S.L. 607.3 Art. 3Interpretation.

In these regulations, unless the context otherwise requires:

"accreditation" has the same meaning assigned to it by article 2 of the Act; "accredited programme" means a programme which has obtained programme accreditation in accordance with these regulations; "accredited provider" means a provider which has obtained provider accreditation in accordance with these regulations; "the Act” means the Further and Higher Education Act;

"agent" means a person, whether within or outside Malta, who represents a provider, acts on behalf of a provider, or purports to do so in cross-border relations relevant to the provider; "Authority" means the Authority as established by article 3(1) of the Act "awarding provider" means the provider which is responsible for issuing the qualification awarded; "body corporate" means a body having a distinct legal personality; "comparable level" means the comparability of the level of a foreign qualification with the level of a national qualification; "credit" means a quantified expression of the volume of learning based on the achievement of learning outcomes and their associated workloads; "document" includes a copy of a document; "foreign qualification" means a qualification awarded outside Malta and classified within a recognised qualifications framework; "formal learning" has the same meaning assigned to it by article 2 of the Act;

"further education" has the same meaning assigned to it by article 2 of the Act;

"guidelines" means a set of rules and requirements issued by the Authority from time to time for the implementation of the provisions of these regulations; "higher education" has the same meaning assigned to it by article 2 of the Act; "intending student" means a person, whether within or outside Malta, who intends to become, or who has taken any steps towards enrolling, as a student with a provider in Malta; "internal quality assurance" means a process of internal quality evaluation carried out by a provider and institutionalised within the structure, policy and operations of the provider;

"learning" has the same meaning assigned to it by article 2 of the Act;

"learning outcome" has the meaning assigned to it by the Act or any regulations made thereunder, for the purpose of establishing the Malta Qualifications Framework; "licence" means a licence issued to a provider in accordance with these regulations, authorising a provider to provide further or higher education in Malta; "licensee" means a provider licensed by the Authority in accordance with these regulations; "Malta Qualifications Framework" has the same meaning assigned to it by article 2 of the Act; "the Minister" means the Minister responsible for education; "national qualification" means a qualification awarded in Malta and classified at a level of the Malta Qualifications Framework; "non-compulsory education" means education which serves to obtain a qualification classified at any level of the Malta Qualifications Framework or of a recognised foreign qualifications framework, excluding any qualification obtained upon completion of compulsory education provided in accordance with the framework of the national curriculum established under regulation 2 of the National Curriculum Framework Regulations;

"non self-awarding provider" means a provider that provides programmes leading to qualifications which are awarded by a third party; "overseas student" means a person, whether within or outside Malta, who is not a citizen of Malta and is enrolled with a provider in Malta; "premises" means the whole or part of an area of land or any other place, whether or not it is enclosed or built on, a building or other structure, or a vehicle or vessel;

"Principal Immigration Officer" has the same meaning assigned to it by article 2 of the Immigration Act; "programme" has the same meaning assigned to it by article 2 of the Act; "programme accreditation" means the formal acknowledgement, issued by the Authority in accordance with these regulations, of the status, legitimacy and appropriateness of a programme; "programme quality audit" means a quality audit of the components and activities within a programme and the facilities available therefor;

"provider" has the same meaning assigned to it by article 2 of the Act;

"provider accreditation" means the formal acknowledgement, issued by the Authority in accordance with these regulations, of the status, legitimacy and appropriateness of a provider; "provider quality audit" means a quality audit of the operation of a provider, including its organisation, strategy, policy, procedures, financial matters, management and facilities; "provision" has the same meaning assigned to it by article 63 of the Act; "qualification" has the same meaning assigned to it by article 2 of the Act; "quality assurance" has the same meaning assigned to it by article 63 of the Act; "quality audit" has the same meaning assigned to it by article 2 of the Act; "recognised foreign qualifications framework" means a framework of qualifications officially adopted outside Malta and structured in a comparable manner to the Malta Qualifications Framework; "recognised foreign quality assurance or accreditation agency" means a quality assurance or accreditation agency recognised by the State of its country of origin as an official quality assurance or accreditation agency for providers or programmes of further or higher education; "self-awarding provider" means a provider that provides programmes leading to qualifications awarded and issued by it; "serve to obtain" means lead to, or prepare for, obtaining a qualification; "student visa" means the document issued by the Principal Immigration Officer which gives an individual leave to land and remain in Malta for the purposes of study, for a specific period as indicated therein;

"third-country student" means a person, whether within or outside Malta, who is not a citizen of a country within the European Union and is enrolled with a provider in Malta; "tuition fee" means the money a provider receives directly or indirectly, from a student, an intending student, or another person who pays the money on behalf of a student or intending student, in whole or in part, for a programme that the provider is offering or providing to the student. Tuitions fees also include the following:

(a) any amount received by the provider in order to pay, on behalf of the student, to any third party as agreed with the student or any representative or legal guardian of the student in a written agreement; and

(b) any other amount that the student has to pay the provider, directly or indirectly, in order to undertake the programme.