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Business|Economy

Foreign tertiary student numbers surge 27.4% in Malta

Foreign tertiary student numbers surge 27.4% in Malta

NSO data shows foreign students now make up 42.7% of tertiary enrolments, with business and health dominating fields of study.

EV
Editorial Staff6 November 2026

The number of foreign students enrolled in Malta's tertiary education jumped 27.4% in the 2024-2025 academic year, according to data released by the National Statistics Office.

Foreign students now account for 10,513 enrolments, or 42.7% of all tertiary students. Non-EU nationals make up 26.7% of the total, while EU nationals represent 16.0%.

“Foreign students now account for 10,513 enrolments, or 42.7% of all tertiary students.”

Total tertiary enrolment reached 24,647 students, with post-secondary numbers at 10,886, a 4.7% increase over the previous year.

Business, administration and law remains the dominant field, attracting 7,885 students or 32.0% of the tertiary total. Health and welfare follows with 5,917 students, or 24.0%.

The least popular field was "Generic programmes and qualifications" with just 0.1% uptake.

Males outnumbered females in post-secondary education by 2.7 percentage points, while the reverse held at tertiary level, where women led by 8.3 percentage points.

Full-time tertiary students numbered 18,484, or 75.0% of the total. Part-time enrolments grew 3.0% year-on-year.

The largest age cohort in tertiary education was 20 to 24 years old, representing 38.9% of students.

Bachelor's level (ISCED 6) accounted for 49.7% of tertiary students, followed by Master's level (ISCED 7) at 32.7%. Maltese students dominated both levels.

At short-cycle tertiary (ISCED 5) and doctoral (ISCED 8) levels, foreign nationals were the majority, at 57.5% and 72.9% respectively.

State-run institutions enrolled 67.4% of Bachelor's students and 55.0% of Master's students. Independent institutions dominated short-cycle and doctoral programmes, enrolling 78.5% and 69.3% respectively.

Fields with the highest concentration of Maltese students included "Agriculture, forestry, fisheries and veterinary" at 94.1%, and "Education" at 93.8%.

For Malta's business community, the continued growth in foreign student numbers signals sustained demand for accommodation, services, and part-time employment. The dominance of business and health programmes also points to where local employers may find future talent.