IT Universities in Malta for International Students
Malta is a small computing destination: the University of Malta and MCAST are the two public providers, and non-EU bachelor's tuition runs €8,500–10,800 per year. Everything is taught in English, inside the EU, and Malta counted 8,252 international students in 2023/24. The catch is scale: no Maltese institution ranks near the computing elite.
Why study IT in Malta?
Know the size of the place first. Malta has 8 recognised higher education institutions, and only five of them teach computing or engineering at all. One holds a global ranking: the University of Malta, at #696 (QS 2027). There is no league table of IT faculties in Malta because there are not enough faculties to rank.
What the island does offer is narrow and real. English is an official language and the medium of instruction, so every computing degree on this page is taught in English at bachelor’s and master’s level, with no preparatory language year. Malta is in the EU and Schengen, and its economy has genuine niches — online gaming, fintech, digital services — where a computing graduate can look for work. Tuition at the public University of Malta is €8,500–10,800 per year for a bachelor’s: below UK levels, well above tuition-free Germany.
Choose Malta for English-medium teaching and EU access on a small island, not for research depth or a long graduate work window — the job-search permit lasts 9 months and cannot be renewed. The country overview is at studying in Malta.
Top IT and computer-science universities in Malta
University of Malta (Msida) is the public flagship, founded in 1592, with about 12,000 students and ICT among its faculties, from bachelor’s to doctorate. It ranks #696 (QS 2027) and 801–1000 (QS 2026). Non-EU tuition is €8,500–10,800 per year for a bachelor’s and €10,800–14,400 per year for a master’s, with computing billed at the science rate, not the arts rate.
MCAST (Paola) is the public applied college, founded in 2001, with 8,905 students of whom 17.9 per cent are international, and information and communication technology as one of its core areas. It ranks 701–900 (QS 2026) and bills whole programmes rather than years: €19,500–26,000 per programme for a bachelor’s, €7,900–10,000 per programme for a master’s. Its master’s degrees run part-time by default, and part-time study does not support a student visa.
St Martin’s Institute of Higher Education (Ħamrun) is the most computing-focused provider on the island, private, founded in 1985, and very small at 196 students. Its listed fields include computing, computer science and games design, taught across 9 English bachelor’s programmes. Tuition is €6,696 per year plus an application fee of €125; non-EU students also pay a separate one-off visa administration fee.
American University of Malta (Cospicua) is private, founded in 2015, and lists IT, engineering and design among its fields. Bachelor’s tuition is €8,000–9,000 per year, master’s €10,000–12,000 per year, plus a semester fee of €100–200 per semester.
Global College Malta (SmartCity, Kalkara) is private, founded in 2012, and the cheapest bachelor’s here at €6,100 per year, with master’s billed at €9,000–10,000 per programme. Its published fields are business, management, marketing and finance rather than computing, so confirm that a computing title is actually running before you apply.
For most African applicants the University of Malta is the primary route and MCAST the applied alternative: both are public, they hold the only rankings on the island, and their students are exempt from the higher private-sector insurance threshold. The full list is at universities in Malta.
What an IT degree in Malta really costs
Computing is a science subject at the University of Malta, so it sits at the top of the public band: €8,500–10,800 per year for a bachelor’s and €10,800–13,400 per year for a master’s. Private colleges range far wider, €5,750–19,500 per year and €7,750–20,000 per year, and MCAST prices its degrees per programme instead of per year.
Living costs are the other half of the budget. The university’s own figure for Msida is €1,360–1,630 per month, with rent at €550–700 per month; Paola, next to MCAST, is €1,210–1,480 per month; Valletta is the dearest at €1,510–1,930 per month. Add health insurance at €150–400 per year, the visa at €100–150 and the residence permit at €50. Malta is cheaper than the UK and dearer than tuition-free Germany — nothing here is free. See the cost of studying in Malta.
Can you study IT in Malta in English?
Yes, completely. Malta’s official languages are English, Maltese, English is the medium of instruction, and all five institutions above teach their programmes in English at all levels. No preparatory language year exists and no Maltese is required for a computing degree.
The visa side adds no separate language exam. Malta’s student rules require your admission letter to confirm that you understand the language of your course, which is simply the institution’s own English decision restated — the Central Visa Unit runs no test of its own.
What catches African applicants is the opposite assumption: studying in English at home does not waive the English test. The University of Malta grants no nationality-based exemption to applicants from any of our origin countries, so a test score or an accepted English qualification is normally required.
How Africans apply: recognition and admission
There is no central clearing system. The route is Direct to university, one online application per institution, and there is no national entrance examination for computing — no YÖS, no TOLC, no PCE equivalent. Intakes are October, February (some).
Deadlines are early and hard. For bachelor’s entry the published date is 1 July 2026, 14:00 (confirmed, Oct 2026 intake; 2027/28 date not yet published), and master’s entry the same: 1 July 2026, 14:00 (confirmed, Oct 2026 intake; 2027/28 date not yet published). Work backwards from that date, because the D-visa must be filed well before your course starts.
Your certificates go through MQRIC, Malta’s recognition centre, at MQRIC (€10 already on database / €20 Maltese qualification / €50 foreign qualification + €2 postage). Germany’s APS check does not apply here — no — but an apostille does: yes. A WASSCE, NECO, KCSE, NSC or ZIMSEC certificate on its own often falls short of direct bachelor’s entry, and a foundation year is the usual bridge. Mathematics grades carry the most weight for a computing place.
Do you need IELTS for IT in Malta?
