Study in Malta from Bangladesh
An English-speaking EU country with mid-range tuition, Mediterranean living costs, and a growing Bangladeshi student community. Students who want an English-medium EU degree without Western European tuition, especially in business, IT, and hospitality.
Last reviewed July 2026. Verify all details on the official sources listed below.
Quick overview
Malta at a glance
Key planning facts for Bangladeshi students. Costs are estimates in BDT.
Visa type
Long-Stay National (D) Visa
Best for
English-medium EU study on a budget
Tuition range
৳8.5L to ৳15.5L per year
Living cost
৳9.5L to ৳12L per year
Visa fee
Verify current fee and submission channel
Application fee
৳8,000 to ৳20,000 per institution
Visa appointment
Via VFS Global in Dhaka — verify current routing
Insurance
Required for the visa, about €150–€300/year
Main intake
October, with a February intake at many institutions
Work opportunity
20 hrs/week after the first 90 days
Scholarship chance
Limited — budget full cost
Why this country
Why Bangladeshi students choose Malta
Popular subjects include Business & MBA, Computer Science, Nursing & Health, Finance & Economics.
English is an official language — lectures, paperwork, and daily life all run in English
EU member state: a Maltese degree is recognised across Europe and the residence permit is a Schengen foothold
Tuition and living costs sit well below the UK and Ireland for a comparable English-medium education
The University of Malta dates to 1592 and anchors a small but real higher-education sector regulated by MFHEA
Mediterranean climate and an established Bangladeshi community in and around Valletta
Students may work 20 hours per week after the first 90 days of legal stay
Admission
University admission process
Understand the admission path before you start the visa process.
Admission requirements
- HSC for bachelor's programs; a relevant bachelor's degree for master's
- IELTS 6.0 or equivalent; some institutions accept a medium-of-instruction letter or run their own English test
- Transcripts and certificates in English
- Proof of tuition deposit payment for the final acceptance letter
- Clean passport validity covering the full study period
Check the institution's licence
Only apply to institutions licensed by MFHEA (Malta Further and Higher Education Authority). An admission letter from an unlicensed school cannot support a visa.
Apply with your documents
Submit transcripts, passport copy, and English evidence directly to the university or institute. Offers usually arrive within 2 to 4 weeks.
Pay the deposit
Most Maltese institutions ask for a tuition deposit or the first instalment before issuing the final acceptance letter used in the visa file.
Arrange accommodation
The visa application asks for proof of accommodation in Malta, so book university housing or a rental agreement before applying.
Open the visa application
Apply for the long-stay D visa with the acceptance letter, accommodation proof, funds evidence, and insurance.
Estimated cost
Estimated full cost from Bangladesh
Plan beyond tuition. These are planning estimates in BDT and can change. Verify official fees before applying.
Tuition
€7,000 to €13,000; University of Malta non-EU rates sit mid-range
Living cost
€650 to €850/month; shared flats keep it at the low end
Visa fee and processing
long-stay D visa via VFS Dhaka
Health insurance
€150 to €300, required for the visa
English test (if required)
Duolingo to IELTS; MOI letters accepted at some institutions
Document preparation
Flight
one way, usually via a Gulf hub
Emergency buffer
First year planning range
৳17L to ৳26L for the first year
Full masters degree
৳28L to ৳45L for a 1.5 to 2 year masters
Maltese master's programs run 1 to 2 years and bachelor's 3 years, following the Bologna structure. Scholarships for non-EU students are scarce, so budget the full sticker price. The real financial lever in Malta is the 20-hour work right and the low cost of shared housing outside the St Julian's tourist belt.
Disclaimer. These figures are estimates for planning only. Visa fees and living cost rules change. Confirm current amounts on the official sources before you apply.
Visa process
Student visa process step by step
From admission letter to the final decision for the Long-Stay National (D) Visa for Studies.
Collect the acceptance letter
The final acceptance letter from an MFHEA-licensed institution, issued after the deposit, is the anchor document.
Book accommodation and insurance
A rental agreement or university housing confirmation plus health insurance covering Malta are both mandatory in the file.
Prepare the financial file
Bank statements showing tuition plus roughly €800 per month of living funds, with a clear source. Maltese caseworkers scrutinise Bangladeshi files closely, so document everything.
Submit at VFS in Dhaka
Malta has no embassy in Dhaka; applications are currently routed through VFS Global. Verify the current arrangement before booking, as the handling mission can change.
