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Rabat – Data collected by Erudera.com showed a 25% increase in Moroccan students studying in US higher education institutions since the 2010-2011 school year. The report stated that 1,201 Moroccan students studied in the US in 2010 as opposed to the 1,499 Moroccan students that studied in the US during the 2019-2020 school year.
The data did not account for the effects of COVID-19 on the number of Moroccan students studying in the US. However, UNESCO’s monitoring map reported in January 2021 that 800 million students around the world faced major disruptions to their education nearly a year after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Despite the 25% increase in Moroccan students studying in the US’ higher education institutions in the decade-long timeframe, the number of Moroccan students in the US peaked in the 2016-2017 school year at 1,634.
In addition, the US hosted the most Moroccan students since the 1950s in 2001 with 2,102 Moroccans studying in US colleges and universities that year.
The Erudera report notes that “more Moroccans head to the US due to the possibility of staying in the country after completing studies for ‘optional practical training,’ through which students who have an F-1 visa could be able to gain work experiences related to their study field.”
The US Embassy in Morocco offers a variety of exchange programs and scholarships. The Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program offers Moroccan students a 10-month opportunity to study in a non-degree graduate-level study in the US through the prestigious Fulbright Scholar program.
“The number of Moroccan students pursuing a non-degree program increased from 80 to 130 during 2019, thus marking a 63 percent increase, whereas the number of Moroccan students participating in optional practical training increased from 205 to 260 that year,” according to the Erudera report.
A report released by thebestschools.org supports the importance of non-degree programs stating that “certificates and certifications can lead to higher full-time employment rates and higher incomes than adults without degrees or credentials.”
The presence of Moroccan students in the US is indicative of the US-Morocco multifaceted relationship as the US also sends thousands of students yearly to study in Morocco.
“Rankings show that Morocco is the most popular study destination in North Africa among US students, followed by Egypt,” Erudera stated.
The former US Ambassador to Morocco David Fischer supported this statistic stating, “American students have long seen Morocco as an excellent destination for study because of the hospitality of the Moroccan people, the richness and diversity of Moroccan culture, and the strong ties of friendship between the US and Morocco.”
