How Much Does It Cost to Study in Malta? Fees and Living Costs
Fee figures: catalogue of 6 October 2026.
Studying in Malta costs nothing in tuition for EU and EEA students at the public institutions, while non-EU students pay a fee that depends on the course. Housing is the large expense. The figures below come from our catalogue of 226 programmes and from official pages checked in October 2026, for the 2026/27 academic year.
Public institutions: free for EU and EEA students
Full-time undergraduate study at the University of Malta (UM) and at MCAST is free for Maltese and other EU and EEA nationals. The Eurydice description of Malta's higher education funding says the same of the Institute of Tourism Studies (ITS). The catalogue shows €0 tuition at public institutions for EU students. ITS ties this to a Maltese ID card or residence permit, so check that page if you are an EU citizen arriving from abroad.
What non-EU students pay
At public institutions, non-EU students pay a fee set for each course. Across the catalogue it runs from €6,500 to €26,000 a year, and the typical figure is €8,500.
- UM: most bachelor's degrees cost €8,500 or €10,800 a year. Doctor of Medicine and Surgery costs €26,000 a year. The fee is printed on each course page, so read the one for your course. Computer science programmes, for example, are at €10,800 a year in the catalogue, and business administration at €8,500 a year.
- MCAST: €6,500 a year for bachelor's degrees. According to MCAST's International Students Course Fee Payment Schedule 2026/2027, the last year is paid for by the college's scholarship, so a three-year degree is billed as €19,500 and a four-year one as €26,000.
The fees above exclude insurance, housing and living costs. Non-EU students also need health insurance for the residence permit unless they study at UM, MCAST or ITS (see health insurance for students in Malta).
Private colleges
Private institutions licensed by the Malta Further and Higher Education Authority (MFHEA) set their own prices. In the catalogue, tuition at private institutions runs from €2,700 to €9,000 a year for EU students, typically €6,696, and from €5,500 to €9,000 for non-EU students, typically €6,696. A few colleges publish only a price for the whole course or no price at all, and those programmes show no figure. Registration and administration fees are usually extra. For example, one school lists compulsory fees on top of tuition. Ask each college for the full yearly total in writing. Students at private institutions are not eligible for the government maintenance grant (see scholarships and student jobs in Malta).
Application and admission fees
UM charges a non-refundable application fee: €100 for overseas qualifications and €35 for local qualifications, or €200 and €75 after the first deadline. See how to get into a university in Malta.
Monthly living costs
The University of Malta's International Office gives these approximate monthly figures for international students. They are only estimates.
| Item | Per month |
|---|---|
| Shared apartment (2 or 3 people) | €550 to €700 |
| Living alone (residence or apartment) | €800 to €1,600 |
| Food and drink, no eating out | about €450 |
| Mobile and Wi-Fi | about €30 |
| Laundry | €80 to €100 |
| Electricity and water | about €50 |
| Other (toiletries, stationery and so on) | €200 to €300 |
| Public transport | free for e-residence permit holders |
On these figures a student sharing a flat spends roughly €1,350 to €1,650 a month before travel and leisure. UM says these amounts are higher than the funds required as proof for a visa or permit, but closer to real costs. Our catalogue has no student residences in Malta, so rent follows the private market: see student housing in Malta.
Proof of funds for a permit
Non-EU students must show they can support themselves when they apply for the residence permit, with bank statements from the last three months. Identità, the immigration agency, sets the amount, and the official pages we checked quoted different monthly figures. Find the current amount on the Identità page before you book anything: student visa for Malta. See also blocked accounts, banking and paying tuition.
Where to look next
- Scholarships and student jobs in Malta
- Bachelor's degrees in English in Malta
- Cheapest countries to study in Europe
Official sources
- University of Malta: fees and funding
- University of Malta: living costs
- Eurydice: higher education funding in Malta
- Identità: study residence permit
Always check current information on the official website of the university before you apply.