The Malta Further and Higher Education Authority (MFHEA) licenses providers and accredits programmes in Malta, and places a programme on the Malta Qualifications Framework (MQF), which has eight levels and is referenced to the European Qualifications Framework (EQF). Provider licensing is stated by MFHEA as taking approximately 6 to 12 months, and a new entity applying for programme accreditation applies for provider accreditation at the same time. Because Malta is an EU member state, an MFHEA-accredited programme carries an EU-recognised level, which is why UK providers use this route after Brexit.
Two things get accredited: the provider and the programme
MFHEA accreditation has two parts, and confusing them is where plans go wrong. First the provider is licensed, which is recognition that the organisation is fit to deliver further or higher education in Malta. Then the programme is accredited, which places a specific course on the Malta Qualifications Framework at a level. A new entity seeking programme accreditation applies for provider accreditation at the same time, so the two run together rather than in sequence.
The framework is the Malta Qualifications Framework, the MQF, which has eight levels and is formally referenced to the European Qualifications Framework, the EQF. That reference is the whole commercial point for many providers: a level on the MQF is readable across the EU through the EQF, which a UK framework no longer is automatically after Brexit.
Timeline and what drives it
MFHEA states that provider licensing takes approximately 6 to 12 months, depending on the quality of the submission and the complexity of the application. Programme accreditation runs alongside it for a new entity. The spread between six and twelve months is largely a function of submission quality, which is the part a provider controls. A submission that meets the criteria the first time moves; one that generates rounds of queries adds weeks each time.
| Element | In Malta |
|---|---|
| Authority | Malta Further and Higher Education Authority (MFHEA) |
| Framework | Malta Qualifications Framework (MQF), 8 levels, referenced to the EQF |
| What is accredited | The provider (licence) and the programme (accreditation), together for a new entity |
| Stated timeline | Provider licensing approximately 6 to 12 months (MFHEA) |
| EU recognition | An MQF level is referenced to the EQF, so it is readable across the EU |
The entity requirement
MFHEA requires a provider licence applicant to be a body corporate registered in Malta, with a legal representative based there. For a UK provider that usually means forming and running a Maltese company to hold the licence, which is a real operation with substance, not a shell. This is the part that most often surprises UK providers, and it is covered in full in our guide on whether you need a Maltese company for MFHEA.
- Provider licence and programme accreditation applied for together for a new entity.
- A Maltese body corporate with a legal representative based in Malta.
- Programme documented at the MQF level, with outcomes, assessment and evidence.
- Current criteria confirmed with MFHEA before submission.
What it is, and is not
MFHEA accreditation concerns the recognition and level of a qualification. It does not grant an automatic right to practise a regulated profession, which runs through separate EU rules, and no accreditation guarantees enrolments. It gives a programme a level a European employer, regulator or learner can read, which is what makes it buyable across the single market.
Where we fit
We run this route end to end: the Maltese company, the provider licence, the programme built to the MQF level, the submission, and the quality assurance that keeps recognition afterwards. We are a consultancy, not a regulator or an awarding organisation, and we do not award qualifications ourselves. We confirm the current requirements with MFHEA before we submit, and we cannot guarantee the outcome, only the quality of the work and the way it is managed.
Common questions
What is the difference between provider and programme accreditation?
Provider licensing recognises that the organisation is fit to deliver further or higher education in Malta. Programme accreditation places a specific course on the MQF at a level. A new entity applies for both at the same time.
How long does MFHEA accreditation take?
MFHEA states provider licensing takes approximately 6 to 12 months, depending on the quality of the submission and the complexity of the application. Submission quality is the main variable, and it is the one you control.
Do I need a Maltese company for MFHEA?
In most cases yes. MFHEA requires a provider licence applicant to be a body corporate registered in Malta with a legal representative based there. We form and administer that entity as part of the route.
Why do UK providers use Malta?
Because Malta is an EU member state and the MQF is referenced to the EQF, an MFHEA-accredited programme carries a level readable across the EU, which a UK framework no longer carries automatically after Brexit.
Do you award the Maltese qualification?
No. We build the programme to the MQF level and manage it through MFHEA to a decision, and we run the Maltese entity the licence needs. We are a consultancy, not a regulator or an awarding organisation.
FreeCourse diagnostic
Send us one course. We'll tell you what it needs, free.
Share one course or programme you already run, or the slides and notes behind it. After a short first call, we review it at no charge and send you a written note on what it needs and which package fits, within a few working days.
- One course or programme, reviewed by a named person
- A written note on what it needs
- The package that fits, so you know where to start
- No charge and no obligation
Get in touch
Tell us what you want recognised.
Send a short note on what you are trying to get recognised, who it is for and any deadline. We will come back with the route, the standards that apply and what the work involves.
Prefer to write instead?
Send an enquiry
Takes about a minute. It reaches us directly.
We use what you send here only to answer your enquiry. See the privacy notice.