Usually yes, but the bar differs by institution. The national floors are IELTS 6 for a bachelor’s and 6.5 for a master’s, which is also the University of Malta’s requirement, with TOEFL iBT 80 accepted instead. The private and applied providers sit lower: MCAST asks IELTS 5.5 at both levels, Global College Malta 5.5 for a bachelor’s, and St Martin’s 5. Some school-level English qualifications are accepted in place of a test, but the accepted list is set by each institution rather than nationally, so check yours before you book an exam. The American University of Malta asks IELTS 6 for a bachelor’s and 6.5 for a master’s, or TOEFL iBT 80. See studying in Malta without IELTS.
Working while you study — and after
You may work 20 hours/week — from 1st year for full-time MQF-recognised higher-ed students; after first 3 months for other MQF5+ courses (confirmed), and a permit is needed: yes. In practice that means an employment licence from Jobsplus, the public employment service, and some sectors are restricted. The national minimum wage is €994.24 per month, so part-time work covers a share of your living costs and none of your tuition.
After graduation there is the Graduate seeking-employment/business permit: 9 months after a bachelor’s and the same 9 months after a master’s or doctorate, at a card fee of €27.50. It is non-renewable, so it has to become a job offer and a single work permit before it expires.
Scholarships for IT students
Malta runs no national scholarship scheme for non-EU students. The one scheme on file is Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters, and applicants from all nine of our origin countries are eligible for Erasmus Mundus joint master’s degrees, which fund tuition, travel and a monthly allowance — see the Erasmus Mundus guide.
Institution-level help is thin but not absent: MCAST waives the final year of an eligible bachelor’s under its own scholarship fund, which is the largest single discount available on the island. The University of Malta publishes no computing-specific award for non-EU applicants. Budget as if you are self-funding and treat any award as a reduction, not a plan. More detail is at Malta scholarships.
What works in your favour
- The University of Malta teaches in English at all levels and has been running since 1592, with 12,000 students, so no language year and no new-institution risk.
- Cheaper computing routes exist: €6,100 per year at Global College Malta and €6,696 per year at St Martin’s, which lists 9 English bachelor’s programmes.
- English floors are reachable: 5.5 at MCAST, 5 at St Martin’s, or TOEFL 80 at the University of Malta.
- MCAST is used to foreign students: 17.9 per cent of its 8,905 students come from abroad.
- Term-time work is permitted with a permit against a minimum wage of €994.24 per month, and applications go Direct to university for October, February (some) entry.
The honest downsides
- The choice is tiny. Five institutions teach computing, one is globally ranked at #696 (QS 2027), and specialist research groups are correspondingly few.
- It is not cheap for what it is. Computing is billed at the science rate, €8,500–10,800 per year, on top of Msida living costs of €1,360–1,630 per month.
- Insurance depends on where you enrol. The visa needs cover of 30,000, but private-college students must hold a far higher sum for the residence permit; University of Malta, MCAST and ITS students are exempt from that threshold.
- Timing is unforgiving. Processing takes 3–9 weeks and the 2027/28 deadline is not yet published, so you plan against last year’s date.
- The African community is small: 502 students, 6.3 per cent of the international total.
Our core guidance is free, funded by commission from the universities we work with rather than by you. For a computing application we say which of the five providers your certificate qualifies you for, whether you need a foundation year, and which English route is cheapest. We vet every document — MQRIC recognition, apostilles, funds evidence, insurance — before submission, because most refusals are document failures. Optional paid Premium Placement runs the whole file.
Frequently asked questions
Malta is a small computing destination. The realistic options are the University of Malta, ranked #696 (QS 2027), the public MCAST college at 701–900 (QS 2026), and three private providers: St Martin's Institute, the American University of Malta and Global College Malta. There is no league table of IT universities in Malta because only five institutions teach the subject.
At the University of Malta, computing is billed at the science rate: €8,500–10,800 per year for a bachelor's and €10,800–13,400 per year for a master's. Private colleges range from €5,750–19,500 per year. Living costs in Msida add €1,360–1,630 per month on top.
Yes, at every level and every institution. English is one of Malta's two official languages (English, Maltese) and the medium of instruction, so there is no preparatory language year and no Maltese requirement. The visa authority sets no separate language exam; your admission letter simply confirms the institution's own English decision.
Often not directly. Your certificate is assessed by MQRIC, Malta's recognition centre, at MQRIC (€10 already on database / €20 Maltese qualification / €50 foreign qualification + €2 postage), and many African school certificates fall short of the Maltese matriculation standard. The usual bridge is a foundation year before the bachelor's. Documents need an apostille; no APS interview applies.
For a computing place, yes — mathematics is the grade admissions officers look at first. Malta sets no national entrance examination, no YÖS or TOLC equivalent, so the decision rests on your school certificate and the faculty's own subject requirements. Those requirements are set per programme and are not published centrally, so check the specific course page.
You may work 20 hours/week — from 1st year for full-time MQF-recognised higher-ed students; after first 3 months for other MQF5+ courses (confirmed). An employment licence from Jobsplus is required first, and some sectors are restricted. With a minimum wage of €994.24 per month, the hours cover some living costs but never tuition.
No — that is out of date. The graduate seeking-employment permit runs 9 months after a bachelor's, a master's or a doctorate alike, at a card fee of €27.50. It is non-renewable, and it is not a work permit: to stay on you need a job offer and a single permit before it expires.
Malta's national minimum wage rises again in January 2027 under the four-year Low Wage Commission agreement. Because the proof-of-funds floor is pegged to it, the current requirement of €746–950 per month will rise for 2027/28 applicants. The exact amount is not yet published, so budget above the current figure when you prepare bank statements.