The Scholarships funded through the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Tourism (MFT) are intended for students who are nationals of Small Island Developing States eligible for Official Development Assistance, to enable them to follow postgraduate programmes offered by the Islands and Small States Institute (ISSI) at the University of Malta.

Applicants who intend to apply for a scholarship must meet the entry requirements set out by the University of Malta and the conditions for joining the specific programme indicated above at the time of application. Applicants who can only be considered on a conditional basis (i.e. are not in a position to provide proof of attainment of the academic qualifications required to join the programme) at the time of application cannot be considered for the scholarship.

Applicants will be required to attend an online interview.

Applicants for other courses cannot be considered for this scholarship.

Applicants should be nationals of Small Island Developing States eligible for Official Development Assistance. Dual nationals who also hold EU/EEA or non-SIDS nationality are not eligible. 

Candidates employed in public office or working actively with NGOs in their home country will be preferred.

The scholarship holder will be requested to enter into an agreement with the University of Malta and the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Tourism (MFT) Malta, for the duration of their studies. This agreement will be binding in terms of the observation of rules and regulations of the University of Malta, to seriously engage in studies, register monthly progress with his academic tutor/coordinator and complete the set programme within the established time-frame.

The Scholarship offers an opportunity for prospective students who are nationals of Small Island Developing States eligible for Official Development Assistance to read for a PhD on Islands and Small States Studies. The aim is to provide the successful candidates with the capacity to better understand the economic, social, political, cultural and environmental dynamics in islands and small states, and to strengthen their professional knowledge to achieve higher employability. 

Scholarships are intended for students who wish to follow:

PhD (Research on Islands and Small States)

Themes for research shall be those included in the Malta’s Foreign Policy Statement and in the UM Strategic Plan 2020-2025, with core themes being: 
- sustainability; 
- security; 
- solidarity; 
- women, peace and security; 
- capacity building 
- climate and oceans; and 
- literacy

Only applicants who have obtained full acceptance will be considered for the scholarship award. 

Applicants who have a conditional acceptance cannot be considered for the award of the above scholarships. 

English Language Proficiency:
Applicants are required to present an internationally recognised English Language Proficiency Certificate at the required level.  Further information about English Language Requirements for the 2025/2026 academic year entry is available online.

English Language Proficiency Certificate must be provided by the 31st October 2025.

Two Scholarship will be awarded to two candidates registered for the PhD Programme.

These scholarships will cover:

• A total subsistence of EUR 13,200 over the whole three (3)-year Scholarship period.

This amount will be disbursed for funding the awardee’s visits to Malta (maximum 4 months per visit) and travel to other sites in which research will be conducted (maximum of 8 months).  This equates to a subsistence of EUR 1,100 per month for a total period of 12 months during which the PhD Scholarship Awardee will be mobile.  The PhD Scholarship Awardee will not be eligible for any additional subsistence or other allowance beyond the said three (3)-year period.

Where applicable, the PhD Scholarship Awardee may receive the following funding over the 3-year duration of the course to fund:

• Return economy trip to/from Malta, up to EUR 2,000.
• Insurance up to EUR 500 per year, i.e. up to EUR 1,500 for three years.
• EUR 2,000 Research allowance for a maximum of 36 months to cover costs of fieldwork for travel, training, conference fees attendance, primary data collection, software licences to analyse the data against receipts.

In the event the Scholarship Awardee requires an extension of studies after the 3^rd year of full-time studies for the PhD programme, an annual enrolment fee of EUR 600 will apply subject to approval of the extension request by the UM.

The selected students are expected to join the programme during academic year 2025/2026. The academic calendar is available online.

Doctorate Level (Islands and Small States Studies):
Doctoral candidate will be requested to follow the three study units of the Master of Arts (Research on Islands and Small States) during the first year of the studies.

The PhD Scholarship Awardee will not be required to take up permanent residence in Malta.

Interested PhD applicants are kindly requested to contact the Islands and Small States Institute by email.

The deadline to apply for the scholarship is 31st October 2025 CEST.

Applicants are to follow at two-step procedure:

1. Online Application

Applicants are to first submit an online application, settle the application fees and provide copies of their academic qualifications and all required documentation to the University of Malta.

Only applicants who have completed the online registration, including payment, will be considered. 

The online application is available here. 

2. Scholarship Application

Apart from the online application, interested candidates are to send an email addressed to the attention of the Director, International Office to be considered for the scholarships. 

The email should include:

• A letter of motivation,
• Three letters of reference
• Curriculum Vitae (kindly include mobile number)
• Proof of nationality (eligible are applicants who are nationals of Small Island Developing States eligible for Official Development Assistance) 

The subject line should indicated PhD as well as “Islands and Small States Scholarship” and it is important that students submit all documents together in one email and clearly indicate their selected course.

Documents, applications and requests that are submitted after the deadline cannot be considered.

For Academic Matters please contact the ISSI.  

For Scholarship Application / General Enquiries please contact the International Office.