Download Provider Accreditation/Licensing Application Form (Part A) – Further & Higher Education Institutions, Higher Education Institutions & Universities

Download Provider Accreditation/Licensing Application Form (Part B) – Further & Higher Education Institutions, Higher Education Institutions & Universities

Provider Accreditation (Licensing)

Provider Accreditation (licensing is the formal acknowledgement, issued by the Malta Further and Higher Education Authority (MFHEA), of the status, legitimacy, and appropriateness of an education institution.

According to the Subsidiary Legislation 607.03 on Licensing, Accreditation and Quality Assurance, all education institutions offering further or higher education in or from Malta require a licence issued by the MFHEA to operate. This means that the institution has met the stipulated standards and guidelines as established by the MFHEA.

The different categories of licences are: University, Higher Education Institution, Further Education Institution, Further Education Centre, and Tuition Centre. In order for an education institution to be apply for a licence in the categories mentioned above, the following is required:

New entities must submit an application for Provider Accreditation.

The follow is a summary of the criteria need:

Owner

Kindly provide us with a copy of the ID card or Passport.

General Details

Provide details about the Name of the Education Institution , Office Address/es; Training Site/s.

Body Corporate

Attach a copy of certification proving that the entity is a Body Corporate registered as a company, a foundation, an association, or a voluntary organisation. If an applicant would like to apply through a foreign incorporated company within the EU, kindly provide us with a good standing certificate or certificate of incumbency. This is not a prerequisite for those applying under the category ‘Further Education Centre’ and ‘Tuition Centre’.

The Licence Category

On the application form, the applicant is to specify the licence category being applied for. The category is determined according to the MQF/EQF level/s of the programmes intended to be offered.

Legal Representative

The educational institution needs to nominate a legal representative. The person appointed shall be based in Malta and authorised to enter into legally binding agreements on behalf of the institution. The Head may also be appointed as the legal representative of the Education Institution if they are based in Malta. If the appointed legal person resides abroad, the applicant is requested to appoint a resident agent. A resident agent is a person who will be representing the legal person here in Malta. Any correspondence is communicated with this agent which communication is deemed as being with the legal person.

Locality and Mode of Provision

Within the application form, the applicant is to provide details about the type of provision being adopted and indicate if any third parties are involved in the delivery/provision of the programmes (example: for practical placement, online platform, and so on).

Head of Institution

A CV of the Head is required together with a copy of the ID card or passport. Copies of the Head’s main qualifications which must be certified true copies signed by an advocate or a notary are to be provided. On the application form the applicant is to provide a generic profile which explains the requirements in terms of type and level of qualification/s and/or experience required to be appointed as the Head of Institution.

Programme/s

A list of programmes that are going to be provided through this licence is to be included on the application form. There are two kinds of programmes which can be provided: home-grown programmes that are accredited through MFHEA, or foreign accredited qualifications. If you are interested in creating home-grown courses, you can download the programme application from the following link: https://mfhea.mt/programme-accreditation/. In the case of foreign accredited qualifications which are not found on the OFQUAL register of regulated qualification/s, please attach a recognition statement which can be obtained from the following link: https://mfhea.mt/academic-qualifications/. Please note that in order to issue a licence, an applicant must obtain accreditation for at least one home-grown programme or have permission to provide at least one foreign accredited programme from the programme’s awarding body.

Employment Licence

All non-EU country members of staff resident in Malta, including the Head of School, should have an Employment Licence issued by Jobsplus.

Internal Quality Assurance

Policy which is based on the mission statement of your institution and addresses all the 11 Standards outlined in the National Quality Assurance Framework for Further and Higher Education. For further information, you may wish to consult the QA Standards and the step-by-step guide.

Premises

Please refer to the communication on premises for further information.

Digital Provision

If at least one of the programmes is going to be taught fully online or blended, the following are to be provided: 1. Access to online platform and Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) both as a student and as a lecturer. 2. Any contractual agreement you may have with the hosts/owners of the online platform (if applicable). 3. Answer in detail the guidance questions regarding online provision which are found in section N of the application form. 4. At least one programme of studies offered through online / blended learning. Kindly refer to the below links for further information – Definitions of the Terms Used in Online Learning and GUIDELINES FOR QUALITY ASSURANCE – FOR ONLINE LEARNING PROVIDERS IN MALTA.

MFHEA may request additional documentation as deemed necessary.

A copy of the application form, together with the required documentation, is to be sent to [email protected].

The current fee structure can be downloaded from the following link: Administrative Fee Structure for Accreditation and Licensing of Providers and Programmes – Malta Further & Higher Education Authority (mfhea.mt).

A Flowchart showing the process for new Provider Accreditation (License Application).

The process of Provider Accreditation (licensing) from the filing of the application to the conclusion of the process should take approximately 6 to 12 months depending on the quality of submission and the complexity of the application. If at any point in the application process, no feedback, requested documents, amendments or clarifications are provided by the providers for a period of three months, then the application will be considered null and void, and the applicant will need to re-submit a new application.

Flowchart A: The process for new Provider Accreditation (License Application)1:

(1) Application for Provider Accreditation (Licensing) is received.

Application for Provider Accreditation (Licensing) is received at MFHEA.

(2) Acknowledgement is sent.

Acknowledgement is sent within approx. 5 to 10 working days.

(3) Administrative Vetting of the Application.

If the application does not include all the information required for the necessary invoices to be issued, the applicant will be requested to adjust and/or correct the application.

(4) Issuing of Invoice/s.

Once it is confirmed that the application is filled in as requested, an invoice will be issued and sent to the provider within approx. two weeks.

(5) Proof of Payment.

Proof of Payment needs to be submitted to MFHEA.

(6) Confirmation of Payment.

Once payment is confirmed from Corporate Unit within MFHEA, the Licensing and Accreditation Unit will start the review process. An official receipt will be sent by MFHEA within a month.

(7) Review Process.

Following review of the application process, first feedback will be sent to the applicant within approx. 20 working days. The applicant will be informed if any additional documentation is required or if further clarification is needed.

(8) Applicant is to send the requested clarification and/or documentation.

Applicant is to send the requested clarification and/or documentation up to 20 working days from last communication with MFHEA.

(9) Programme Accreditation.

If the applicant submitted programme/s for accreditation, the process in Flowchart B, is to be followed concurrently.

(10) Digital Evaluation.

If the applicant requested an online/blended provision for homegrown programmes, an additional review process will be done by an appointed digital evaluator/s. A report will be sent to the applicant. Further amendments will be requested as applicable.

This process consists of 3 cycles and the applicant is given 20 working days to submit the requested updates/ clarifications between each cycle.

(11) IQA Evaluation.

Part of the process is the evaluation of an Internal Quality Assurance (IQA) Document. This process consists of 3 cycles:

Preliminary Feedback
1st Report
2nd Report

The applicant is given 20 working days to submit the requested updates/ clarifications between each cycle.

(12) Finalisation of the Process.

If application meets all necessary standards, preparation will commence for the licence to be issued.
(If the application does not meet the standards required or if the applicant does not meet the standards required within the stipulated cycles, the application will be rejected.)

(13) Licence is issued.

Once it is confirmed that all necessary payments are settled, the licence will be issued. A set of licensing conditions will be sent to the provider.

(14) The Malta Qualifications Database will be updated.

The Malta Qualifications Database will be updated with the details of the new licence.

1 This is not applicable for University Application.