Admissions (Amendment) Regulations, 2022

L.N. 105 of 2022

EDUCATION ACT

(CAP. 327)

Admissions (Amendment) Regulations, 2022

IN EXERCISE of the powers conferred upon him by articles 74 (5) and 75 (6) of the

Education Act (Cap. 327), the Chancellor of the University of Malta has promulgated

the following regulations made by the Senate of the University of Malta by virtue of

the powers conferred upon it by articles 75 (3) and 79 (b) of the said Act

Citation

These regulations may be cited as the Admissions (Amendment)

Regulations, 2022 and shall be read and construed as one with the Admissions

Regulations, 2016, published as Legal Notice 71 of 2016, hereinafter referred to as

“the principal regulations”.

Applicability

(1) Regulations 3 to 5 of these regulations shall be applicable for admission

in October 2022 or later.

(2) Regulations 6 to 8 of these regulations shall be applicable for admission

in October 2025 or later.

Amendment to regulation 4 of the principal regulations

For regulation 4 of the principal regualtions there shall be substituted the

following

“Students of the University

Applicants to Courses shall be accepted as

(1) regular students if they satisfy the requirements of the statutes, regulations

and bye-laws, and have been judged eligible to be so admitted; or

(2) probationary students in an undergraduate course if they

(a) have reached the age of 18 by the 31 st December of the year during which the

course for which they apply commences; and

(b) are in possession of the required Secondary Education Certificate

(SEC) passes at grade 5 or better in English, Maltese and Mathematics as indicated in

regulation 12 (1) (b) of these regulations; and

(c) have sat all six subjects as specified in regulation 5 (2) (a) as indicated in the

Matriculation Certificate Regulations, 2013; and

(d) have attempted to improve their Matriculation Certificate by sitting for the

required subject or subjects at the MATSEC Second Session of examinations (normally held

in September) of the year during which the course for which they apply commences; and

(e) have obtained EITHER a pass grade in at least one subject from each Group

1, 2 and 3 and in Systems of Knowledge as specified in regulation 5 (2) (b) (i) and obtained

between 38 and 42 points calculated as specified in regulation 5 (5) both as indicated in the

Matriculation Certificate Regulations, 2013;

OR not less than 44 grade points but lack a pass grade in one subject

from one of the Groups 1, 2 or 3 or in Systems of Knowledge as specified in regulation

5 (2) (b) (i) of the Matriculation Examination Regulations, 2013;

OR lack not more than a grade (such as a D instead of a C, but not

an F instead of a pass grade E) in a subject or subjects indicated as special course

requirements (Advanced or Intermediate level) for the course applied for, as long as

they have obtained a pass grade in at least one of the subjects from each Group 1, 2

and 3 and in Systems of Knowledge as specified in regulation 5 (2) (b) (i), and not

less than 38 points calculated as indicated in regulation 5 (5), both as indicated in the

Matriculation Certificate Regulations, 2013,

provided that all the provisions indicated in regulation 4 (2) of these regulations

shall not be applicable to the following

(i) courses which are restricted to a limited number of applicants, if all places

have been filled by fully qualified applicants. Should any places remain vacant after

the results of the MATSEC Second Session of examinations, the Faculty Admissions

Committee concerned shall have sole discretion to decide on the criteria for choosing

applicants for admission as probationary students in terms of these regulations;

(ii) courses that are not governed by the General Regulations for

Undergraduate Courses; and

(iii) courses that may be accessed through a Certificate course at level 4 of

the Malta Qualifications Framework (MQF) designed for the purpose of providing an

alternative route to a higher level Undergraduate Course, unless the Board concerned

makes a specific recommendation to the Admission Board; or

(3) visiting students if they are accepted to register on study-units with the

intention of obtaining credits, but are not enrolled in a programme of study leading

to a qualification; or

(4) auditing students if they are accepted to follow study-units without the

intention of obtaining credits and are not enrolled in a programme of study leading

to a qualification.

