Study in Malta Without IELTS

This is the myth we have to debunk first, because it causes rejected applications. “No IELTS” is not the same as “no English proof.” Below we explain exactly when you can skip IELTS at the University of Malta, the alternatives it accepts, and when you will still need to prove your English with a test.

Can you study in Malta without IELTS? (the honest answer)

For most African students the truthful answer is “you can avoid IELTS specifically — but you almost always still need to prove English some other way.”

The University of Malta (UM) is Malta’s flagship university, and all its degrees — Bachelor’s and Master’s — are taught in English. So the teaching language is never the barrier. The barrier is UM’s English-language entry requirement, which you must satisfy through one of several routes, only some of which let you skip a test.

When you usually CAN skip IELTS at UM:

• You hold an accepted English qualification — UK GCE A-Level English (D+), AS (E+), GCSE/IGCSE English (grade 4/C or above), a MATSEC English pass, or IB English (4+). This waives the test regardless of nationality.
• You take a different accepted test instead of IELTS — TOEFL iBT, Pearson PTE Academic, Cambridge English, or Trinity ISE all count.
• You sit UM’s own on-campus English test, the ISET — an in-house option run by the university.

When you usually CANNOT skip an English test:

• You are a Nigerian, Ghanaian, Kenyan, Zimbabwean, Zambian or South African applicant relying only on your nationality or on standard local school certificates (WASSCE/NECO, KCSE, ZIMSEC, NSC). These are not on UM’s nationality-exemption list, so you will normally need a SELT or the ISET.
• Your school qualification is not one of the named accepted English qualifications above.

Important: UM sets its own English rules, and they change. The route that works is an accepted English qualification, an accepted test, or the ISET — not your passport. Always confirm against UM’s live exemptions page, or let us check your specific certificates before you apply.

The myth we have to kill: anglophone Africans are NOT auto-exempt

This is the single most important — and most misreported — point on the entire page.

Many agency websites tell Nigerian, Ghanaian, Kenyan, Zimbabwean, Zambian and South African students that because Malta is English-speaking and they come from English-speaking countries, the English test is automatically waived. That is false at the University of Malta.

UM does grant a nationality-based exemption — but only to nationals of a named list of English-speaking countries who completed their secondary education there, or a full degree at a recognised university there. That list covers the UK, Ireland, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Caribbean states and Guyana. It does not include Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Zambia or South Africa.

So if you are from one of the six African origins, English being your country’s official language does not, by itself, get you out of the test. What gets you out is holding one of the accepted English qualifications (UK GCE/GCSE English, MATSEC, IB English) — which many students at Cambridge-system schools in Ghana, Zimbabwe and Zambia actually do hold via GCE/IGCSE English — or passing an accepted test/ISET. Check what you really have before assuming you are exempt.

Accepted IELTS alternatives at the University of Malta

If UM wants proof of English but you would rather not sit IELTS, these are the alternatives the University of Malta accepts. Confirm the live list and the minimum scores on UM’s English-requirements page before you book anything:

For comparison, UM’s IELTS thresholds are 6.0 overall for Bachelor’s (Writing 6.0; Reading, Listening, Speaking 5.5 each) and 6.5 overall, no band below 6.0 for Master’s and doctoral study. IELTS and TOEFL results are valid for two years from your course start date. See our IELTS alternatives guide for a full comparison of cost, format and which test suits you.

The ISET — UM’s own English test (an under-used route)

The ISET (International Students English Test) is the University of Malta’s own English assessment, run by the university itself. For African students who do not hold an accepted English qualification and would rather not pay for and travel to an IELTS centre, the ISET is often the simplest route to “no IELTS.”

What to know:

• It is UM’s internal test, accepted by UM for its own admissions — you sit it through the university. Confirm the current sitting arrangements (on-campus vs remote, and how to book) with UM admissions.
• The pass bands are band 5 for Bachelor’s and band 6 for Master’s/doctoral study.
• Because it is run by UM, it only proves English to UM — it is not a substitute for any separate language test another institution might want.

This is a genuinely useful alternative that most agency pages never mention. If you cannot exempt out and do not want to sit IELTS, ask UM admissions about ISET availability and dates early — the English-test submission deadline for the October intake is 1 July for non-EU visa nationals.

Why there is no UK-style “university waiver letter” route in Malta

In the UK, a university can self-assess your English at degree level and confirm it on your visa paperwork, so no separate test is needed. Malta does not work the same way. There is no equivalent self-certification that lets UM simply vouch for your English on a Medium of Instruction basis for the six African origins.

Instead, Malta’s English requirement is essentially one gate at the university: you satisfy UM’s English rule through an accepted qualification, an accepted test, or the ISET — and that is what you submit. There is no separate Maltese “visa English test,” but there is also no national exemption that rescues you simply because your prior schooling was in English. So while a Medium of Instruction (MOI) letter can be worth submitting alongside your file, do not assume an MOI letter alone will replace the English requirement at UM the way it can at some UK universities. Confirm UM’s current practice on MOI letters before relying on one.

If you previously completed a full degree taught at a recognised university in one of the named English-speaking countries, that route to exemption is open to you regardless of your nationality — but a degree taught in English in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Zambia or South Africa does not appear on UM’s nationality list.

When you still need to take an English test

Expect to sit an accepted English test (or the ISET) when:

• You are from one of the six African origins and do not hold a UK GCE/GCSE English, MATSEC or IB English pass.
• Your only English evidence is a standard local school certificate (WASSCE/NECO, KCSE, ZIMSEC, NSC) that is not on UM’s accepted-qualifications list.
• You are applying to a Foundation Studies route, which has its own English threshold (IELTS 5.5 / TOEFL 61 / PTE 59 / ISET band 4).
• Another Maltese institution (MCAST, ITS, or a private MFHEA-licensed HEI) sets its own English rule — these are not identical to UM’s, so confirm each one separately.

The rule of thumb for African applicants: assume you need a test or the ISET unless you can point to a specific accepted English qualification you actually hold.

The honest bit: what “without IELTS” does and doesn’t get you in Malta

• It doesn’t mean “no English proof.” Malta teaches in English, but UM still requires evidence — an accepted qualification, an accepted test, or the ISET.
• It doesn’t mean your nationality exempts you. Anglophone Africans are not on UM’s exemption list — that is the central myth on this topic.
• It doesn’t guarantee admission. You still need a recognised school qualification (assessed via MQRIC, Malta’s credential body — there is no German-style APS), and many African school certificates route through UM’s Foundation Studies year first.
• It doesn’t remove the other real requirements: a National Long-Stay “D” visa (mandatory since March 2024), two-stage proof of funds (≈ €746/month for the visa, €950/month for the residence permit), and a TB chest X-ray within four weeks of arrival for students from high-risk countries.

How we help

World Study checks your actual certificates — your GCE/IGCSE, WASSCE/NECO, KCSE, ZIMSEC or NSC results — against the University of Malta’s current English-exemption list, and tells you honestly whether you qualify for a waiver, should sit the ISET, or need an accepted test. We will not tell you “Malta is English-speaking so you’re exempt,” because for the six African origins that is simply not true. Our core guidance is free; you only pay if you choose optional premium application or visa support.

Talk to an advisor on WhatsApp or take the free 2-minute eligibility check → — send us your grades and we’ll tell you exactly how to meet Malta’s English requirement without IELTS, if you can.

For the wider picture, see our study in Malta overview and the Malta universities guide.