Malta is one of the EU’s most generous member states when it comes to university tuition, according to a study published by the European Commission yesterday.

The study, which compares the cost of higher education across the bloc, names Malta, Cyprus and Denmark as the only member states that provide totally free tuition at university level while also giving grants to all their students.

In Malta, all university students receive €83 every four weeks from October to June plus a one-time grant of €466 for the first year and another €466 in each academic year. The grants are higher for those reading scientific, maths or IT degree and for those with a background of proven hardship.

While free university tuition is also available in Austria, Finland, Greece and Sweden, as well as in Scotland, relatively few students in those countries receive additional help. And in the majority of member states, students have to pay for higher education, in some cases quite dearly.

The highest fees are charged in the UK (England, Wales and Northern Ireland) where as from this academic year, students studying for a bachelor’s degree have to fork out a basic tuition fee of between £6,000 and £9,000. Students in England receive a loan to pay the fees and do not have to re-pay it until they are in a relatively well-paid environment.

In eight member states, all students pay fees and in six others the majority do so.

All countries in the EU provide some type of grant to at least some of their students but in only three countries – apart from the 100 per cent figure in Malta, Cyprus and Denmark – are the majority of students who receive it.