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Casablanca – A new push by France to strictly apply higher tuition fees for non-EU students is raising concern among Moroccan applicants, who make up the largest group of international students in the country.
The plan would see a sharp increase in university fees starting next academic year. Most non-European students would be required to pay 2,895 euros per year for a licence, up from 178 euros, and 3,941 euros for a master’s degree, instead of the current 254 euros.
For many, the numbers simply don’t add up. “If it’s more than 1,000 euros a year, I won’t be able to continue studying in France,” said Elif, 25, who recently completed a master’s in artificial intelligence. She believes the change will discourage many students from even applying.
At Sorbonne University, Bintou, who works a student job earning around 700 euros a month, said the new fees would be impossible to manage. “It feels like France is telling us we’re not welcome,” she said.
The policy builds on a system introduced in 2019, when higher fees for non-EU students were first set. In practice, however, most universities avoided applying them. Only around 15 out of 78 institutions enforced the full rates, often using exemptions to support international students. Last year, just 10% of the 111,500 students concerned actually paid the full amount.
That flexibility is now set to shrink. Universities will be limited to exempting only 10% of their student population, a move that could significantly reduce access for lower-income applicants.
For Moroccan students, the impact could be even heavier. Alongside rising tuition, the government is also planning to remove housing aid known as APL for non-scholarship students, adding to the financial pressure.
University leaders have voiced concern. Mathias Bernard, head of University of Clermont Auvergne, warned that the changes amount to a sudden shift in the rules. He said many families already struggle to cover costs that are sometimes equal to their annual income.
Several officials argue the measure could backfire. Beyond the immediate financial barrier, they fear a drop in international applications and a weakening of France’s academic appeal abroad.
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