The University of Malta today marked the official opening of Academic Year 2017-2018, with 11,733 students following 942 courses. The number of new students reached 3,912.
New Maltese and international students were welcomed by the Rector, Professor Alfred J. Vella, and by KSU President, Robert Napier. The University Wind Ensemble, directed by Philip Ciantar, provided musical interludes. The University Wind Ensemble operates as part of the Degree Plus Programme, an initiative of the University of Malta
The University of Malta today also rolled out the introduction of its new visual identity.The logo for the UM has undergone a significant change despite its main characteristics remaining those inspired by Grandmaster Pinto’s coat of arms. The new logo seeks to satisfy all existing expectations of the original crest, but at the same time moves the brand identity forward in anticipation of further developments especially in the areas of both research and teaching.
The ceremonial crest, has been retained and will be used by the Office of the Rector and for special occasions celebrated by the University of Malta, including the Opening of the Academic Year, Graduation ceremonies, Honoris Causa ceremonies, and similar occasions.
The rector focussed this year's opening ceremony speech on the importance of research and the need to question knowledge constantly.
In his address, Vella drew on the visionary work undertaken by Wilhelm von Humboldt in Prussia which led to a whole rethinking behind the rationale for universities in Europe and elsewhere.
Vella argued that research should not only be undertaken to address the pressing needs dictated by industry but also to reflect the true spirit of von Humboldt's premise that knowledge is something still not completely discovered and never completely discoverable.
The issue of plagiarism was another theme of this year's speech by the Rector. He cautioned on the ever increasing temptation for students to plagiarise the work of others, citing readily available resources on the internet as contributing to this phenomenon.
Vella later opened the KSU Fresher’s Week.
Inauguration Mass at the University Chapel was celebrated by Chaplain Rev. Fr Mark Cachia.
The University of Malta started its new Academic Year today, with over 3912 new students.
2,696 students will be registering for undergraduate courses, while 1,216 students will be reading for postgraduate degrees.
Another 867 new students will be joining Junior College, to bring the total number of students to 1,942.
This year the number of students accepted into the Master of Dental Surgery course has been increased from 9 Maltese and EU students to 15 Maltese and EU students. All qualified applicants were therefore accepted. This was possible because of the ongoing collaborations between the University of Malta and the Ministry for Health. The additional clinical spaces have been made available to the Faculty of Dental Surgery by Mater Dei Hospital.
International students
A total of 929 international students representing 102 different countries will be pursuing studies at the University this year.
Total number of students
The total number of students at the University of Malta for academic year 2017-2018 is 11,733, of which 4,834 are male and 6,899 female, following a total of 942 courses.