Students from across globe graduate in hybrid ceremony in Valletta

The Open Institute of Technology (OPIT) held a graduation ceremony in Valletta last week, with students joining in person and virtually from across the globe. 

Hosted at the historic Casino Maltese in Valletta, the hybrid Graduation highlights Malta’s growing role as a hub for internationally oriented, EU-accredited higher education in advanced digital fields, bringing together institutional partners and sector representatives alongside graduates and families.

The event marked the successful completion of OPIT programmes across both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, including the BSc (Hons) in Computer Science, OPIT’s first Bachelor’s class to graduate, as well as the MSc in Applied Data Science and AI, MSc in Responsible Artificial Intelligence, MSc in Digital Business and Innovation, and MSc in Enterprise Cybersecurity.

OPIT is a disruptive tech-focused higher education institution based in Malta.

The institute now has around 600 students from 92 countries, up from 300+ students from 78 countries last year, and reports that around 70% of its students are working professionals employed at leading companies.

Around 120 participants attended the ceremony on site. Graduates represented some 35 countries, including Italy, Malta, Nigeria, India, the Czech Republic, Romania, Germany, the Netherlands, the UK, and the USA, reflecting OPIT’s international community and its flexible learning model.

The graduation featured a video message from Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament. At the same time, the ceremony was presided by Prof. Francesco Profumo, Rector of OPIT and former Minister, alongside OPIT founder Riccardo Ocleppo. It included contributions from industry and academic leaders such as Zorina Alliata, former Amazon AI strategist and now at Dutch tech multinational Wolters Kluwer.

“This graduation is a clear signal of where higher education must go next: flexible, rigorous, and deeply connected to the technologies shaping our societies,” Prof. Profumo said. 

“Seeing our first Bachelor’s cohort in Computer Science graduate alongside students from our Master’s programmes are a milestone for OPIT and a promise to the market: we are building talent that can lead responsibly in AI, cybersecurity, and digital innovation.”

Founder Riccardo Ocleppo said OPIT was created to unlock opportunity at a global scale. 

“This weekend in Valletta, we celebrated graduates who proved that ambition and excellence are not limited by geography, and that technology careers can be built alongside real life and real work,” he said.  

“We are especially proud that around 70% of our students are working professionals. They come to OPIT with experience, urgency, and high expectations - and our job is to give them the skills and confidence to make an immediate impact,” he added.  

Matt Symonds, Founder of QS, moderated and was on site during the weekend to interview Riccardo Ocleppo and Prof. Profumo, highlighting OPIT’s mission to expand access to high-quality, career-relevant education aligned with fast-evolving digital skills.

OPIT’s approach integrates hands-on experience with cutting-edge technology, offering a practice-oriented curriculum that bridges the gap between theory and application. 

With many students and faculty joining remotely, the event also celebrated the applied and international nature of OPIT’s learning experience across programmes built for working professionals.

More information about OPIT is available here.