More students chose education but fewer opted for healthcare, NSO figures show

Education courses at tertiary level saw the largest increase in students during the academic year 2019-2020, figures out today show.

The National Statistics Office said that there were 2,328 students enrolled in education courses, an increase of 761 over the previous year. The increase is equivalent to 49%

However, health and welfare courses saw a decline of 220 students, or 7%, representing the largest drop in student numbers. There were 2,982 students enrolled in healthcare courses. 

The NSO said that the student population at tertiary level stood at 17,053, an increase of 985 over the previous academic year. There were 2,498 foreign students attending tertiary level institutes.

The largest group of students, 28% of the total, studied business, administration and law. The next largest cohort of students, 17%, was enrolled in health and welfare courses, while 14% of students studied education.

The NSO figures show that just over three quarters of 16 and 17-year-olds in Malta were enrolled in a post-secondary school in the academic year 2019-2020, an improvement over the previous year.

The NSO said 77% of 16-17 year olds living in Malta were enrolled as students at post-secondary level. This represents a two-point increase on the previous academic year.

The NSO said that there was a total of 9,620 students at post-secondary level, a reduction of 175 over the previous year.