Moroccan students face sharp fee hike as France tightens university rules

Moroccan students hoping to study in France could soon be paying much more, after the French government moved to enforce long-ignored tuition rules that will sharply raise costs for non-European Union students.

Starting next academic year, most international students from outside the EU will pay between about €2,900 and €3,900 a year at public universities. That’s roughly 16 times higher than what many have been paying until now.

The change was announced by Higher Education Minister Philippe Baptiste, who said universities will no longer be able to widely waive the higher fees. A rule allowing different tuition rates has technically been in place since 2019, but schools had been quietly giving exemptions to most students.

Now, only up to 10% of non-EU students at each university can get a full exemption. The rest will pay the higher rates: about €2,895 a year for a bachelor’s degree and €3,941 for a master’s.

For Moroccan students, one of the largest international groups in France, the impact could be significant. France has long been a top destination thanks to its relatively low public university fees and cultural ties.

The new policy is part of a broader plan called “Choose France for Higher Education.” It also reshapes scholarships, with 60% of funding set aside for fields the government sees as priorities, like artificial intelligence, digital tech, quantum physics and biotechnology.

Officials say the increase is still reasonable. Even with the hike, the fees cover only about 30% of the actual cost of education in France and remain lower than tuition in countries like the United States or the United Kingdom.

Current students won’t be affected, and the changes will roll out gradually. The government expects the policy to bring in around €250 million a year within a few years.

But not everyone is on board. Student groups in France say the move could shut out thousands of international applicants. They also criticize the focus on certain fields for scholarships, saying it limits opportunities and treats education too narrowly.

France remains one of the world’s leading destinations for international students, hosting more than 440,000 in the 2024–2025 academic year. Moroccans are among the top groups, alongside students from Algeria, China, Italy and Senegal.

Beyond tuition, living costs are another challenge. International students typically spend around €7,000 a year on housing, food, transport and other basics, with Paris costing much more than smaller cities.