Destination Morocco: this guide takes you, in order, through what to do to study there on your own. You will find studies and admission, visa and residence permit, health insurance, housing, budget and funds, on arrival and working while you study, and every fact links to its official page.
How to get into a university or school in Morocco
In Morocco, the Moroccan Agency for International Cooperation (AMCI) is the public body that hosts a large share of foreign students and awards the Kingdom of Morocco scholarships. According to AMCI, in the 2019-2020 academic year about 14,500 foreign students were studying in Moroccan public institutions, including 12,500 from 47 African countries.
For a public institution, you do not apply directly to the university. You send AMCI, through the competent authorities of your home country, an application explaining your choices, together with your academic file (your diplomas and transcripts). Every year, the Moroccan government offers places in public institutions with or without a scholarship, so you can apply even without one.
The file is sent to AMCI through diplomatic channels, meaning through the embassies. The official page consulted gives a deadline of 31 July each year, but it does not say when it was last updated: check the timetable with the authorities of your country. If you are selected, your name appears on the list that AMCI sends to the Moroccan embassy or consulate in your country. The application form is published on AMCI's "Publications" page (for 2025-2026, in Arabic).
To enrol in a bachelor's degree (licence), you need a baccalauréat (or an equivalent diploma) obtained in the same year as your enrolment, with the grade "très bien", "bien" or "assez bien" (very good, good or fairly good). For a master's, you need a bachelor's degree obtained with the grade "bien". For a doctorate, you need a master's and must state the chosen field and institution.
In public institutions, teaching is mainly in French. AMCI describes it as the "vehicular language", meaning the common language of instruction. If you do not speak French, AMCI's International Language Centre offers a one-year upgrade course, with a certificate of success that lets you continue your studies in Morocco.
You can also enrol in a private school. In that case, the consulate states that your visa application must first receive the opinion of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, except for some state-recognised grandes écoles, and that you must prove you have enough money to live on for the whole length of your studies.
Official links
The visa to study in Morocco depending on your nationality
Nationals of some countries do not need a visa to enter Morocco. Among African countries, the consulate's official list includes Algeria, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon, Niger, Senegal, Togo and Tunisia.
Mali, Congo (Brazzaville) and Guinea (Conakry) are also on this list, marked "Besoin d'une AEVM" (AEVM needed). The AEVM is an electronic travel authorisation for Morocco: a document you request online before leaving, on the portal shown by the consulate.
If your country is not on the list, you must apply for a visa. The consulate offers an eVisa (electronic visa) platform for some foreign nationals, and the acces-maroc.ma website lets you check whether you are eligible. Otherwise, you apply at the Moroccan embassy or consulate in your country. The fees (called "droits de chancellerie", consular fees) are shown on the consulate website.
Be careful: being exempt from a visa is not enough for a long stay. Beyond 90 days you need a residence card (see the "Arrival" part), and the law allows the authorities to require a stay visa of more than three months for that card. Check with the consulate before you leave. Once in Morocco, you cannot change your visa type: you must apply for a new one from your country.
- The Moroccan entry visa application form, filled in capital letters
- Two recent colour passport photos on a white background (4 x 3 cm)
- A passport valid for longer than your stay, and a photocopy of the identity and validity pages
- Your identity card, or a residence card, or a document that replaces it
- A certificate of enrolment and/or scholarship from AMCI or another official body, or a certificate of enrolment in a Moroccan public or private institution
- Depending on your case, a "prise en charge": a signed and legalised (certified) commitment from a close relative or guarantor who lives in Morocco
- A commitment to leave Morocco when your residence permit expires
Official links
Where are you from? Do you need a visa?
The rule depends on the country of your passport. Choose it to see the answer that applies to you.
The rules for each group of countries
| Nationalities | Visa | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
These nationalities:Show the 73 countriesAlgeria, Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Gabon, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong SAR China, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao SAR China, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Niger, Norway, Oman, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Togo, Tunisia, Türkiye, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States | No visa | Your country is on the official list of countries exempt from an entry visa for Morocco. For some countries, the list limits the length of stay (for example 30 days for the Maldives and Hong Kong, 90 days for Malaysia and Hungary). For studies longer than 90 days, you must apply for a residence card after you arrive, and it may require a stay visa of more than three months: check with the consulate. |
| These nationalities: Congo - Brazzaville, Guinea, Mali | It depends | Your country is on the list of visa-exempt countries, marked "Besoin d'une AEVM": you must obtain an electronic travel authorisation for Morocco (AEVM) before leaving. For studies longer than 90 days, a residence card is also compulsory after arrival: check the conditions with the consulate. |
All nationalities except:Show the 76 countriesAlgeria, Andorra, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo - Brazzaville, Côte d’Ivoire, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Gabon, Germany, Greece, Guinea, Hong Kong SAR China, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macao SAR China, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Niger, Norway, Oman, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Togo, Tunisia, Türkiye, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States | Visa required | Your country is not on the official list of countries exempt from an entry visa for Morocco. Check on acces-maroc.ma whether you can apply for an electronic visa; otherwise apply at the Moroccan embassy or consulate in your country. For studies longer than 90 days, a residence card is compulsory after arrival. |
Student health insurance (AMOE)
In Morocco there is a compulsory health insurance for students, called AMOE. According to ONOUSC (the public office that runs student services: housing, catering, health), it covers Moroccan and foreign students enrolled in public or private higher education.
