UM is committed to ensure equitable and transparent admissions policies and practices being cognisant that this will advance institutional values and mission while increasing student satisfaction.
Webinars are conducted in collaboration with the Students Advisory Services (SAS) to facilitate the application process for prospective applicants. Another set of webinars is conducted for foundation students applying for undergraduate degrees. Furthermore, prospective applicants may find helpful advice online through audio and visual resources such as the Prospective Applicants Vodcast or through a booklet that serves as Guidance for Applicants. UM’s undergraduate prospectus for 2022 and 2023 was officially published in July 2022 while the postgraduate prospectus for 2021 and 2022 was published in May 2021 with a clear responsiveness to industry demands. The prospectus exhibits clearly and in a transparent manner the entry requirements for each programme of study and is available both in print and online format. It also includes comprehensive information about admission procedures, resources and support services.
It is noteworthy that the Office of the Registrar works in collaboration with the Student Recruitment Office (forming part of the Marketing, Communications & Alumni Office) and regularly provides its expertise in the field of overseas qualifications and other tools, such as access to SIMS and communication portals to help the Student Recruitment Office operate effectively and reach out to a wider range of prospective international applicants. The Student Recruitment Office organises regular webinars to attract international and local students.
During the past years, the University has been enjoying an increase in the number of accepted postgraduate applicants, whilst during the latest intake, there was a rise in the number of accepted Non-EU/Non-EEA students as a result of various integrated marketing efforts. The University strives to offer a range of different programmes in various areas of academic expertise in order to attract individuals from different sectors of the population with the aim of filling the gaps within the market. One of UM’s social responsibilities is to offer programmes of study in line with the needs of the industry and society in general, both on a national and international level. Bridge Education is also an item on the University’s agenda especially for areas which are continuously evolving due to the nature of the profession. The University believes that micro-credentials must be given more importance and provide a way forward in the higher education sector. In response to the notion that life-long learning brings with it work-life balance struggles, the University has adopted new modes of teaching such as online classes and blended learning.
To support this approach of life-long learning, the University embarked on the process of offering Continuing Professional Development that has gradually spread among the various FICS over the last few years. Moreover, the Doctoral School which was set-up in 2017 launched a Professional Development Programme in 2019 which aims to better individual doctoral students into a community of leading researchers, helping them develop a broad range of skills and knowledge that can be applied across a wide variety of careers within and outside academia. The Centre for the Liberal Arts and Sciences has proven to be a huge success in the implementation of this vision since the number of registered students for micro-credentials remains consistently on the increase over the years. In this same vein, seeking to facilitate life-long learning opportunities the University approved a new flexible attendance mode, where students are able to spread the duration of an existing programme workload on more years than the full-time or the traditional part-time routes.
The Office of the Registrar continuously seeks to improve its application process to make it more user-friendly. Through the years, the technical team responsible for this task has changed the user interface to reflect the new UM branding. The application has also been updated to accommodate web responsiveness in order for the application to be accessed by multiple devices of different screen sizes. All the online application facilities have the convenience of a secure payment gateway facility at the end of the process.
The University of Malta has five entry points in order for applicants to submit their application to join a programme at this tertiary level institution. The majority of students join the University in October, whilst a smaller number of students is normally accepted to commence their studies in February. Applications for doctoral students and Master by Research programmes are also accepted to commence in October, December, February, April and June.
The University of Malta has designed different types of online application forms in order to cater for the different needs and requirements of applicants in line with the programme types indicated below:
| Programme Type | Online Application Form | Availabilty |
| Undergraduate/Postgraduate | um.edu.mt/apply | Normally available in December of the previous year |
| Doctoral programme (MQF Level 8) | um.edu.mt/apply | Available all year round |
| Programme in the Liberal Arts and Sciences* | Link published on um.edu.mt/clas |
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| Visiting & Auditing students applying for specific study-unit/s offered and advertised bby the respective Faculty/Institute/Centre/School* | Link published on the homepage of the respective Faculty/Institute/Centre/School. |
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| Visiting & Auditing students interested in the following study-units for their personal knowledge or their career advancement* | Link is provided to the applicant by the Office of the Registar. | Available all year |
| Short-course Awards | Link is provided to the applicant by the Office of the Registar. |
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| Erasmus+ Exchange (incoming students) | Link is provided to the applicant by the International Office. |
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The online application and the admissions process fall under the remit of the Office of the Registrar. All the information submitted by the applicants is stored within the Student Information Management System also known as SIMS. In the past years, the SIMS Office in conjunction with the Admissions & Records Office have transitioned from tedious and time-consuming manual processes into more automated solutions in order to offer a better service to their applicants. Consequently, the vetting of the admission applications and subsequent letter of acceptances are being processed at a faster response rate.
