Morocco Education and Training Services Industry Snapshot
Last published date:

Capital:  Casablanca
Population:  36.7 million (2022 est.)

GDP (Purchasing Power Parity): $259.4 billion (2020 est., in 2017 dollars)

Currency:  Moroccan Dirham
Language:  Arabic (official), Berber languages (Tamazight (official), Tachelhit, Tarifit), French (often the language of business, government, and diplomacy)

UNESCO Student Mobility Number
Morocco has 63,001 students studying abroad according to UNESCO.

CIA World Factbook
43.59% of the population in Morocco is under 25 years old. 

OVERVIEW

Education is among the top priority sectors for the Moroccan Government. The government committed itself to pursuing education reforms to improve the sector’s performance in its 2015–2030 education vision plan and its new Education Act, passed in 2019. For the 2021 budget, the government of Morocco has allocated USD 7.16 billion to the education sector.

The Ministry of Higher Education announced plans to open 34 new higher education institutions. There are currently 12 public universities in Morocco in eight different regions. The universities include 145 higher education establishments, including 61 open-access and 84 limited-access institutions.

Morocco introduced the Bachelor system to Higher Education for the 2021-2022 academic year. The foundational year for the Bachelor system offers the system as an optional and voluntary choice for students. 10% of the overall number of new undergraduate students opted for the Bachelor system instead of the ‘Licence-Master-Doctorat’ system.

The International Baccalaureate system was recently introduced in select public schools where cohorts are taught fully in English. These students represent a good target population for U.S. study.

Morocco’s Education Structure

Within the Moroccan education system, students attend pre-high school education for a period of 9 years, followed by 3 years of high school education. The academic calendar runs from September through June, and it is recommended that visits from U.S. institutions occur in October/November or March/April.

Secondary Education (High School)

High school education is taught in both Arabic and English, with students being required to take three years of English. Students are graded out of a 20-point scale, with 10/20 counting as a minimum passing grade.

Throughout high school Philosophy, English, French, Arabic, Math, Science, Economics, Chemistry, Physics, and Biology are required courses that must be completed depending on a student’s expected field of study. Additionally, to graduate, students must complete the Baccalaureate exam. Standardized undergraduate admissions testing is available in-country and advisors recommend that students take the following tests: TOEFL iBT, IELTS, SAT, ACT. As of 2019, Moroccan students averaged 18 in Reading, 21 in Listening, and 21 in Writing on the TOEFL (average of 80 total).

University System Structure

Within the current Moroccan university system, undergraduate degrees take 3 years, however this will move to a 4-year structure in 2022. University classes are taught in Arabic and French, with English being added in 2022 following educational reforms. Students are additionally required to take 3 years of instruction in English.

The grading system for Moroccan universities is the same as high-school, with students being graded out of a 20-point scale. The top undergraduate fields of study include: Engineering, Business, Sciences, and Finance.

Student’s seeking further education in the form of a graduate degree take both the GMAT and GRE. As of 2019, average GRE scores for prospective graduate students were: 147.5 in Verbal; 152.2 in Quantitative Reasoning; and 3.2 in Writing.

SUB-SECTORS

Most Moroccan students interested in studying abroad are at the undergraduate level (54.5%), and are seeking a bachelor’s degree, or they start at community college and then transfer to a four-year institution. There is a growing interest in graduate studies abroad for Master and MBAs.

There is also increasing interest in technologies and engineering programs (STEM).

Morocco - Education and Training Services Industry Snapshot
Morocco - Education and Training Services Industry Snapshot

Source: 2020 Open Doors Report (published by IIE, funded by the U.S. Department of State)

In the 2021-2022 academic year, there were 1,466 international students from Morocco at U.S. higher education institutions, a 13.3% change from the previous year.

Secondary Education

Demand for secondary education continues to grow as the Moroccan government approved in 2019 a new framework law which aims to increase the quality and accessibility of the education system.

OPPORTUNITIES

With the different strategies that the government of Morocco developed in priority sectors such as Energy, IT & digital transformation, Industry 4.0 and health, there will be an urgent need for engineering profiles: R&D engineers, Energy engineers, Computing engineers, Civil engineers, Biotech engineers.

Morocco’s growing economy provides families with the opportunity for increased income, which boosts their capacity to fund their children’s overseas studies. The increasing demand from middle- and high-income Moroccan families who can afford to send their children overseas means that recruiting prospects from Morocco seem poised to remain strong.

Morocco is striving to become the hub for higher education in North Africa. The Moroccan Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) has a national strategy in place to prioritize efforts that will improve the quality of education, bolster scientific research, foster competitiveness in the global economy and improve governance over the national educational system. U.S. education institutions could play an important role in the region through exchange programs and exchange of know-how.

Best Prospects

It is recommended for U.S universities and colleges to build more partnership with Moroccan universities, educational institutions, students’ recruitment agencies and alumni associations. Joint events with the U.S. Mission in Morocco and local educational institutions could also be beneficial for U.S universities and colleges.

  • Develop specific English language programs for the target sectors.
  • R&D partnerships

DIGITAL MARKETING STRATEGIES

For education purposes, most Moroccan students use Zoom and Google platforms.  The most popular social media sites for students are Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and WhatsApp. Google is the most used by student for first searches of international universities.

YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram are the most popular sites for streaming videos in the country. In-country schools and other competitor countries, particularly Europeans, use blogs, Facebook and amazing videos on YouTube to attract Moroccan students.

The majority of internet and social media users in Morocco are young people aged 18-25 years old. It is important that U.S. universities target Moroccan students through digital content and platforms.

Online recruitment has become the first and most important channel for attracting and enrolling international students. It is recommended for U.S. universities and educational institutions to start advertising on social media with targeted messaging to build awareness of their organizations/programs.

EVENTS

  • EducationUSA Virtual Fair and study in the U.S. advising events throughout the year (TBD)
  • Forum de l’Etudiant (Student Forum), June 2022

RESOURCES

U.S. COMMERCIAL SERVICE CONTACT

Redouane Ghadouna, Commercial Specialist

U.S. Commercial Service – Casablanca, Morocco

Email: Redouane.Ghadouna@trade.gov

Phone: +212 522 642 023