Students who failed to obtain the MATSEC University entry requirements will not be given a second chance when they take their resits in December, meaning a number of them will have to leave university.

The rule was introduced this year because of changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The academic year began in mid-October when students had not yet received their September MATSEC results and the University allowed students to enrol for their preferred programme of studies on condition they obtained the minimum requirements in their first sitting.

In the past, students could sit for exams in May or September, with both results counting towards their admission into the University of Malta.

But, this year, with exams moved to September and December, the exam body and the University decided that those students who do not obtain the necessary points in the first session must quit their course and try again next year.

Points obtained during the December session, also known as the resit session, will not count, Times of Malta can confirm, a decision that was taken by the University Senate.

“The indecisiveness and constant backtracking has not only taken a toll on the collective health of most students (who have, frankly, been left to fend for themselves in the long term absence of any direct communication or guidance) but has now proved itself an unfair obstacle to this year’s students,” student Timmy Camilleri said.

Camilleri has started a petition in an attempt to change the education authorities’ minds on the matter. Over 800 have already signed it.

The university explains

Yet, while many insist the decision is unfair, the University told Times of Malta the students were aware of the fact before the scholastic year commenced in October.

“Given that the academic year (with some minor exceptions) commenced in mid-October, when students had not yet received their results, the University made arrangements to allow students to enrol for their preferred programme of studies on condition they would obtain a minimum of 36 points in the first sitting.

“All students were aware that failure in obtaining a minimum of 36 points during the exams held in September/October would lead to their withdrawal from the course of study,” a University spokesperson said.

Asked by Times of Malta why the December session was still being held if it would not allow students to continue with their studies, the University spokesperson said she could not say.

Instead, she referred Times of Malta to MATSEC. By the time of going to print, no reply had been received from the examining board.

The university also issued another statement on Thursday, saying various webinars were held throughout the summer to keep students well-informed,

"The Matriculation Examination is usually held in May, followed by another session in September. This year, the two sessions of May and September were amalgamated into one special session held in September, with the resit session being held in December 2020.

"In previous years, there were a number of students who would sit for an examination for the first time in September. If they failed, they would not have had a resit session in the same academic year. In the same way, this year, Sixth Form students who registered for the September session (without having registered for any subject in the May session) are not eligible for a resit in the same academic year.

"In view of all this, the University revised and drastically reduced the entry requirements for the majority of courses for the academic year October 2020," it said.

It issued the table (below) to compare the usual admission requirements to those applicable for October 2020 only: 

Freshers who commenced their first year of studies on 19 October 2020 were individually informed, through their letter of acceptance, that they were being admitted provisionally subject to obtaining the minimum of 36 points as highlighted in the table. They were also informed that should they not meet this requirement, they would be withdrawn from the course, the university said.

Meanwhile, students with a minimum of 36 points can progress with their studies on probation. "Normally, students who fail a small number of credits in their first year of studies are still afforded the opportunity to proceed to second year, whereas students on probation, who are benefiting from the special concessions introduced by UM this year will not be able to proceed with their studies unless they successfully complete all their first-year modules," it added. 

The December session will be a resit session primarily for those who obtained the 36 points and wishes their current status within the course they were provisionally admitted to be switched to that of a regular student.

Students on probation who successfully complete their first year of studies will be able to continue as regular students.

Students who obtained less than 36 points and are eligible to sit for the December session, can still opt to do these resits with the aim of obtaining a better result. These results will then count for their admission to University in October 2021.