When designing new online forms, the University always ensures that the applications are inclusive and support the diversity of our community in terms of variables such as gender, disability or medical conditions and privacy issues that applicants or current students might have. The collection of data and the consequent use and storage is regulated by GDPR legislation. The Office of the Registrar liaises constantly with UM’s Data Protection Officer and seeks legal guidance regarding sensitive issues. An Access Arrangements Application Form is available through students’ eSIMS portal where students can apply for their Course and Exam Access Arrangements.
Once an application is submitted through the online application facility, the Admissions & Records Office starts the evaluation process. The applications are divided into two main categories, namely applicants in possession of local qualifications and applicants in possession of foreign qualifications. The application and evaluation process takes place according to an established Standard Operating Procedure (ZAR-007 - Procedure for the Evaluation of Local Applications) and varies depending on the following factors:
The University Admissions Board was set up by the Senate to:
Following the vetting of applications submitted, the Assistant Registrar responsible for the admissions process identifies the cases that need to be discussed by the Board, including but not limited to:
This Board is chaired by the Pro-Rector for Academic Affairs, the Academic Registrar, three appointed members of the academic staff and a student representative.
The Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) is the process of recognising learning obtained through formal, non-formal and informal learning other than the mainstream certification. Prior learning can also include the acquisition of competences gained through educational institutions such as schools, colleges, workplaces, life and work experiences, or even through personal interests.
Prospective applicants are directed to the Students Advisory Services (SAS) in order to commence the RPL process and identify the learning outcomes achieved through prior certified and experiential learning. Applicants are advised to start this process eight months ahead of the deadline for submission of applications. The University’s Policy for the Recognition and Accreditation of Prior Learning (RPL) and Facilitation of Access to University Courses is available online.
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) Process [PDF]
The RPL Policy aims to guide departments in managing the process of recognition and accreditation of prior learning by providing a set of core principles and key features intended to ensure consistency and transparency in the application of the principles of RPL across the University. Applicants are guided to demonstrate how outcomes obtained as a result of prior learning are consistent with the educational requirements or aims of the programme to which the applicant is seeking acceptance and/or exemption. Furthermore, the prior learning presented should be at the appropriate academic level and would need to match the learning outcomes required by the relevant programme.
As part of the European Higher Education Area, UM defines learning in terms of its outcomes in different contexts and for different purposes. Learning outcomes are understood as a common language between education and the world of work. In this regard, UM ensures that the credit awarded for prior learning is of an equivalent value and level to credit achieved from taught programmes by evaluating the applicants’ portfolio vis-à-vis the learning outcomes of the particular programme. The learning outcomes of any programme would have initially been approved by the Programme Validation Committee (PVC) who in turn follows the guidance in the Referencing Report (2016).
Upon acceptance, all University of Malta students are given access to activate their UM IT Account. This account gives the students access to various online services including:
During the first week of October, a number of meetings are organised by different Offices within the University in order to convey important information to University freshers in order to help them settle down in a short period of time. Various meetings are held with newly accepted students including:
The programme for Freshers’ week and the information given during these meetings is always available online on the respective websites. During this week, various local companies and public entities book a stand on campus where they can market their companies or offer their services to students. Moreover, various UM offices would organise games and competitions in order to attract these freshers during their first days at the University.
Another recent milestone in the development of student services at the University of Malta is the setting up of the Help Hub. The aim of this service is to have a one-stop-shop for all students, where they can be assisted without having to visit different offices in order to seek help. This is another useful service particularly for freshers. A Student Coordinator to operate the Help Hub has been approved and appointed by the Council.
In today’s digital age, the University strives to offer a number of online facilities in order to provide a more efficient service. With the activation of their UM account, University students can enjoy a wide number of services at their fingertips, 24/7. The technical offices within the University are always in search of adopting new and efficient ways of improving the virtual services offered such as: