The University of Malta welcomed 4,300 new students on Monday, with MCAST adding 3,800 and a further 1,100 joining the Junior College, as a new academic year officially got under way.

New students gathered at the campuses of their respective institutions, where rectors and dignitaries gave speeches and welcomed the new young scholars.

At the University, more than 2,671 of the new students will be following undergraduate courses, while over 1,638 students will be reading for postgraduate degrees.

There will be a total of 11,809 students enrolled at the University of Malta this year, following a total of 947 courses. 60 per cent of the student population is female.  

The University campus will host a total of 1460 international students from 123 countries this year. Over in Paola, MCAST attracted 1,600 applications from students across 87 different countries.

MCAST students and lecturers attend an opening ceremony to mark the start of the academic year. Photo: MCAST

Education Minister Clifton Grima spoke to MCAST students during that college’s opening ceremony, noting that the vocational college had seen a 17 per cent uptick in admission figures over 2021.

In a press release, the Institute of Tourism Studies also said that it had broken admission records this year, increasing its 2021 record uptake of full-timers by 8 per cent.