Moroccan Students Increasingly Choosing Germany for Studies Despite Inflation

Rabat – Erudera, a world-leading education search platform, has reported a steady increase in the number of Moroccan students studying in Germany amid the ongoing economic repercussions of the COVID crisis.

The platform shared with Morocco World News (MWN) recent data pointing out that 4,012 Moroccans chose Germany to pursue their studies in the 2019-2020 academic year.

The data, compiled by Studying-in-Germany.org, showed the number of Moroccan students in Germany increased from 4,012 to 6,195 in the 2020-2021 winter semester, indicating an increase of 54%.

“Germany is the third most frequented country by Moroccan students, right after France and Ukraine,” Erudera told MWN.

There are many reasons for choosing Germany as a study destination, Erudera said, citing affordable education fees, affordable cost of living, the quality of education, as well as opportunities to work during and after studies.

Scholarship opportunities are another major factor in German universities’ increasing appeal among Moroccans and other international students, Erudera found.

Morocco ranked among the top 20 countries with the highest numbers of international students in Germany in the 2020-2021 academic year, Erudera commented, suggesting that despite the economic fallout of the COVID crisis, namely inflation, German universities maintained their appeal among Moroccan seeking to study abroad.

“In spite of the inflation rate increasing by +7.9% in Germany by May 2022, international students in Germany did not have fluctuations in numbers, on the contrary, they remained the same or increased,” Erudera quoted a spokesperson from Studying-in-Germany.org as saying.

The education platform also cited data from a Studying-in-Germany.org survey indicating that 69% of international students prefer to stay in Germany after graduation.

Meanwhile, the data website Statista has also documented that the number of Moroccans traveling abroad for studies was estimated at 56,730 in 2019, representing an increase of almost 3,800 from a year earlier.

“Internationally outbound students from Morocco increased in number from 42,812 in 2010 to the 2019 figure,” Statista said.