The American University of Malta has had its university licence extended for another five years.

This means it can continue to operate and advertise itself as a tertiary educational institute until at least 2027.

The information was given in Parliament by Education Minister Clifton Grima in reply to a parliamentary question by Nationalist MP Rebekah Borg.

The AUM was first given a licence in 2016 as part of a deal that would see it develop two separate campuses and enrol thousands of students.

But those plans have gone up in smoke as its plans for a second campus are history. It only enrolled a handful of students and this past summer it dramatically changed course by allowing Maltese students to enrol for free. 

The AUM argues that the obligations that were imposed on it back in 2016 will only kick in once it has developed two separate campuses, as stipulated in that agreement.

The AUM's original licence expired in 2021 but it was then given a one-year extension.

The government never explained that decision, and, in the ensuing months, Prime Minister Robert Abela announced that rather than develop a campus at Żonqor, the AUM would be (eventually) setting up a campus at Smart City.

According to The Shift, it will be getting the Smart City land at a bargain bucket price of 47c per square metre.