Situated at Tal-Qroqq, it is the highest teaching institution of the State by which it is mainly financed and is open to all those who have the requisite qualifications. The supreme governing bodies of the University are the Council and the Senate. There are some 10,000 students including over 600 foreign/exchange students from over 60 different countries, following full-time or part-time degree and diploma courses, many of them run on the modular or credit system.  A basic Foundation Studies Course enables international high school students who have completed their secondary or high school education overseas but who do not have the necessary entry requirements, to qualify for admission to an undergraduate degree course at the University of Malta.  The University is geared towards the infrastructural and industrial needs of the country so as to provide expertise in crucial fields. Over 2,700 students graduate in various disciplines annually.  The degree courses at the University are designed to produce highly qualified professionals, with experience of research, who will play key roles in industry, commerce and public affairs in general.  There are a further 2,800 pre-tertiary students at the Junior College which is also managed by the University.  

The University today has twelve faculties: Arts; the Built Environment; Dental Surgery; Economics, Management & Accountancy; Education; Engineering; Health Sciences; Information & Communication Technology; Laws; Medicine & Surgery; Science and Theology.  A number of interdisciplinary institutes and centres have been set up in various fields.  These include Anglo-Italian Studies, Baroque Studies, Sustainable Energy, Criminology, Earth Systems (which incorporates the Euro-Mediterranean Centre on Insular Coastal Dynamics), Linguistics, Maltese Studies, Public Administration and Management, Physical Education & Sport, Mediterranean Institute, the Edward de Bono Institute for the Design & Development of Thinking, the Institute of Sustainable Development, the Institute for Islands and Small States Studies and the Institute for Tourism, Travel and Culture. The centres comprise: Centre for Communication Technology, the European Centre for Gerontology, Euro-Mediterranean Centre for Educational Research, Centre for Environmental Education and Research, Centre for Family Studies, European Centre for Educational Resilience & Socio-Emotional Health, Centre for Labour Studies, Centre for Literacy and the European Documentation and Research Centre which incorporates the European Documentation Centre established to serve as a repository of European Community documents as well as a resource centre for students and the general public.   

A campus on Malta’s sister-island, Gozo, offers part-time evening degree courses in Arts and Commerce and facilitates short courses and seminars.  Associated with the University is the Mediterranean Academy of Diplomatic Studies which was established by special agreement with the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva.  The main campus is also home to the IMO International Maritime Law Institute (IMLI) and the International Ocean Institute Malta Operational Centre (IOI-MOC).  The public response to the University of the Third Age has been very encouraging with membership constantly on the increase and all activities being well attended.  

There are a number of fields which the University has identified as priority areas.  Chief among these, are relations with industry and the strengthening of the Engineering departments; the further development of information technology, computer science and artificial intelligence; the University’s contribution to the improvement of primary and secondary education and the forging of inter-university links to stimulate international educational exchange.                          

The Malta University Holding Company Ltd MUHC embodies the commercial interests of the University of Malta.  The companies comprised in the Holding Company serve as the commercial interface between the University of Malta and the business community, brokering the resources and assets of the University to provide added value through commercial activity. The Malta University Holding Company Ltd provides strategic direction and corporate support to the companies within the Group. The MUHC is located in the original university building in Valletta which dates back to the founding of the Collegium Melitense (the forerunner of the university) in 1592. The Valletta Campus serves as a venue for International Conferences, seminars, short courses and Summer Schools organised by the University’s Conference & Events Unit. It also hosts the University’s International Master’s Programmes.

The University of Malta is a member of the European Universities Association, the European Access Network, the Association of Commonwealth Universities, the Utrecht Network, the Santander Network, the Compostela Group and the International Student Exchange Programme (ISEP). Over the years, the University has participated in a number of EU Programmes and has won projects under the various Framework programmes in collaboration with several partner universities.