The Higher Education Ministry has issued regulations setting out the requirements for establishing and operating private universities in the Maldives.
The Regulation on the "Registration and Operation of Universities in Maldives", issued under the Higher Education Act, sets out the requirements for colleges seeking to become universities and the standards they must maintain.
Under the regulations, a college must have operated for at least 15 years before it can be registered as a university. It must also have operated as a recognized university in a foreign country for at least 10 years and offer courses from bachelor’s to master’s level in at least three fields.
The regulations also require universities to:
- Have more than 1,000 students enrolled in degree and master’s programmes;
- Be ranked in international university rankings;
- Be a member of an international association representing universities;
- Conduct research at an international level; and
- Have at least 10 percent of full-time academic staff holding a PhD or a qualification at National Qualifications Framework Level 10.
The regulations state that applications for university registration must be submitted through a dedicated ministry portal. The ministry must then establish a five-member technical committee to assess each application.
The committee will comprise:
- Two higher education experts;
- A senior ministry official;
- A senior official from the Maldives Qualifications Authority (MQA); and
- A member from the finance sector.
The ministry must make a decision within three months of receiving an application.
Once approved, registration of a university’s main campus will cost MVR100,000. Additional fees will apply for registering other campuses and learning centres.
A university must also introduce at least one PhD-level programme within two years of registration.
The regulations allow existing private colleges to convert into universities.
There are currently two state-run universities in the Maldives: Maldives National University and Islamic University of Maldives.
