Higher education colleges in the Maldives will be required to operate for at least 15 consecutive years before they can apply for registration as a university under new regulations introduced by the Ministry of Higher Education, Labour and Skills Development.
The requirement is set out in the Registration and Operation of Universities in Maldives regulation, issued under the Higher Education Act.
According to the regulation, foreign institutions seeking university status in the Maldives must have operated as a recognised university in another country for at least 10 years.
The regulations also establish academic, research and institutional requirements that colleges must meet before they can be registered as universities.
Applicants must offer at least three programmes at Maldives National Qualifications Framework (MNQF) Levels 7 and 9, corresponding to bachelor’s and master’s level qualifications. The programmes may be offered independently or through affiliations with foreign universities.
Institutions must also have at least 1,000 students enrolled in programmes at MNQF Level 7 and above.
Under the new rules, at least 10 per cent of an institution’s full-time academic staff must hold PhDs or qualifications at MNQF Level 10.
Applicants must additionally demonstrate international recognition through rankings or ratings and have maintained at least five years of continuous membership in both an international university association and an international quality assurance body.
The regulations also require institutions to demonstrate international-level collaborative research with foreign entities and meet infrastructure standards set by the ministry.
Applications for university registration must be submitted through a dedicated ministry portal. They will be assessed within three months by a five-member technical committee comprising two higher education experts, a senior ministry official, a representative of the Maldives Qualifications Authority and a finance sector professional.
Institutions approved for registration will pay a fee of MVR 100,000 for a main campus, with additional fees applicable to other campuses and learning centres.
Newly registered universities will also be required to introduce at least one doctoral programme within two years of obtaining university status.
The regulations apply to existing private higher education colleges seeking to transition to university status.
The Maldives currently has two state-run universities: the Maldives National University and the Islamic University of Maldives.
