of Malta’s own recognition rules, and it splits our origin countries in two. The foundation year is required for Holders of WASSCE (Nigeria, Ghana), KCSE (Kenya), National Senior Certificate / IEB NSC (South Africa), Zambian School Certificate / GCE, Egyptian Certificate of General Secondary Education or Al-Azhar Secondary Certificate, and the Moroccan Baccalaureat. Not required for ZIMSEC A-Level (Zimbabwe) or UACE (Uganda) holders who meet the direct-entry grades.

Zimbabwe and Uganda qualify on the overall average plus a subject spread: a language other than English, a humanistic subject and a science subject, preferably mathematics. Everyone else holds a certificate that admits them to university at home but is not comparable to the Maltese Matriculation Certificate, and that gap is what the foundation year fills.

This is the University of Malta’s rule, not a national one. Malta licenses 8 recognised higher education institutions, and the others publish no school-certificate threshold at all: the American University of Malta, GBSB Global Business School, Global College Malta, the Institute of Tourism Studies, MCAST and St Martin’s each assess WASSCE and its equivalents case by case. Queen Mary’s Malta campus is the exception in the other direction, and does not accept WASSCE as a stand-alone qualification. If your target is business or IT at a private institution, apply there directly before paying for a year you may not need. The list is on universities in Malta.

The preparatory routes in Malta

The main route is the Certificate in Foundation Studies, taught by University of Malta — International School for Foundation Studies. It runs 12 months and costs €6,600–16,000 per programme for the whole programme: the lower figure covers the Humanities, Business Studies, Engineering and ICT, and Science and Health Sciences streams, and the Medical and Dental Sciences stream sits at the top of the band. It leads to MQF Level 4 certificate, 62 ECTS, giving eligibility to enrol in a University of Malta undergraduate course in the matching subject area; the Medical and Dental Sciences stream guarantees a place in Medicine and Surgery.

The second route sits after a first degree. The Preparatory Programme for a Master’s degree is for Graduates holding a first-cycle degree at Category II or better whose degree is in a different discipline from the intended Master's and who lack the subject pre-requisites. It runs 12 months at €4,250–10,800 per year, is attached to one named Master’s course, and ends in progression to that course once you pass the pre-requisite study-units it sets.

The third route is private. The Award in Business Studies at Global College Malta is for Graduates aged 21 or over holding an MQF Level 6 qualification (or equivalent work experience) whose academic English or business grounding falls short of direct master's entry — accepts academic IELTS 4.5. It runs 6 months, costs €5,050 per programme including the application, registration and visa-support fees, and leads to MQF Level 6 award, 32 ECTS, giving progression to Global College Malta's accredited master's programmes.

Malta runs no state bridging year and no national entrance examination. Two of these routes belong to the University of Malta and one to a private college, so each opens the door of the institution that teaches it and no other. Passing the Certificate in Foundation Studies makes you eligible to enrol at UM in the matching subject area; only the Medical and Dental Sciences stream carries a guaranteed place, in Medicine and Surgery. Nothing here transfers to another university’s admissions queue, and nobody can sell you a guaranteed place — see how to spot a fake agent.

Learning the language before the degree

There is no language year in Malta, because there is no second language to learn first. English is one of the country’s two official languages — English, Maltese — and degree programmes are taught in English, so no preparatory language year leads into a degree. Academic English is built into the Certificate in Foundation Studies rather than sold separately.

What you still need is evidence. UM’s floor is IELTS 6 for undergraduate entry and 6.5 for postgraduate, or TOEFL iBT 80, with the University’s own ISET as an alternative. UM grants no nationality-based exemption: Nigerian, Ghanaian, Kenyan, South African and Zimbabwean applicants can satisfy the requirement with their school English grade, while Egyptian, Moroccan and Zambian applicants sit a Secure English Language Test.

Other institutions set lower floors — IELTS 5.5 at Global College Malta and 5 at St Martin’s. Standalone courses at licensed language schools are short courses and lead to no degree, so they are not a route in. Study in Malta without IELTS and IELTS alternatives set out the evidence that counts.

