Stipends will stay and will only be strengthened – Education Minister
€135 million invested in student stipends and grants over four years
The Education Minister on Friday insisted students stipend will continue “because we want the best for our children”.
Hitting back at calls for university stipends to be replaced with targeted grants and scholarships, Clifton Grima said that the government had invested over €135 million in the past four years in grants and stipends and plans to “continue investing” in the system.
“Stipends will remain, and not only remain but continue to be strengthened,” the minister said.
Speaking at a press conference, Grima said applications for stipends and grants for the 2025/2026 academic year will open on Monday, September 29.
He revealed that eligibility bands for supplementary grants had been extended and are now expected to benefit around 350 more students.
The minister pointed out that this year’s call would push the total investment in stipends and grants well beyond €135 million, adding it confirmed the “government’s commitment to support students and their families financially during a crucial stage in their education”.
During the 2023/24 academic year, higher stipends were introduced for a number of new courses amounting to an investment of €6.5 million over three years benefitting over 4,000 students so far.
Further reforms were introduced in 2024/25 with an improved stipend classification for courses at MCAST (Level 4 of the Malta Qualifications Framework) and the University of Malta (Level 6). This was the second year that MCAST students reading MQF Level 4 courses were entitled to higher stipend rates.
“No student should be left behind, including for financial reasons,” Grima said.
“The best investment we can make is in our country’s greatest resource – our human resource. By supporting students, we are also strengthening the skills and competencies needed for our economy.”
Horace Laudi, chairperson of the Student Maintenance Grants Board, said reforms were ongoing, with more courses approved in recent months as prescribed courses, qualifying students for higher stipends.
Urging students to apply early, Laudi said that applications submitted by the end of December 2025 will ensure stipends are awarded from the start of the academic year.
Applications for the 2025/26 academic year open on Monday, September 29 at 10am.