AdminMalta has quietly become one of the more interesting postgraduate funding stories in Europe. As the only fully English speaking country in the European Union, and a state that has invested heavily in aligning its workforce with EU research priorities, Malta funds a substantial share of its own Master’s and Doctoral pipeline through a single flagship mechanism known as the Endeavour II Scholarships Scheme. The programme is now in its fifth call, running through 2026, and it continues to attract attention from students well beyond Malta’s shores.
Before anything else, this guide addresses the single most important detail that a lot of scholarship content gets wrong or glosses over. This is not an open, apply from anywhere in the world scholarship. Understanding exactly who qualifies will save applicants a great deal of wasted time and disappointment, and it is where this guide starts.
What the Endeavour II Scholarships Scheme Actually Is
The Endeavour II Scholarships Scheme is Malta’s government funded postgraduate scholarship programme, co-financed through the European Social Fund Plus under the EU’s 2021 to 2027 programming period. It is administered by the Ministry for Education, Sport, Youth, Research and Innovation through the official portal at myscholarship.gov.mt, and it exists to serve a specific national purpose, not a general international outreach purpose.
The scheme’s stated objectives are to help individuals reach more advanced levels of academic and research qualification, reduce skills mismatches in Malta’s priority economic sectors, support research in science and technology, and increase the country’s overall capacity for research, innovation and development. In short, Malta is funding its own workforce pipeline, and the scholarship is structured around that goal rather than around recruiting talent from abroad.
The scheme funds study at two academic levels under the Malta Qualifications Framework. MQF Level 7 corresponds to a Master’s degree, and MQF Level 8 corresponds to a Doctoral or PhD qualification. Applicants who already hold a Master’s degree can apply for funding toward a PhD, but cannot apply for another Master’s or any qualification at the same or a lower level than one they already hold.
Who Can Actually Apply: The Residency Requirement
This is the detail that separates an accurate understanding of the Endeavour II scheme from the version presented on many scholarship aggregator sites. According to the scheme’s own regulations, an applicant must fall into one of the following categories to be eligible.
A Maltese citizen who has resided in Malta for the past five years, with allowance made for time spent abroad specifically for study, work, health, or a similar recognised purpose.
A national of an EU or EEA state, or a qualifying family member of such a national, who holds permanent residence in Malta and has resided there for the past five years.
An EU or EEA national exercising treaty rights as a worker or self-employed person in Malta, having resided there for the past five years.
A third country national, meaning a non-EU citizen, who holds long-term residence status in Malta and has lived there for the past five years. For this category, holding a valid permanent residence permit is a mandatory requirement, not an optional extra.
What this means in practice is that the Endeavour II scheme is not designed for a student currently living in Lagos, Nairobi, Manila or anywhere else outside Malta to apply and relocate to Malta on the strength of this scholarship alone. It is, however, a genuinely valuable and often overlooked opportunity for a much more specific group of people, namely long-term residents of Malta, including many non-EU nationals who have already built a life there through work, family reunification, or another residence route, and who now want to fund a Master’s or Doctoral qualification without paying tuition out of pocket.
If you are already a long-term resident of Malta under one of the categories above, this scheme deserves serious attention. If you are applying from outside Malta with no existing residence history there, this particular scheme will not be the right fit, and it is worth redirecting your search toward Malta’s other international scholarship channels or toward EU-wide postgraduate funding programmes that are genuinely open to overseas applicants.
What the Scholarship Covers
For those who do meet the residency criteria, the funding package is comprehensive. Tuition fees are covered for the duration of the approved programme, subject to the funding thresholds set out in the scheme’s regulations for that call. Beyond tuition, awardees can access an Assistance Allowance intended to help with study related personal costs, along with coverage for certain technical and study related expenses tied directly to the academic programme.
A particularly useful feature for awardees who choose to study outside Malta is the Study Abroad Allowance, set at four thousand euro per year for those following full-time study at a recognised institution outside Malta. This allowance exists precisely because Endeavour II funding is not restricted to Maltese institutions. Awardees can pursue their Master’s or PhD at a recognised university anywhere, provided the institution and programme meet the scheme’s accreditation requirements, and provided only accredited programmes recognised by Malta’s further and higher education authority or through the Malta Qualifications Recognition Information Centre are selected.
Awardees cannot combine Endeavour II funding with certain other Ministry administered scholarships for the same course, and the scheme places a limit of one Assistance Allowance per awardee. Costs such as visa fees, health insurance premiums, and general personal expenses beyond the set allowances are not covered.
Fields of Study and Modes of Learning
The scheme does not restrict applicants to a fixed list of subjects. Because its underlying purpose is to strengthen Malta’s broader economic and research capacity, it supports study across a wide span of disciplines, including science, technology, engineering and mathematics, digital innovation and cybersecurity, public health and biomedical sciences, environmental and marine sciences, business, finance and economics, education and public administration, and the arts and humanities.
