Introduction to Upcoming Tuition Fees
Recent developments in Moroccan higher education reveal that university councils are moving towards officially endorsing a unified fee structure for the soon-to-be-implemented flexible timing tuition system, which will take effect starting the 2026-2027 academic year. This initiative is backed by the "Conference of University Presidents," however, variations in the approach to exempting university employees and those earning minimum wage from these fees are anticipated.
Details on Tuition Fees and Exemptions
According to insider sources from the digital newspaper Hespress, the University of Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah in Fez recently convened its council and approved the proposed unified fees for the flexible timing system. An official announcement regarding this development is expected in the coming days. Previously, Minister of Higher Education, Scientific Research, and Innovation, Azeddine Midaoui, had indicated that employees in the sector would be exempt from the aforementioned fees. However, the source from the University of Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah noted that while the university generally supports and encourages its staff in this matter, there currently is no agreement across universities that specifies a uniform exemption rate for their employees.
The situation at the University of Sidi Mohammed Ben Abdellah will rely heavily on the number of enrolled students, especially since the training programs attract varying numbers of employees. Regarding the exemptions for those earning minimum wage, the same source confirmed that it also depends on the number of programs that will be offered and the volume of applications received.
As the university council meets, the institution is simultaneously engaged in issuing diplomas for the academic year that has just concluded, with approximately 10,800 diplomas signed by the university president. Similarly, a source from Sultan Moulay Slimane University in Beni Mellal indicated that their upcoming council meeting in September is also set to approve the unified fees for the 2026/2027 academic year.
In terms of exemptions from these fees, it was clarified that Sultan Moulay Slimane University had already decided prior to the enactment of law number 59.24 pertaining to higher education and scientific research, to exempt its employees from these fees. The source reiterated that the minister had previously discussed exemptions for those earning minimum wage, adding that the university council would not adopt a different stance, but emphasized the need for discussions on this procedure before its ratification.
Hussein Azdouq, president of the Conference of University Presidents and head of Hassan II University in Casablanca, confirmed in a statement to Hespress on July 24 that Morocco will implement a completely unified fee structure for flexible timing programs across its universities starting from the next academic year. Consequently, the annual registration fees for flexible timing programs across Moroccan universities have been set at 5,000 MAD for the undergraduate level, 18,000 MAD for the bachelor’s level, 15,000 MAD for master’s programs, and 20,000 MAD per year for doctoral studies during the first four years.
These fees have sparked considerable debate and resistance recently, particularly from numerous employees who view them as excessively high. Fatima Tamani, a parliamentary representative from the Democratic Left Federation, recently raised a written question regarding the matter to Minister Azeddine Midaoui, highlighting that the doctoral fee of 20,000 MAD per year exceeds half the annual income of many low-income families when factoring in various living expenses.
As reported by hespress.com.
