Moroccan Students Shift Away from France for International Studies

Pursuing studies abroad remains the dream of many Moroccan students. But no longer in France. Many young people are increasingly abandoning the Hexagon, preferring to go to Spain, Germany, Canada or China. "Germany is so much more accessible than France, Spain or the United Kingdom, countries that require considerable means!" confides to Libération Ali, 23, who is studying German in a language center in Tangier and plans to fly to Berlin within three months, as soon as he has obtained his advanced German certificate (B2). Holder of a Bac+2, the young man wishes to enroll for a three-year work-study program in management or mechanical engineering.

"Many friends still dream of France, but it is no longer necessarily the only option. It is much simpler to go to Germany, Spain or Canada," explains Salhia, 17, who is taking the baccalaureate this year. The high school student is rather opting for Hungary or China to pursue her studies. "Like China, new destinations are gaining in popularity. Before the start of the war, Ukraine was the second preferred destination for Moroccan students. Now, we can find them in all corners of the world: in Canada, the United States, England, China, Romania, and many are heading to other African countries like Senegal, where an important community of Moroccans has been forming in medicine and pharmacy for several decades," informs Hicham Jamid, researcher at the Institute of Research for Development (IRD).

In a report published in November 2023, Campus France noted that "the increased competition from certain countries in terms of university attractiveness is real," citing a preference of Moroccan students for Spain, Germany, Canada (particularly Quebec), Great Britain, the United States or Belgium. "However, it is difficult to know the strategies implemented. These main competitors are still on mobility flows well below France and are currently positioning themselves on the concerns represented on the one hand by the Franco-Moroccan diplomatic tension and on the other hand by the policy of restricting visa issuance operated by France."

According to a recent UNESCO report, some 74,000 Moroccan students left their country to pursue their studies abroad in 2022, or 6% of the total number of Moroccan students. Moroccan students were the largest student community in France in 2021 (46,000), ahead of Algerians (31,000) and Chinese (27,400), according to Campus France data. Thanks to the dynamism of Franco-Moroccan university cooperation, about 900 students from the kingdom have benefited from scholarships in the engineering and business schools of the Hexagon. A partnership that will be strengthened in the coming years, particularly in strategic sectors such as digital, artificial intelligence, industry and sustainable development, Emmanuel Macron announced during his three-day state visit to Rabat, at the end of September.