Malta is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea that welcomed more than 4 million inbound tourists in 2025. But if you come to this beautiful country in pursuit of higher education, you won’t be making a mistake either. Malta was a British Crown Colony from 1814 until independence in 1964, and English remains one of Malta’s official languages alongside Maltese. The National Statistics Office’s Malta Skills Survey reported that English was known by 96.0% of persons aged 15 to 64, so you’ll find a highly English-using environment in Malta.
The cost of living in the Southern European country is also generally lower than in countries like the UK and the US, although actual costs vary by city and lifestyle. As for tuition, many Maltese institutions charge less than universities in those countries. The interesting part about tuition fees at universities in Malta is that eligible students may be able to benefit from tax credits on eligible education costs through Malta Enterprise’s current Get Qualified scheme, which can reimburse up to 70% of eligible costs through tax credits.
Now, let’s check out a list of cheap universities in Malta below.
Affordable Schools in Malta for International Students
1. Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology
- Tuition Fees
- Tuition Fees: from €5,400 total for selected one-year programs; Level 6 bachelor’s schedules currently show €13,000 to €17,350 total after the final-year scholarship benefit for eligible three- and four-year programs; Level 7 programs list €7,900 to €10,000 total
The Malta College of Arts, Science, and Technology (MCAST) is a public higher education institution that offers both vocational and professional education. Founded in 2001, the college is organized into six institutes and the Gozo Campus. It offers more than 190 full-time and more than 300 part-time vocational courses, ranging from certificates to doctoral-level programs. The main campus is situated in the southeastern Maltese town of Paola.
MCAST has an interesting tuition fee payment structure where tuition is not always charged evenly across semesters. Its current non-EU full-time payment schedule lists fees by program level and duration. For example, eligible Level 6 three-year programs list €19,500 in fees with a €6,500 final-year scholarship benefit, bringing the scheduled total to €13,000. Eligible Level 6 four-year programs list €26,000 in fees with an €8,650 final-year scholarship benefit, bringing the scheduled total to €17,350. Do take note of this since the installment pattern can surprise students who expect the same payment each semester.
2. Global College Malta
Global College Malta (GCM) is a private further and higher education institution at SmartCity Malta in Ricasoli, Kalkara. The college lists undergraduate and postgraduate programs across fields such as management, finance, logistics, operations, health and social care, informatics, and business administration. Students comparing UK-linked options may also find our profile of the University of Chester useful, but they should confirm current awarding and partnership arrangements directly on the latest GCM course pages before applying.
The tuition fee varies by subject and student category. For example, the BA in Management currently lists tuition of €4,500 per academic year for local and EU students and €6,100 per academic year for international students, with separate application, registration, and visa-support charges where applicable. The MBA currently lists a tuition fee of €9,000 for both local/EU and international students, plus applicable application, registration, and visa-support charges.
3. University of Malta
Tracing its origin to the founding of the Collegium Melitense in 1592, the University of Malta (UM) is currently home to about 11,500 students. Of them, around a thousand are international students hailing from 92 different countries. The public university is primarily based in Msida but also has campuses in Valletta, Marsaxlokk, and Gozo. Its academic entities include 14 faculties, 16 institutes, 11 centers, and three schools. It ranks in the 801–1000 band in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2026.
Tuition for non-EU students varies by program. Some undergraduate programs, such as the BSc in Nursing, list tuition of €5,400 per academic year, while several arts and business degrees, such as the BA in Fine Arts and BCom in Business and Enterprise, list €8,500 per academic year. Taught master’s programs also vary: for example, the MA in Information Policy and Governance lists €5,400 in each of the first two years, while the MSc in Sustainable Energy lists €6,700 in each of the first two years. Students should always check the current fee shown on the individual University of Malta course page before applying.
4. American University of Malta
- Tuition Fees
- Tuition Fees: from €8,000/year (Undergraduate) | from €8,000/year (Online Master’s) | from €10,000/year (On-Campus Master’s) | from €8,000/year (Full-Time Ph.D.)
The American University of Malta (AUM) is an American-style private university in Bormla, also known as Cospicua. The university currently lists undergraduate programs in areas such as accounting, business, engineering, game development, graphic design and animation, and software engineering. It also lists several graduate programs, including MBA, computer science, cyber security, engineering management, advanced mechanical engineering, and tourism and hospitality management options, along with doctoral-level study.
AUM’s tuition varies by level, field, and delivery mode. The current tuition page lists undergraduate arts and sciences programs at €8,000 per year and undergraduate engineering programs at €9,000 per year. Graduate tuition is listed at €10,000 per year for on-campus MSc and MA programs and €8,000 per year for online MSc and MA programs. The MBA is listed at €12,000 per year on campus and €10,000 per year online. Ph.D. tuition is listed at €8,000 per year full-time and €4,000 per year part-time. AUM also links to scholarship and funding information, so students should confirm current scholarship availability and conditions directly with the university.
We hope that this article on cheap universities in Malta was helpful! To know more about studying abroad, make sure to check out the Available Programs in Europe for International Students!
