Moroccan Students Are Turning Away from France
France remains the top destination for Moroccan students abroad. But an unusual trend is emerging: their numbers there have been declining for three years, while they are rising sharply in Germany. New French measures could further intensify this trend.
“In Morocco, people are beginning to turn away from France,” observes Ibrahim, a 19-year-old Moroccan student interviewed by Le Monde. His impression is now beginning to be confirmed by statistics.
On Bladi.net : Morocco Students France Decline 2024-2025
In 2022-2023, France welcomed 45 162 Moroccan students, already 3% fewer than a year earlier. Their number had fallen to 43 354 in 2023-2024, another decrease of 4%. Campus France then recorded a third consecutive decline in 2024-2025, of 3%. Morocco nevertheless remains, by far, the leading country of origin for foreign students in France.
The contrast is all the more notable because French higher education continues overall to attract more foreign students. Their numbers increased by 3% in 2024-2025, to 443 500 students, at the very time that the number of Moroccan students was declining again.
Germany is moving in the opposite direction
Meanwhile, Germany is gaining ground. Wissenschaft weltoffen statistics, compiled from data provided by the German Federal Statistical Office, counted 7 866 Moroccan students in the winter semester of 2024-2025. There had been only 6 195 four years earlier. The increase therefore approaches 27%.
Cost may explain part of the difference. At German public higher education institutions, bachelor’s degrees and many master’s degrees are generally exempt from tuition fees, apart from semester contributions. Exceptions exist, particularly in Baden-Württemberg, where students from outside the European Union pay 1 500 euros per semester, according to the official Study in Germany portal.
In France, the trend is now moving in the opposite direction. Non-European students may pay up to 2 895 euros for a bachelor’s degree and 3 941 euros for a master’s degree. A decree dated 19 May also provides for a sharp reduction in the number of students who may avoid these differentiated fees. For some, the loss of housing assistance is an additional factor.
Yassine, a Moroccan student in Toulouse, is already considering Germany, where his brother lives. Ibrahim is also looking at other destinations. For these students, it is no longer simply a matter of choosing between several universities, but of comparing what their families can still afford to finance.
It would nevertheless be premature to speak of France being abandoned. Moroccan applications for the 2026-2027 academic year are even up by 8%, with an admission rate of 41%. However, they were submitted before the announcement of the latest measures.
On Bladi.net : Moroccan Students France Housing Aid Cut 2026
It is therefore during the next academic years that the change can truly be measured. France retains a considerable advantage among Moroccan students, built over decades of academic and linguistic ties. But after three consecutive years of decline, and in the face of a Germany attracting more and more Moroccans, this advantage no longer appears as indisputable.
