Studying in Malta: University of Malta and MCAST

In Malta, the passport you enrol with decides almost everything: what you pay, which forms you fill in and how long you can stay.

The short version

The University of Malta treats EU and EEA nationals as home students and everyone else as international students [1]. Public tertiary education is free except for students from outside the EU and EEA [2].
If you hold Maltese (or any EU) citizenship, you enrol as a home student. Citizenship by descent is the single biggest money-saver for Aussie students here.
On an Australian passport alone, a full-time course needs a study residence permit from Identità. The application fee is €50 [3], and you'll need to show at least €950 a month in funds [4].
MCAST, Malta's vocational college, has its own non-EU fee schedule, a final-year fee exemption on bachelor's degrees and a tax-rebate scheme for graduates who stay [5].
Learning Maltese is optional for daily life but matters for long-term residence. The national integration course was restructured in June 2026 [6].

The two big institutions

University of Malta

The University of Malta (UM) is the country's main university, with its campus at Tal-Qroqq in Msida, a short bus ride from Valletta. Teaching is in English for most degrees, so an Australian student won't need a language test in the way students from non-English-speaking countries do. The academic year runs from September to June, with exams in January–February and June, and breaks at Christmas and Easter [7].

MCAST

The Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology (MCAST) is the vocational and technical college, with its main campus in Paola. It runs everything from certificates to bachelor's and master's degrees in fields like engineering, IT, business, creative arts and maritime studies. Think of it as somewhere between a big TAFE and a technical university.

	University of Malta	MCAST
Feels like, back home	A research university	TAFE plus applied degrees
Main campus	Msida (Tal-Qroqq)	Paola
EU/EEA students	Home students [1]	Home students
Non-EU students	International fees; €1,000 deposit credited to tuition [1]	Separate non-EU fee schedule [5]
Ways to save	Ministry fee exemption (case by case) [8]	Final-year fees exempted on 3–4 year bachelor's; graduate tax rebate [5]

What you'll pay: the EU line

The University of Malta's fees policy draws one line: EU and EEA nationals are home students, non-EU nationals are international [1]. The European Commission's Eurydice profile puts it simply: public education in Malta is free up to tertiary level, except for students from non-EU or EEA countries [2].

International students pay tuition set per course, plus a €1,000 assurance deposit that's credited against the tuition bill [1]. UM publishes fees on each course page and through its fees and funding section, and only the education ministry can grant a full or partial exemption [8]. Fees change each year, so check the course page for the intake you want rather than relying on old figures.

MCAST publishes a full-time fee structure for non-EU candidates and accepts payment by bank transfer or at its finance office in Paola, with instalment plans available [5]. Two features stand out:

Final-year exemption. Students on three- or four-year bachelor's degrees can have their final-year fees exempted, but lose it if they fail modules and need an extra year [5].
Get Qualified rebate. Graduates who go on to pay tax in Malta may claim back 70% of tuition as a tax credit under the Get Qualified scheme [5].

What citizenship by descent changes

A lot. Many Maltese-Australians qualify for Maltese citizenship through a parent or grandparent. Once you hold it, you're an EU citizen. You enrol as a home student, you don't need a study permit, and you can work without a permit. You may also become eligible for local student support, which UM lists separately for local applicants.

If you're thinking about a degree in Malta and you might be eligible, start the citizenship application first. It can take months. Our guide to Maltese citizenship by descent walks through who qualifies.

The study permit on an Australian passport

Australians can visit Malta and the rest of the Schengen Area without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180 [9]. That's fine for a summer course, not for a degree. Smartraveller also notes that the EU's Entry/Exit System now registers Australians at Schengen borders [9].

For a full-time course, you need a residence permit for study. Identità's Expatriates Unit sets the rules [3]:

The course must be full-time, at an institution licensed by Malta's higher education regulator, leading to a qualification at MQF level 5 or above.
Visa-exempt nationals, including Australians, apply within three months of entering the EU.
You apply online through the Expatriates Unit portal and submit in person in Malta.
The fee is €50, and your passport must be valid for at least six months.
Students at UM, MCAST or the Institute of Tourism Studies are exempt from the separate health insurance requirement.

UM adds its own checklist for the e-Residence Permit [4]:

Register at the university first. Students staying a year or more apply after arrival and registration.
Show your funds. A bank statement covering the last three months, showing at least €950 for each month of your stay, not counting tuition. A sponsor's statement, signed declaration and ID also work.
Do the health screening. Third-country nationals complete it at one of the listed private clinics, with proof of immunisations such as MMR and a tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis booster.
Budget beyond the minimum. UM warns that €950 a month won't cover accommodation and living costs on its own [4]. Our cost of living in Valletta guide has real numbers.
Keep your permit valid. It works as your ID card and, with your passport, lets you travel in the Schengen Area [4].

MCAST says to apply at least 75 days before your course starts, and it won't take late arrivals [5]. Once you have a residence card, our guide to Identità, the residence card and the e-ID explains activating it.

If you're refused, Identità says appeals go to the Immigration Appeals Board within about three working days [10]. Read the refusal letter on the day it arrives.

Learning Maltese

You can live in Valletta for years on English alone. Signs, government forms and most workplaces run in English. But Maltese is the language of the street, the band club and the nanna next door, and it's compulsory for kids in state schools.

The I Belong programme

Malta's national integration programme, I Belong, was the standard route for adults. From 15 June 2026, the Integration and Anti-Racism Unit narrowed it to a 100-hour cultural orientation course. Earlier stage 1 courses were replaced by a New Course on Maltese Language and Culture, which is now the entry requirement [6].

Why it matters: completing the 100-hour course is one of the requirements for long-term residence status [6]. If you're on an Australian passport and planning to stay five years or more, factor it in early. People who applied before 15 June 2026 can still take the old stages [6]. Private fast-track versions have also been sold for a fee, but check what's still recognised before paying.

Other options

UM's language programmes and private schools in Sliema and St Julian's run evening Maltese classes. Malta is also one of Europe's big destinations for English-language schools. That's no use to most Aussies, but handy if your partner's first language isn't English.

Back home: HECS, recognition and the ATO

HECS-HELP. If you have an Australian study debt and earn overseas, you may still have to report your worldwide income. See our HECS-HELP debt guide.
Exchange instead of enrolling. If you're enrolled at an Australian university, a semester at UM on exchange usually keeps you on Australian fees. Ask your home university's study abroad office whether OS-HELP loans apply.
Recognition. Maltese degrees sit within the European higher education framework. If you plan to use one for a regulated job in Australia (teaching, nursing, law), check the Australian registration body's rules before enrolling.

Studying in Malta, or thinking about it? Ask in Cooee Malta, our Facebook group for Australians in Malta. Members share tips on student flats around Msida and which courses suit Aussie qualifications.

Studying in Malta: fees, permits and learning Maltese for Australians