More students opt for UK education
There has been an increase in the number of Malta-domiciled students going to study in the UK, particularly for undergraduates.A total of 370 students started their studies in the UK during the academic year 2005/06, an increase of 7 per cent over the...
There has been an increase in the number of Malta-domiciled students going to study in the UK, particularly for undergraduates.
A total of 370 students started their studies in the UK during the academic year 2005/06, an increase of 7 per cent over the previous academic year.
This brought the total currently studying in the UK that year up to 780, 26 per cent more than in the previous year. Of these, three-quarters are following post-graduate studies.
However, there was a marked increase in the number of students at undergraduate level (61 per cent) with 135 currently following such studies.
The figures do not include those resident in Malta following distance-learning courses.
Analysis of the figures shows only slightly fewer women than men are studying in the UK, while the majority of the students fall in the 18-20 age group.
Since Malta joined the EU, students were entitled to study in the UK for the same fees as British ones, the first academic year for which this applied being 2005/06.
"We expected growth but not this much," British Council country director Ronnie Micallef said.
"We now have as many Maltese-domiciled students in the UK as the University of Malta had a decade or two ago, even though the British Council never actively promoted undergraduate studies."
Why are more Maltese going abroad to study? The figures indicate that there is a story to tell but do not tell what that is. Clearly the fees became more accessible but the real cost is the living expenses, which are estimated to be at least £10,000 a year.
Also many postgraduate degrees are not available in Malta but undergraduate courses may be appealing because there are so many diverse ones on offer, as well as cross-disciplinary options.
It may also be possible that there are students who do not qualify for the Maltese university because they have not passed their Maltese Matsec.
The story may also be simply that the Maltese are becoming more adventurous and anxious to experience life away from home...
Mr Micallef could not answer these questions - his data is, after all, not aimed at providing answers to aspects which are related to Maltese policy issues. However, he does believe that the cost has made a difference.
"We noted an increase in enquiries after Malta joined and many people said that they would wait for the next academic year - when the lower fees would apply. So it could be that the 2005/06 figures are the result of pent-up demand that will not be repeated every year. However, so far, there are no indications of this and I believe that we will continue to see growth," he said.
What course?
In the past, prospective students used to seek out the British Council but the internet has changed all that, a real boon given the myriad courses on offer. The website gets around 800 hits a month from Malta.
Students can search using various parameters to identify a suitable course at a suitable university but it also has a number of sections to help with things like finding accommodation and working out a budget.
http://www.educationuk.org
TOP 10 institutions for Malta-domiciled students
1. University of Ulster
2. University of Nottingham
3. University of Sheffield
4. Brunel University
5. University College, London
6. University of Birmingham
7. University of Warwick
8. University of Leicester
9. Sheffield Hallam University
10. University of Southampton
A total of 370 students started their studies in the UK during the academic year 2005/06, an increase of 7 per cent over the previous academic year.
This brought the total currently studying in the UK that year up to 780, 26 per cent more than in the previous year. Of these, three-quarters are following post-graduate studies.
However, there was a marked increase in the number of students at undergraduate level (61 per cent) with 135 currently following such studies.
The figures do not include those resident in Malta following distance-learning courses.
Analysis of the figures shows only slightly fewer women than men are studying in the UK, while the majority of the students fall in the 18-20 age group.
Since Malta joined the EU, students were entitled to study in the UK for the same fees as British ones, the first academic year for which this applied being 2005/06.
"We expected growth but not this much," British Council country director Ronnie Micallef said.
"We now have as many Maltese-domiciled students in the UK as the University of Malta had a decade or two ago, even though the British Council never actively promoted undergraduate studies."
Why are more Maltese going abroad to study? The figures indicate that there is a story to tell but do not tell what that is. Clearly the fees became more accessible but the real cost is the living expenses, which are estimated to be at least £10,000 a year.
Also many postgraduate degrees are not available in Malta but undergraduate courses may be appealing because there are so many diverse ones on offer, as well as cross-disciplinary options.
It may also be possible that there are students who do not qualify for the Maltese university because they have not passed their Maltese Matsec.
The story may also be simply that the Maltese are becoming more adventurous and anxious to experience life away from home...
Mr Micallef could not answer these questions - his data is, after all, not aimed at providing answers to aspects which are related to Maltese policy issues. However, he does believe that the cost has made a difference.
"We noted an increase in enquiries after Malta joined and many people said that they would wait for the next academic year - when the lower fees would apply. So it could be that the 2005/06 figures are the result of pent-up demand that will not be repeated every year. However, so far, there are no indications of this and I believe that we will continue to see growth," he said.
What course?
In the past, prospective students used to seek out the British Council but the internet has changed all that, a real boon given the myriad courses on offer. The website gets around 800 hits a month from Malta.
Students can search using various parameters to identify a suitable course at a suitable university but it also has a number of sections to help with things like finding accommodation and working out a budget.
http://www.educationuk.org
TOP 10 institutions for Malta-domiciled students
1. University of Ulster
2. University of Nottingham
3. University of Sheffield
4. Brunel University
5. University College, London
6. University of Birmingham
7. University of Warwick
8. University of Leicester
9. Sheffield Hallam University
10. University of Southampton