Luca has an MA in Economics from the University of Glasgow and co-founded Elephant & Cross in 2021 after a part-time master’s in Malta he had applied for was cancelled without anyone telling him. He looks after student experience and finance: the payment plan, and how the course works day to day.
Student experience and finance. Those are two different jobs.
Not for the student. If paying is stressful, then studying is stressful. Our goal is to make it easy for our students to get qualified, so I look after both: the payment plans, the support, and what happens when someone gets stuck.
You applied for a master’s in Malta. What happened?
A mess. First of all it was weekday evenings, which I thought maybe I could manage. But then they never got back to me. After the start date they told me it wasn’t going to run. It annoyed me so much that I wanted to provide an alternative for people working full-time.
Why monthly payments?
The alternative is a lump sum, which many people can’t pay, or a loan from some bank (with interest). My goal is to make our courses as affordable as possible, so people aren’t restricted in what they can study.
You studied in person. Why sell online?
In person was amazing, because I was eighteen and didn’t have a job. It doesn’t work when you’re thirty and have places to be, and a family, and work full-time.
What’s your goal with Elephant & Cross?
To make higher education not suck for busy people.
What would you change about education in Malta?
Many things. I hate how many people get spat out by the system at sixteen.