To benefit from it, you must be properly enrolled, be 30 or younger, and not already have other health cover. CNOPS, a public health insurance fund, reimburses your care.
In a public institution, the State pays the contribution (the yearly insurance amount). In a private institution, you pay 400 DH (dirhams) per year when you enrol (amount shown on the official website as of 30 October 2026).
You register every year with an online form on the university website, when you enrol. ONOUSC states that the electronic national identity card number is used as the insurance number: ask your institution which number is used for a foreign student.
- Be properly enrolled in a recognised higher education institution
- Be 30 or younger
- Not have any other health cover
- Fill in your university's online form at each enrolment
Official links
Finding housing: halls of residence and private residences
ONOUSC runs the university halls of residence (public student housing). Foreign students can be housed there, within the places available in each hall, through AMCI: AMCI sends ONOUSC the list of proposed foreign students. If you are selected, ONOUSC gives three steps (see the list below).
For the 2026-2027 year, applications on the logement.onousc.ma platform were open from 20 August to 25 September 2026. For a foreign student, the ONOUSC page says to go through AMCI.
If you are selected by AMCI, you can also be housed at the International University City in Rabat. According to AMCI, its main mission is to house the foreign students and trainees selected by the agency. It has, among other things, an infirmary, a medical office, sports grounds and a grocery shop. According to its internal rules (2024-2025 edition), if you do not hold an AMCI scholarship, you pay the rent and the deposit (a sum kept as a guarantee) in one go, when you register.
ONOUSC notes that finding student housing is not always easy, especially in the big cities. For those without a place in a hall of residence, there are private residences, more or less affordable. ONOUSC lists several of them on its website.
- Collect your housing authorisation from AMCI
- Prepare your housing file and hand it in to the hall of residence's student affairs office
- Pay the housing fees
Official links
Your budget and the resources to prove
We found no amount on official Moroccan websites for a student's cost of living (rent, food, transport). Ask your institution or AMCI for an estimate before you leave.
You must be able to prove you have enough money. Moroccan law requires "sufficient means of subsistence" (enough resources to live on) to obtain the student residence card. For a private school, the consulate also asks you to prove these means for the whole length of your studies. No minimum amount is stated.
A few costs are known: AMOE health insurance costs 400 DH per year in private institutions and is free in public ones (amount shown on the official website as of 30 October 2026). Visa fees and stamp duties (a tax) on the residence card exist, but their amount is not shown on the pages consulted.
Scholarships exist: according to AMCI, 85% of its African students held a scholarship in 2019-2020. The amount of these scholarships is not shown on the page consulted.
On arrival: the "étudiant" residence card
If you stay more than 90 days, you must apply for a "carte d'immatriculation". This is the name of the residence card for foreigners in Morocco (Law No. 02-03). While you wait for the card, the receipt of your application replaces it. You must be able to show one or the other to the authorities within 48 hours.
The card is valid for 1 to 10 years and can be renewed. If you are studying and have enough resources to live on, it carries the mention "étudiant" (student). If you change address, you must declare it to the authorities.
You apply to the foreigners' department of the national police (Sûreté nationale, known as DGSN) in the city where you live, once you are officially enrolled and have found housing. We could not consult the DGSN website, so the exact list of documents is not confirmed. Ask your institution or the DGSN in your city.
If the card is refused or withdrawn, the law gives you 15 days to leave Morocco. When the card expires, you must leave unless you have renewed it.
- Before 90 days of stay: apply for the carte d'immatriculation with the "étudiant" mention
- Keep the application receipt with you while you wait for the card
- Register for AMOE health insurance when you enrol at the university
- Declare any change of address
- Renew the card before it expires
Working during your studies
We found no official Moroccan page explaining whether a foreign student can work during their studies. This information is therefore not confirmed.
The law distinguishes the "étudiant" (student) residence card from the card issued to a foreigner who wants to carry out a professional activity that requires authorisation: the latter carries the mention of that activity.
The Labour Code states that an employer who wants to hire a foreign employee must obtain an authorisation from the ministry in charge of labour, in the form of a "visa" stamped on the employment contract. The French version consulted dates from 2011 and the text may have changed since. Before accepting a job, check with the ministry in charge of labour, the DGSN or your institution.
The other path
Do you hold an official scholarship? See what changes for you.
Study there with a scholarshipOther destinations
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