For a school outside Malta, the money that goes to MFHEA is the smaller part. Its fees for a Higher Education Institution licence add up to 4,850 euro, or 5,550 euro if you teach online or blended. Then every programme is billed by the credit, at a rate set by its level, with 15 per cent on top for online delivery, so a Level 5 diploma of 60 ECTS taught online is 3,082 euro. What costs more is everything around that: a company in Malta, a building and people there, and the hours it takes to write the applications. Use an institute that is already licensed and most of that falls away, though only for the levels its licence covers.
Two ways in, and two very different bills
A school in Lagos, Lahore or Dubai has two ways to get its programme onto the Malta Qualifications Framework. It can get its own MFHEA licence, or it can put the programme through an institute that is already licensed. MFHEA charges for both, but the second route skips most of the bill.
| Cost | Your own MFHEA licence | Through a licensed partner institute |
|---|---|---|
| MFHEA licence fees | 4,850 euro for a Higher Education Institution, 5,550 euro with online or blended teaching | None. The institute already holds the licence |
| MFHEA programme fee | Per ECTS by level, plus 15 per cent online | The same fee, usually passed on to you |
| A Maltese company | Needed. The licence is held by a Maltese legal entity | Not needed |
| Premises and staff in Malta | Needed. Fully online institutions are no longer licensed | Not needed. Learners come to Malta for short classroom blocks |
| Who issues the award | You | The institute, with your school named as delivery partner |
| Levels | Whatever your licence covers | Only the levels the institute is licensed for |
Our partner institute holds a further education licence, which covers Levels 1 to 4. Anything from Level 5 up would wait on MFHEA approving its extension to higher education, so a school that needs Level 5 to 7 now is looking at its own licence.
What MFHEA charges for a licence
MFHEA's licence fees have not changed since 1 January 2024. You pay the application fee when you send Part A, and the other two are invoiced once Part A is through.
| Licence category | Levels | Application | Administration | Review visit | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Higher Education Institution | MQF 5 to 8 | 700 euro | 2,000 euro | 2,150 euro | 4,850 euro |
| Further and Higher Education Institution | MQF 1 to 8 | 700 euro | 3,000 euro | 2,150 euro | 5,850 euro |
| Further Education Institution | Up to MQF 4 | None | 1,000 euro | None | 1,000 euro |
Four extras matter more to a school based abroad than to a local one. Online or blended teaching adds 700 euro to the review fee. Each extra day of review costs 2,150 euro, plus 700 euro a day for online provision. If MFHEA brings in a reviewer from another country, you pay a daily allowance of 205 euro and the flights. And interpreters or translators are charged at cost. MFHEA's fees are not refundable, and an application goes void after three months without the documents or answers it asked for.
What MFHEA charges for each programme
MFHEA bills programmes by the credit. The first 30 credits are the dear ones and everything after is cheap, which is why a short programme costs more per credit than a long one. Teach it online or blended and a further 15 per cent goes on the bill. Below are our own sums from MFHEA's scale (in force since 1 September 2023) for the programmes we get asked about most.
| Programme | MQF level | ECTS | MFHEA fee | With online or blended delivery |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Short award | 4 | 6 | 360 euro | 414 euro |
| Certificate | 4 | 30 | 1,600 euro | 1,840 euro |
| Undergraduate diploma | 5 | 60 | 2,680 euro | 3,082 euro |
| Bachelor's degree | 6 | 180 | 5,500 euro | 6,325 euro |
| Master's degree | 7 | 90 | 4,600 euro | 5,290 euro |
Put a licence and one programme together and a school teaching a Level 5 diploma online would pay MFHEA about 8,632 euro before any extras. Through the partner route, a 30 ECTS Level 4 certificate taught online carries only the 1,840 euro programme fee.
What MFHEA's fees leave out
The fee schedule is what you pay MFHEA. For a school abroad it is rarely the biggest number. These are the costs it does not show:
- forming a Maltese company and keeping up its annual returns, if you take your own licence;
- premises in Malta, owned or leased, and the staff who work from them;
- writing the programme and the licence application, whoever does it;
- travel for your team during the review visit, and for learners coming to Malta;
- a learning platform that meets MFHEA's online rules, and any translation;
- your partner institute's charges, and consultancy fees, including ours.
One change this year matters a lot. Since 24 February 2026, MFHEA has not accepted licence applications from institutions that only teach online. You now need a real base in Malta, and for a school with one or two programmes that is usually what decides it.
What we would suggest
- Only one or two programmes, at Level 4 or below? Use a licensed institute, and the programme fee is all MFHEA charges.
- Going for Level 5 to 7, or actually planning to run something in Malta? Then the budget has to cover a licence, a company and a building, and the MFHEA fees are the easy part.
- Before paying anyone, find out what your own ministry will accept. That is not MFHEA's call.
Figures are from MFHEA's fee structure, which we checked on 28 October 2026. The worked examples are our sums, not MFHEA's quotes, and leave out VAT. We are a consultancy: MFHEA makes the decisions, not us.
Common questions
What does an MFHEA licence cost a school based abroad?
For a Higher Education Institution it is 4,850 euro, made up of 700 to apply, 2,000 for administration and 2,150 for the review visit. Add 700 if you teach online or blended. If a reviewer is flown in from abroad, you also cover 205 euro a day and the flight.
What does MFHEA charge per programme?
It is billed by the credit, at a rate that rises with the level and drops after the 30th credit. So a 60 ECTS Level 5 diploma is 2,680 euro, or 3,082 euro once the 15 per cent online charge goes on.
Can we get an MFHEA licence and teach only online?
Not any more. MFHEA stopped taking licence applications from online-only institutions on 24 February 2026, and a new provider now needs premises and staff in Malta.
Is there a cheaper way to get a Malta level?
Yes, if a licensed institute submits your programme under its licence. You would still pay the programme fee, but no licence fees, no Maltese company and no premises. The catch is that it only works at levels the institute is licensed for.
Do we get our money back if the application fails?
No. MFHEA does not refund its fees, and if you go three months without sending what it asked for, the application is treated as withdrawn.
Running a school outside the UK and the EU?
Book a 30 minute scoping call. Tell us where you are and what you teach, and we will tell you which route fits, what your home regulator is likely to ask, and a realistic timeline.
Book a 30 minute scoping callPrefer to write first? Contact us.
Sources
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