Birkirkara college offers full scholarships to IEU students told to leave Malta

A private college is offering full scholarships to students of an educational institution who were told to leave the country after their school lost its licence following an audit by authorities.

Students accepting the scholarships offered by Knights College will see their visas renewed under an arrangement agreed with residency agency Identità, the college said.

Earlier this week, students of the now-defunct International European University (IEU) Malta campus spoke of their “heartbreak” at being told to immediately leave the country after the IEU lost its licence following an audit. 

The students’ plight garnered support from the students’ union, which called for their visas to be reinstated, and the Chamber of SMEs, which stressed that “immediate action must be taken to protect students’ interests”.

And on Friday, Birkirkara-based Knights College, formerly the Central Mediterranean Business School, announced it was offering full scholarships to the affected students to allow them to continue their studies in Malta.

In a statement, the college said it would offer students three accredited diplomas in business management, hospitality and adult care, described as “a fresh admission opportunity, not a continuation of IEU programmes”.

It emphasised that entry requirements for the courses would be in line with the college’s standard requirements and that arrangements had been made to address residency issues faced by the students following consultation with authorities.

“Identità has confirmed that once students present an acceptance letter from Knights College, following customary due diligence checks, their student visas will be renewed,” the college said.

Students accepting scholarships will be asked to pay a 20% deposit “to secure their place and demonstrate commitment”, which will be fully refunded when students complete their studies, the college said.

Should a student fail to attend classes or meet the required performance standards, the deposit will be redirected to local charities or a fund for disadvantaged students, with the college not retaining any of the funds, it said.

Knights College CEO and chancellor Morgan Parnis said the offer “reflects our commitment to stand with students in difficult times, and to protect Malta’s reputation as a serious study destination”.

“Education should empower people. When students are left stranded... we believe it is our duty to live the values we speak about and provide a credible way forward,” he said.

Parnis said the school stood ready to share recommendations with education authorities “to ensure that such a situation never happens again... For now, our priority is to stand with those who have been left without a way forward”.

Knights College CEO and chancellor Morgan Parnis said college tutors were ready to volunteer time to help the students. Photo: Knights College.

He added the college’s tutors were “personally invested in helping students through what is for them a very dark moment”, after several volunteered time to support the affected students, and that the college was ready to collaborate with other institutions interested in offering similar programmes to the IEU students.

Interested students can register their interest via scholarships@knights.edu.mt. The college said it stood ready to assist applicants.

Education authorities revoked the IEU’s licence earlier this month following an audit of the company, which faces a raft of complaints from students overseas who said they had lost their life savings after it failed to refund them when their visa applications were refused by Malta.

Educational consultant Shaha Alam, representing some of the students, had said his experience with IEU had left him doubting Malta’s trustworthiness, and that he would no longer recommend the country as an educational institution.

At the time of publication, the IEU was continuing to advertise bachelor's degrees in medicine and management and a master’s degree in management and business administration (MBA), while claiming to still be licenced in Malta.