Chouaib Doukkali University sparks backlash over MAD 20,000 annual fee for flexible PhD program

Chouaib Doukkali University has come under fire after announcing that students enrolled in its flexible-schedule PhD program will be required to pay up to MAD 20,000 ($2,200) a year during the first four years of study.

The measure, set to take effect in the 2026–2027 academic year, makes the university the last public institution in Morocco to adopt the flexible-study model, which targets employees, salaried workers, self-employed professionals and others seeking to continue their education while remaining in the workforce.

The decision has triggered criticism on social media, where some users described the fees as “excessive” and warned that they could discourage scientific research in Morocco.

One Facebook user denounced the move as “greed,” while another argued that the cost would undermine access to higher education.

“If I had to pay MAD 20,000 a year over four years, I wouldn’t enroll,” said Saif Eddine Bouounat, an education professional who had considered applying to Chouaib Doukkali University before removing it from his list of options.

Speaking to Hespress English, Bouounat said the fees contradict the principles of free public education and equal opportunity, particularly at a time when rising living costs are weighing heavily on Moroccan households.

“Many working students simply cannot afford fees at this level,” he said, adding that spending MAD 80,000 over four years “feels like buying a PhD.”

The fees are among the highest announced by a Moroccan public university to date, fueling concerns among prospective doctoral candidates that the cost could deter many from pursuing advanced studies.

Bouounat stressed that he was not opposed to tuition fees in principle but argued that they should remain reasonable, given the additional expenses students already face, including books, research materials, training and conference participation.

He estimated that he spent between MAD 7,000 and MAD 8,000 annually during his master’s studies, excluding registration costs, and said that significantly higher fees would inevitably discourage many candidates.

The university has also introduced tuition fees for other programs under the flexible-study system. Annual registration costs have been set at MAD 5,000 for undergraduate degrees, MAD 18,000 for bachelor’s programs and MAD 15,000 for master’s degrees.

According to the university, the fees are non-refundable unless a program is canceled. It also stated that students enrolled in the flexible-study track will remain subject to the fees even if they later lose the professional status that initially made them eligible for the program.