The Malta Qualifications Framework rates every recognised qualification on an eight level scale. Knowing which level a candidate's degree maps to is what lets an employer compare it fairly against a local equivalent.
What the eight levels represent
MQF level 1 represents the most basic recognised qualification and level 8 represents doctoral level study, with the levels in between mapping to secondary education, vocational certificates, undergraduate degrees typically at level 6, and master's degrees typically at level 7, aligned with the wider European Qualifications Framework so the scale is comparable across EU countries, not just within Malta.
A qualification's MQF level depends on its actual depth and learning outcomes, not simply its title, so two degrees called bachelor's from different countries can in principle map to different levels if their content and assessed outcomes differ significantly.
Who actually determines the equivalency
The Malta Further and Higher Education Authority handles formal recognition and equivalency assessment for foreign qualifications, and this is the authoritative source, not an employer's own informal comparison, particularly for roles where a specific qualification level is a licensing or regulatory requirement.
For roles without a formal licensing requirement, an employer can use MQF equivalency as a useful comparison tool without necessarily requiring formal recognition, but the distinction between informal comparison and formal recognition should be clear to both employer and candidate.
The practical use in hiring
Placing a candidate's stated qualification level alongside its MQF equivalent on a comparison sheet, before the role is offered, is what lets an employer make a like for like comparison against local candidates rather than relying on how impressive a foreign qualification's title happens to sound.