Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1538811
IF you have never heard of the Internation- al European University - Malta Campus, which has recently had its licence revoked, you are not the only one. I had to google it and this is what I found on their website: "We take great pride in announcing that the International European University, Ukraine – Malta Campus has found a new home on the picturesque Mediterranean island of Malta! With heavy hearts burdened by the ongo- ing war in Ukraine, we have made the dif- ficult yet necessary decision to seek solace and security beyond the borders of our be- loved country. The well-being and success of our students remain our utmost priori- ty, and in order to ensure their educational aspirations are fulfilled, we have chosen to embark on a bold new direction! We are thrilled to announce our relocation to the captivating shores of Malta, specifically the vibrant city of Gzira. Malta not only offers us security and stability but also allows us to adhere to the modern standards of the Ukrainian higher education system that we hold dear, even as we traverse new hori- zons!" The IEU was founded in the Ukraine in 2019 and in 2023 it was granted a tem- porary licence by the Malta Further and Higher Education Authority (MFHEA) to operate from Malta. In August last year the licence was renewed on the condition that the University undergoes financial and institutional audits. It was made clear that if it failed these adults its licence would be revoked. The admission process states that the fol- lowing documents must be presented: • Passport • School Certificate • Bachelor's Degree with transcript • English Proficiency Certificate (B2 level) • Non EU nationals must obtain a study visa • Proof of accommodation for the du- ration of the intended stay • Proof of sufficient financial resources to cover the costs of living and return travel to the country of origin or res- idence • Proof of payment of the tuition fee for one year The courses being offered and the corre- sponding tuition fees were: General medicine - 4 year course (€7,500) Bachelor of Management - 4 year course (€4,000 Euro) Masters in Business Administration - 2 year course (€4,500) According to the website, non-EU students would be refunded their one year tuition fee if their visa is rejected. Yet when the Times of Malta spoke to several prospective stu- dents of the IEU, they complained that the company had failed to refund their tuition fee after their visa applications were reject- ed. They have been waiting for six months. It was based on these complaints and follow- ing a recent audit, that the MFHEA decided not to renew the licence of this institution. Once the institution was without a li- cence, IEU students already in Malta were left in the lurch. Without their student sta- tus, their residence permits were revoked, without warning. They claim they have not been provided with certified records of their studies, which they need to move to another institution. As they are from third countries where wages are pitiful, the amounts they have paid, in many cases, represent their life's savings. A scheduled meeting with university officials to collect their personal documents was postponed and turned into a protest by the 80 students who are now facing deportation. "They don't allow us to get admission in a different university and we can't afford the University of Malta because, for non- EU people, the fee is €26,000 for medicine students and we are not able to get that," one student said. "I just want to become a doctor." What the news reports I have read do not explain however is, how does the MFHEA grant a licence to an educational institu- tion and not ask questions like: How can a university afford to provide proper medical training by qualified lecturers at such low rates? It was reported that the degrees of- fered by the IEU are not accredited by the MFHEA and yet one student claimed that his course had included training at Mater Dei Hospital, where he had hoped to work after his studies. If this is true, then there is an inherent contradiction, because how can a non-accredited degree be accepted by our state hospital? Is Mater Dei actually accept- ing doctors on its staff who are graduating from what sounds very alarmingly like a bo- gus institution? Meanwhile, Knights College (formerly the Central Mediterranean Business School) has announced full scholarships in three different areas of study (not medicine) to support the international students affect- ed by the revocation of the International European University's licence. Those in- terested will be required to provide a fully refundable deposit that will be returned in full upon the successful completion of the programme. However, with their life sav- ings already sorely depleted I find it hard to believe that these students can cough up yet another deposit. The students who have been caught up in this quagmire of deception and what looks like fraud, have found support from the stu- dents' union, the GWU and the Chamber of SMEs, yet public opinion has been divid- ed. The finger-pointing has not stopped: Should the original Ukrainian-based uni- versity be made to bear the brunt, or were those who were running the Malta branch responsible for deceiving the students? Should the Maltese Government and Ed- ucation Ministry be lambasted or does the fault lie with the board members of the MF- HEA who handed a licence so readily with- out (it seems) carrying out the necessary due diligence? As I write, there has been another de- velopment. It is reported that some of the students who were conned by the IEU have been left without their passports, which were being held at the school in Gżira. They also face eviction because the IEU stopped paying their accommodation which was be- ing covered by the tuition fee. The victims cannot and should not be blamed because one does not spend that kind of money on a whim—it was done in good faith on their part and it is clear they were woefully mis- led. However, more and more, I find there is little empathy for TCNs. Any news that a batch of non-EU residents will be deport- ed for one reason or another is often wel- comed with online applause and it is not rocket science to understand why. When you get an article stating that there are specific areas where the population of foreigners already outnumbers the Mal- tese, the outrage and backlash is inevitable. The comments I have read are toe-curling for their blunt racism and yet they are not surprising at all. I have long been writing that this administration needs to seriously re-evaluate its policies on the number of vi- sas being issued for people to come and live, work and study here. We are not Australia; we do not have large sweeping swathes of uninhabited land, nor are we Italy, where villages are dying out be- cause of an aging population and they are practically giving land away to entice people willing to move there. This is Malta, our capacity is finite, so we have no business encouraging any universi- ty (let alone a dubious one) to set up its base here, offering courses at ridiculously low fees which is bound to only attract students from under-privileged countries. 3 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 24 AUGUST 2025 OPINION Josanne Cassar A university with a revoked licence and students left in the lurch She has worked in the field of communications and journalism for the last 30 years However, more and more, I find there is little empathy for TCNs. Any news that a batch of non-EU residents will be deported for one reason or another is often welcomed with online applause and it is not rocket science to understand why.