Can you get a visa for a preparatory course?

Yes. The Certificate in Foundation Studies is listed among the levels that qualify for the National long-stay (D) visa and the e-Residence permit, and the European Commission’s Malta chapter confirms that foundation courses below degree level qualify alongside higher education. You need an acceptance letter from an MFHEA-licensed institution stating the exact study period, a timetable of more than fifteen tuition hours a week, health insurance, evidence of accommodation and money: UM applies 950 EUR a month for both the visa and the permit, against a statutory floor of €746–950 per month.

Two catches. The permit is issued for one year or the length of the course, whichever is shorter, so a foundation student renews before the bachelor’s begins. And work rights are weaker below degree level: degree students get the twenty-hour weekly cap from the first year, while foundation students wait three months and are subject to labour-market testing. Processing runs 3 to 9 weeks and the Central Visa Unit asks for submission at least nine weeks before the course starts. The document set is on Malta student visa requirements.

What a preparatory year costs

Tuition first: €6,600–16,000 per programme for the Certificate in Foundation Studies, €4,250–10,800 per year for the Master’s preparatory programme and €5,050 per programme for the Global College Malta award. Recognition through MQRIC (€10 already on database / €20 Maltese qualification / €50 foreign qualification + €2 postage) is small beside that, and every document must be apostilled.

Then the year itself. Living costs run €950–1,600 per month nationally and €1,360–1,630 per month in Msida, where UM sits, of which rent is €550–700 per month. Health cover adds €150–400 per year, the visa €100–150 and the residence permit €50. Against a UM arts or business bachelor’s year at €8,500–10,800 per year, the foundation year is cheaper in tuition on every stream except Medical and Dental Sciences, and identical in every other line. The full breakdown is on the cost of studying in Malta.

How to apply for a foundation or preparatory course

1. Check whether you need the year at all. ZIMSEC A-Level and UACE holders who meet the grades apply straight to a bachelor’s, and the private institutions assess African school certificates case by case.
2. Get the documents recognised. Certificates and transcripts must be apostilled, and higher-education qualifications go to MQRIC at the Malta Further and Higher Education Authority for a comparability statement.
3. Pick the stream. Humanities, Business Studies, Engineering and ICT, Science and Health Sciences, or Medical and Dental Sciences. The stream fixes both the fee and the degree you can enter afterwards.
4. Prove your English. IELTS 6 is UM’s undergraduate floor; Egyptian, Moroccan and Zambian applicants must book a Secure English Language Test early.
5. Apply online. Online through the University of Malta applications system (esims.um.edu.mt), selecting 'Overseas Qualifications'; entry is at the sole discretion of the International School for Foundation Studies, which may set an interview and/or a written test.
6. File before the deadline. 1 July (14:00) of the year of entry for non-EU applicants needing a visa; general late deadline 15 September. UM states that deadlines vary by intake and course and advises visa-required applicants to apply as early as possible. The 2027/28 dates are not yet published.
7. Build the visa file. Bank statements (last 3 months) / sponsor bank statement + signed declaration letter, insurance with a minimum sum insured of 30,000 EUR, accommodation evidence and the acceptance letter. Submit at least nine weeks before the course starts and allow 3 to 9 weeks.
8. Finish after arrival. Chest X-ray within 4 weeks of arrival, then file the residence permit at €50.

After the preparatory year

Pass, and you are eligible to enrol in a UM undergraduate course in the matching subject area, at the October, February (some) intakes. Eligibility is not an offer: outside the Medical and Dental Sciences stream, which guarantees a place in Medicine and Surgery, you still compete for admission in the normal round. Medicine at UM is billed at €26,000 per year. Nothing is shortened by the year you have done: the bachelor’s still runs 3 to 4 years and 180 ECTS from the beginning, because the certificate sits below degree level. What comes next is on bachelor’s degrees in Malta.