Wait for the decision
Processing commonly takes 4 to 10 weeks in peak season. Apply at least 3 months before your intake.
Apply for the residence permit after arrival
Within your first weeks in Malta, apply to Identità (the residence agency) for the study residence permit card.
Health insurance covering Malta for the full stay is mandatory for the visa, typically €150 to €300 per year for student policies. After arrival, keep the policy active for residence permit renewals; Malta's public health system covers students only in limited emergency situations.
Applications from Bangladesh are currently submitted through VFS Global in Dhaka, since Malta has no resident embassy there. The handling arrangement has changed before, so verify the current channel on the Identità and VFS websites before you book. Allow 4 to 10 weeks for processing.
Show funds covering your remaining tuition plus roughly €800 per month of living cost for the year. There is no fixed published formula like the UK's, which means the caseworker judges plausibility, and that makes a clean 6-month statement history and a documented source matter more, not less. Refusal rates for weak Bangladeshi files are real; over-document rather than under-document.
Documents
Document checklist
Your document set changes with degree level, funding type, and profile. Use this as a planning base.
Academic documents
- Transcripts and certificates
- English evidence (IELTS, Duolingo, or MOI letter)
- CV for postgraduate programs
Personal documents
- Valid passport
- Schengen-spec photos
- Police clearance certificate if requested
Financial documents
- Bank statements covering tuition + about €800/month
- Tuition deposit payment receipt
- Sponsor declaration if a parent funds you
Sponsor documents
- Sponsor's bank statements and income proof
- Relationship evidence (birth certificate for parents)
University documents
- Final acceptance letter from an MFHEA-licensed institution
Visa documents
- D visa application form
- Accommodation proof in Malta
- Health insurance policy
- Visa fee receipt
Intake timeline
October is the main intake, matching the EU academic year. Many private institutes and the University of Malta also admit in February. Language and foundation programs roll more frequently.
Start 6 to 8 months early. Apply to institutions by March or April for October entry, pay the deposit by May, and lodge the visa file by June or July. Peak-season processing stretches, and late visa files are the top reason students defer to February.
Work rights
Students may work up to 20 hours per week after the first 90 days of their stay, with an employment licence arranged through the employer. Hospitality and iGaming companies hire English-speaking students year-round. Wages will not cover tuition, but they meaningfully offset living costs.
Post study options
Graduates of Maltese institutions can apply to stay and look for work for a limited period after finishing, and iGaming, financial services, and IT firms sponsor non-EU hires regularly. Rules on the job-search stay have shifted several times; verify the current scheme with Identità before you plan around it.
Malta offers little scholarship money to non-EU students. A few institutions give small merit discounts, and the Malta Government Scholarships target mostly EU residents. Plan on paying the full cost, and treat the 20-hour work right plus low shared-housing costs as your funding strategy.
Avoid these
Common mistakes
Small planning errors that often delay or weaken an application.
Applying to an institution that is not MFHEA-licensed and losing the visa on that basis alone
Submitting a thin financial file — Malta judges plausibility, and weak Bangladeshi files get refused often
Booking flights before the D visa decision, which routinely takes over two months in summer
Renting in the St Julian's tourist zone and blowing the living budget in the first semester
Preparation risk
Refusal risk factors
Areas to prepare carefully. Strong preparation lowers your risk.
Unexplained deposits or an undocumented sponsor in the financial file
Weak study logic, such as a program unrelated to your academic history
Prior Schengen refusals left undeclared on the application
Verify here
Official source links
Always confirm fees, rules, and timelines on the official websites before applying.
Last reviewed July 2026. Confidence level: medium.
FAQ
Malta student visa questions
Answers to common questions from Bangladeshi students.
Malta publishes no official per-country approval statistics, but agent-circulated claims of 90%+ success are marketing, not data. Refusals of Bangladeshi files happen regularly and almost always trace to the financial file: unexplained deposits, missing source documents, or an implausible sponsor. Strong files — MFHEA-licensed admission, paid deposit, 6 months of clean bank history, accommodation booked, insurance in place — get approved routinely. Focus on file quality, not on success-rate promises.
Disclaimer. VisaMapBD provides general educational planning information only. It is not legal, immigration, admission, or financial advice. Visa rules, fees, and requirements can change anytime. Always verify details from official embassy, immigration, university, and VFS websites before applying.