Morocco reopens university grant applications as living costs outpace aid

Morocco has reopened applications for 2026-2027 university grants while keeping the full undergraduate payment at 6,334 dirhams a year, an amount unchanged since 2012 despite rising housing, transport and food costs.

The government has expanded access to the program in recent years, but students interviewed by Hespress English said the grant no longer reflects the cost of university life, particularly for those who move away from their families to study.

Higher Education Minister Azzedine El Midaoui acknowledged in parliament in 2025 that the grant was “weak and insufficient.” Figures presented by the minister showed that the share of eligible students receiving grants rose from 83% in the 2022-2023 academic year to 95% in 2025-2026, with the government aiming to increase coverage to 97%.

For many students, however, wider access has not addressed the decline in the grant’s purchasing power.

Hajar, a grant recipient who moved from Agadir to Rabat to continue her studies, said the payment helps with groceries and household bills but cannot cover her largest expense.

She receives about 1,900 dirhams per instalments, while her monthly rent is around 3,000 dirhams.

“I use the money to buy groceries and pay some bills, but it doesn’t cover my rent,” she told Hespress English. “I wish the grant was paid monthly because it would help me manage my expenses and reduce the pressure on my family, whose income is already very low.”

The financial pressure is compounded by a shortage of public university accommodation.

El Midaoui said Morocco currently has around 60,000 university residence places, while demand is estimated at nearly 400,000 beds. Existing public capacity therefore meets only about 15% of estimated demand.

Students unable to secure a residence place must often turn to the private rental market, where a single month’s accommodation can cost more than one grant instalment.

Mehdi, another grant recipient, described the aid as valuable but insufficient to cover the cost of living.

“It helps pay for necessities like books, transportation and Wi-Fi, but it isn’t enough when you also have to pay rent and live off it,” he said.

Yassir, a student representative at the Institut supérieur de l’information et de la communication, said the grant was intended to support students rather than serve as their sole source of income.

“The grant is there to help students, but it is not meant to cover all of their expenses,” he said. “For those who have to rent accommodation, the financial pressure is much greater.”

He said the payment’s adequacy depended heavily on the student’s circumstances, including whether they study away from home, the city in which they live and the cost of accommodation.

Yassir also raised concerns about access to the grant under the government’s Unified Social Register, or RSU, which uses a household social score to determine eligibility.

He said some students may be excluded because their household score is considered too high, even when they face financial hardship or receive limited support from their families.

The government has said it is seeking to improve student welfare by increasing the number of grant recipients and investing in services including university residences and subsidised catering.