S.L. 451.2 Art. 5Recognition of qualifications giving access.

(1) The Malta Qualifications Recognition Centre and institutes of higher education within Malta shall recognise qualifications issued by similar institutions in other Party States and which meet the general requirements for access to higher education in those Party States for the purpose of access to programmes belonging to the Maltese higher education system, unless a substantial difference can be shown between the general requirements for access to an institution of higher education in Malta and those of the Party State concerned.

(2) Alternatively, it shall be sufficient for a Party State to enable the holder of a qualification issued in one of the other Party States to obtain an assessment of the qualification, upon request by the holder, and the provisions of sub-regulation (1) shall apply mutatis mutandis to such a case.

(3) Where a qualification gives access only to specific types of institutions or programmes of higher education in the Party State in which the qualification was obtained, Malta shall grant holders of such qualifications access to similar specific programmes in institutions belonging to its higher education system, unless a substantial difference can be demonstrated between the requirements for access in the Party State in which the qualification was obtained and in Malta.

(4) Where admission to particular higher education programmes is dependent on the fulfilment of specific requirements in addition to the general requirements for access, the competent authorities of the institutions of higher education may impose the additional requirements equally on holders of qualifications obtained in the other Party States or assess whether applicants with qualifications obtained in other Party States fulfil equivalent requirements.

(5) Where, in the Party States in which they have been obtained, school leaving certificates give access to higher education only in combination with additional qualifying examinations as a prerequisite access, Institutions of Higher Education in Malta may make access conditional on these requirements or offer an alternative for satisfying such additional requirements within their own educational systems.

(6) Without prejudice to the provisions of sub-regulations (1), (2), (3), (4) and (5), admission to a given higher education institution in Malta, or to a given programme within such an institution, may be restricted or selective. In cases in which admission to a higher education institution or programme is selective, admission procedures should be designed with a view to ensuring that the assessment of foreign qualifications is carried out according to the principles of fairness and non-discrimination described in regulation 3(2).

(7) Without prejudice to the provisions of sub-regulations (1), (2), (3), (4) and (5), admission to a given higher education institution in Malta may be made conditional on demonstration by the applicant of sufficient competence in the language or languages of instruction of the institution concerned, or in other specified languages.

(8) In the case in which access to higher education may be obtained on the basis of non-traditional qualifications, similar qualifications obtained in other Party States shall be assessed in a similar manner as non-traditional qualifications earned in Malta.

(9) For the purpose of admission to programmes of higher education, each Party State shall make the recognition of qualifications issued by foreign educational institutions operating in its territory contingent upon specific requirements of Maltese legislation or specific agreements concluded with the Party State of origin of such institutions.