Amendment to regulation 7 of the principal regulations

4. For regulation 7 of the principal regualtions there shall be substituted the

following

“Probationary students

Minflok ir-regolament 10 tar-regolamenti prinċipali għandu jidħol dan li

ġej

“Il-Junior Students tal-Università

(1) If probationary students successfully complete all study-units included

in the programme of study for the first year of their Course, they shall thenceforth be

considered as regular students.

(2) If, by the end of the first academic year of the Course, probationary

students do not qualify for regular progression, they shall be allowed to proceed

conditionally to the second year of the course if they fulfil the requirements for

conditional progression in terms of the General Regulations for Undergraduate

Awards.

(3) If, by the end of the first academic year of the Course, probationary

students do not qualify for regular or conditional progression to the second year of

the Course, they shall be required to withdraw from the Course and shall neither be

entitled to a repeat year nor to an extension year.

(4) Applicants shall be admitted as probationary students in the same course

once only. The Admissions Board may allow applicants to be admitted as probationary

students in a second or subsequent course, if, after examining the applicant’s

academic record at the University, it is deemed that the applicant merits another such

opportunity. Such applicants may also be required to attend an interview.”

Amendment to regulation 10 of the principal regulations

5. For regulation 10 of the principal regulations there shall be substituted the

following

“Junior Students of the University

Applicants may be admitted to the University as Junior Students at the

Junior College of the University if they

either (a) are in possession of six passes in the Secondary Education Certificate

(SEC) examination at grade 5 or better, provided that one of the subjects must be

Maltese, English Language or Mathematics. Students missing one or two subjects

from Maltese, English Language or Mathematics must attend preparatory classes at

the Junior College in order to satisfy the General Entry Requirements as specified in

Regulation 12 of these regulations;

or (b) possess SEC qualifications which fall short of those required, which

shortfall the Admissions Board, on the advice of the Access Disability Support

Committee, deems to have been due to a significant disability (including applicants

within the Autism Spectrum and with Specific Learning Difficulties) and provided

that the missing qualifications will not adversely affect the applicant’s studies at the

Junior College. Each application shall be considered on its own merits.”

Amendment to regulation 12 of the principal regulations

6. Paragraph (5) of regulation 12 of the principal regulations shall be renumbered

as paragraph (1) of regulation 13 of the principal regulations and shall be substituted

as follows

“Maltese as a Requirement

(1). Further to the requirement of Maltese at Secondary Education

Certificate level for admittance to the Junior College as specified in regulation 10 or

for admittance to the University Undergraduate courses as specified in regulation 12,

the Admissions Board may, in special circumstances and subject to the conditions

set out hereunder, allow an applicant to offer another language instead of Maltese, as

follows

(a) a Maltese applicant, who has lived and studied abroad for a significant period

during the previous four years, and has not received adequate teaching in Maltese.

(b) a Non-Maltese applicant, who pursued at least four years of compulsory

secondary level schooling in Malta, may present a pass at Grade 5 or better in Il-Malti

bħala Lingwa Barranija (SEC) for admission.

(c) a Non-Maltese applicant, who pursued less than four years of compulsory

secondary level schooling in Malta, may present either a pass at Grade 5 or better in

Il-Malti bħala Lingwa Barranija (SEC) or in another language at SEC level at grade

5 or better or at a comparable level.”

7. Paragraph (6) of regulation 12 of the principal regulations shall be

renumbered as paragraph (2) of regulation 13 of the principal regulations and shall be

substituted as follows

“(2) Notwithstanding that provided in paragraph (1) of this regulation,

where for admittance to the University Undergraduate courses, course regulations

or bye-laws specify Maltese as a special Course requirement, the required pass in

Maltese must be obtained at the level and grade as stipulated in the respective Course

regulations or bye-laws.”

8. Regulations 13 to 17 of the principal regulations shall be renumbered as

regulations 14 to 18.

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