One of the more flexible features of Endeavour II is that it supports full-time study, part-time study, and distance learning. This makes it accessible to working professionals who want to upgrade their qualification without leaving employment, as well as to full-time students pursuing a traditional postgraduate pathway. Applicants are permitted to list up to five programmes or institutions on a single application, which allows a degree of flexibility if a first-choice programme does not work out.
Key Dates for the 2026 Call
The fifth call of the Endeavour II Scholarships Scheme follows a defined timeline that applicants need to track closely, since the Home Office equivalent body in Malta enforces these deadlines strictly.
Applications opened on 27 April 2026 and close on 5 June 2026 at noon, Malta local time, through the official application portal. Successful awardees must be in a position to commence their approved programme between 27 April 2026 and 26 April 2027. Programmes funded under this call are expected to conclude by 15 October 2029, with final supporting documentation due at the Endeavour II office shortly afterward. Certain supporting documents, including transcripts, letters of acceptance, and equivalence reports, may be submitted after the main application deadline if they are not yet available, typically up to a set date in October of the same year, provided this is clearly indicated at the point of application.
Applicants should not wait until the final days of the window to submit. The portal is a shared government system, and last-minute technical delays are common across high-volume application periods.
Required Documentation
A complete application typically requires a valid passport or national identity document, full academic transcripts from all previous qualifications, proof of legal residence in Malta covering the required five-year period, and a permanent residence permit for any third country national applicant. Where a prior qualification was not obtained from a Maltese institution, applicants generally need an equivalence report from Malta’s qualifications recognition body, or at minimum evidence that this report has been requested before the deadline.
An unconditional letter of acceptance from the chosen institution strengthens an application considerably, although many applicants submit before receiving a firm offer and provide this document once it becomes available. A short motivational statement connecting the proposed programme to one of Malta’s priority development areas is also typically requested, along with a declaration relevant to any allowance being claimed.
How to Apply
The process is entirely digital. Applicants register on the official government scholarships portal, read the full regulations published for the specific call in detail, since these regulations govern funding tables and eligibility far more precisely than any third-party summary can, and then complete the online form with their personal, academic, and programme details. Up to five programme choices can be listed. All supporting documents are uploaded directly to the platform, and the completed application must be submitted before the stated deadline.
Applicants who clear the initial eligibility and documentation review are generally invited to an interview stage before a final funding decision is issued. Once approved, an awardee signs a formal grant agreement with the scheme before any funds are released.
Why Malta Is Worth the Effort for Eligible Applicants
For the specific group of people who do meet the residency requirement, Malta offers a genuinely compelling postgraduate environment. English is an official language of the country, which removes the added cost and stress of a separate language qualification for many programmes. Malta’s EU membership means a degree completed there, or a degree funded through Endeavour II at an institution abroad, carries the same recognition as any other EU qualification. The cost of living remains considerably lower than in cities like Amsterdam, Paris or London, meaning any personal allowance received goes further. The University of Malta, along with other accredited local institutions, has built increasingly strong research partnerships across the EU’s science and innovation networks, giving postgraduate researchers real access to wider European academic collaboration.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I apply for Endeavour II if I currently live outside Malta and have never resided there? No. The scheme requires documented legal residence in Malta for five years under one of the recognised categories. Living outside Malta with no prior residence history there means this particular scheme is not available to you, regardless of nationality.
I am a non-EU citizen who has lived in Malta for several years on a work permit. Can I apply? You may qualify if you hold long-term residence status and a valid permanent residence permit, and can demonstrate five years of residence in Malta. Confirm your exact status against the current call’s regulations before applying, since residence categories are assessed strictly.
Is IELTS required for this scholarship? No. The scheme itself does not require IELTS or another standardised English test as part of the application. However, individual universities or specific programmes may set their own English language entry requirements independent of the scholarship.
Can I use Endeavour II funding to study outside Malta? Yes, provided the institution and programme meet the scheme’s recognition requirements. Full-time awardees studying abroad also qualify for an additional Study Abroad Allowance on top of standard funding.
I already hold a Master’s degree. Can I apply for another one through this scheme? No. Applicants who already hold a qualification at MQF Level 7 can apply for PhD funding at MQF Level 8, but not for a second Master’s or a lower-level qualification.
Final Word
The Endeavour II Scholarships Scheme is a strong, well-funded, and genuinely useful postgraduate opportunity, but its real value depends entirely on accurately understanding who it is built for. It rewards long-term Malta residents, including a meaningful number of non-EU nationals who have already established their lives on the island, with a serious route to a debt-free Master’s or Doctoral qualification. Anyone reviewing this scheme should verify their residence category carefully against the official regulations published for the current call before investing time in an application, since eligibility here is defined narrowly and enforced consistently.
Admin