Maltese pharmacy students feel discriminated against by university

Maltese students have raised concerns about what they describe as discrimination in the Department of Pharmacy’s admission policies at the University of Malta, arguing that current requirements are placing them at a disadvantage compared to foreign applicants seeking entry into the profession.

At the centre of the issue is the Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Pharmaceutical Science, the primary route for Maltese students aiming to pursue a career in pharmacy and eventually progress to a Master’s degree.

Entry into this programme requires applicants to hold MATSEC Intermediate Mathematics, a requirement that students claim is both unnecessary and exclusionary.

According to those raising the issue, several Maltese applicants who meet all other academic criteria are effectively barred from entering the field due to the mathematics requirement. Without access to the Bachelor’s programme, they cannot proceed to the Master of Pharmacy, which is essential to practise in the profession.

Students claim that this creates a disparity when compared to foreign applicants who do not need to meet the same requirements.

While the Department of Pharmacy (part of the Medicine Faculty) confirmed to The Shift that mathematics is not an entry requirement for the Master of Pharmacy programme, it did not directly address why the subject remains mandatory at Bachelor’s level, the only available pathway for Maltese students.

The Faculty maintained that the Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees are separate programmes and said that international applicants are assessed in line with existing bye-laws. It rejected claims that the process discriminates against Maltese students.

Yet Maltese students insist that this response fails to address what they consider to be the core issue. They point out that foreign applicants who already hold a pharmacy-related degree from overseas institutions may apply directly to the Master’s programme, bypassing the local Bachelor’s requirement entirely.

In some countries, including India, from which a significant number of non-EU students currently originate, mathematics is not required for entry into undergraduate pharmacy degrees. As a result, foreign graduates may access the Master’s programme in Malta without ever having met the mathematics standard imposed on Maltese students at an earlier stage.

Students argue that this creates an inconsistency in the system. “A Maltese student without Intermediate Mathematics cannot even begin the pathway,” one student said, “yet a foreign graduate who never studied maths at that level can still end up in the same Master’s programme.”

Further concerns have also been raised about data provided by the Pharmacy Department.

In its response to The Shift’s questions, the department cited a total student population of 864 Maltese, 47 EU, and 170 non-EU students. However, these figures refer to the entire department rather than the specific Master of Pharmacy course, which remains at the centre of the controversy.

Students say this lack of programme-specific data makes it difficult to assess the real scale of the issue.

They are calling for greater transparency, including details on how many foreign students are currently enrolled in the Master’s programme and how many were admitted without having studied mathematics at an equivalent level. They insist that the sudden rise in Indian students is not just a coincidence but may be connected to the department’s leadership.

Those speaking out stress that their concerns are not about nationality but about fairness.

“If mathematics is essential, then it should apply to everyone,” one student said. “If it’s not, then why is it blocking Maltese students from even starting?”

The University has yet to clarify whether it will review the requirement.