How South African Students Win Scholarships in Europe
South African students can fully fund European study through Chevening, Stipendium Hungaricum, DAAD and Erasmus Mundus, each with…
France takes 35,458 of the 75,186 Moroccans studying abroad, and its public universities charge €178–2,902 per year. Germany charges no public tuition at all. Türkiye and Italy sit in between. The catch is French: Campus France requires a TCF tout public, a DELF B2 or a DALF, and the Bac international option française gives no exemption.
The Bac marocain rests on 12 years of schooling, the standard European universities ask for, and Morocco issues the Hague apostille (yes). Diplomas and relevés de notes count as administrative documents, apostilled by the Wali or Governor of your province or prefecture, with requests made in writing or online at apostille.ma. That one stamp replaces a chain of legalisations almost everywhere.
French is the second advantage. Teaching in France runs in the language you already studied science in, and files processed through Campus France pay a reduced visa fee of €50 instead of the full rate. English-taught degrees in Hungary, Poland, Malta and Cyprus are open to you as well, so you are choosing between two languages rather than starting one from zero.
Cost is the third. Public tuition in Germany is free, Italy charges €200–4,200 per year on a scale set by your family’s country-income band, and France charges €178–2,902 per year. The catch comes with the same advantage: Campus France requires a TCF tout public, a DELF B2 or a DALF, and holders of the Bac international option française and of délocalisé French programmes in Morocco are explicitly not exempt.
France. 35,458 of the Moroccans abroad in 2023 were in France, for two reasons: teaching is in French and public tuition is €178–2,902 per year. The Études en France procedure is mandatory before TLScontact will take your file. See studying in France from Morocco.
Germany. 5,301 Moroccans study there. Public tuition is free, teaching runs in German and, at master’s level, often in English, and the visa costs €75. Two obstacles: a blocked account of €11,904 per year, and student appointments in Rabat issued from a waiting list. See Germany from Morocco.
Türkiye. 4,958 Moroccans are enrolled. Public tuition is US$1,600–2,400 per year, most teaching is in Turkish with English programmes at the foundation universities, and the consular student visa is free. Moroccans holding a university acceptance letter travel visa-free and register for the residence card after arrival. See Türkiye from Morocco.
Spain. 4,339 Moroccans study there, drawn by distance and by public tuition of €757–8,186 per year, which varies sharply by region. Teaching is in Spanish, and in Catalan at some Catalan universities. The post-study job-search permit runs 24 months, the longest of our twelve. See Spain from Morocco.
Italy. 2,085 Moroccans are enrolled. Public tuition is €200–4,200 per year, English-taught degrees exist at the larger universities, and the study visa is €50. Universitaly pre-enrolment comes first, and the consulate takes 90 days for national visas, fixed by Italian law. See Italy from Morocco.
The United Kingdom. Only 1,628 Moroccans study there, because tuition is £11,400–38,000 per year. The odds, though, are the best in this list: 1.8% (2025). Teaching is in English throughout, and a TB certificate from an approved clinic in Rabat is required. See the UK from Morocco.
Choose by language first: France if you will study in French, Germany or Italy if you need an English-taught programme at public prices, the UK if the money is there and refusal risk matters most.
There are three price groups. The cheap public group: Germany at free plus a semester contribution of €100–400 per semester, Austria at €726.72 per semester, France at €178–2,902 per year, Italy at €200–4,200 per year, Poland at €2,000–6,500 per year and Türkiye at US$1,600–2,400 per year.
The middle group is Hungary at €3,000–8,000 per year, Cyprus at €6,834 per year and Malta at €8,500–10,800 per year. The expensive group is Ireland at €9,850–27,000 per year and the UK at £11,400–38,000 per year, where the health surcharge of £776 per year is charged separately for the full length of the visa.
Living costs often decide more than tuition does. Hungary runs €500–600 per month, France €600–800 per month, Germany €850–1,200 per month and Ireland €1,200–1,800 per month. Budget separately for the money the consulate tests, which you show before you spend anything: Germany asks for €11,904 per year in a blocked account, Italy for €10,179.85 per year, and France for €877.50 per month in documents rather than a blocked account. Private universities are a separate market and are cheaper nowhere: Malta charges €5,750–19,500 per year and Austria €18,000–24,068 per year.
Six schemes are open to Moroccan nationals: DAAD for Germany, Erasmus Mundus joint master’s degrees, Stipendium Hungaricum for Hungary, Türkiye Burslari, Chevening for the UK and the Italian Government scholarships. Three are restricted, which means you read the individual call before planning around them: Eiffel in France, OeAD in Austria and MAEC-AECID in Spain. Two are closed to you: the Commonwealth Scholarships and the Banach programme in Poland.
At home, two bodies fund study abroad. The Ministère de l’Enseignement Supérieur’s Direction de la Coopération et du Partenariat publishes country offers as avis on the maBourse portal, and ONOUSC awards and pays them under décret 2.18.512 of 15 May 2019 through its own portal. The other three do not pay for study abroad at all: AMCI funds foreign students coming to Morocco, CNRST funds doctoral work in Moroccan universities, and the Fondation Mohammed VI bursary is conditional on enrolment in Morocco.
Deadlines run far ahead of the intake: SH 2026/27 cycle closed 15 Jan 2026 (for Sept 2026 start); 2027/28 cycle not yet published as of 2026-09-08 (expect ~mid-Jan 2027); self-funded rolling to ~June. Scheme by scheme detail is on our page for scholarships for Moroccan students.
Your Bac is issued by the Ministère de l’Éducation nationale, du Préscolaire et des Sports on the national examination, and European admissions offices read it from the Moroccan marking scale and your filière. Diplomas and relevés de notes are apostilled by the Wali or Governor. Germany is the exception: the Convention is not in force between Morocco and Germany, so documents take the full consular chain through the Ministère des Affaires étrangères in Rabat and the German Embassy, which will neither certify nor legalise an electronically generated diploma that carries no original signature and seal.
The consular map is fragmented. TLScontact in Rabat handles Germany; TLScontact in seven cities handles France, after Campus France. VFS in Casablanca handles the UK and Malta; VFS in Rabat, Casablanca, Marrakech and Beni Mellal handles Italy. BLS runs six centres for Spain. Poland, Hungary, Austria and Türkiye are lodged at their embassies in Rabat. Ireland runs through the honorary consulates in Casablanca or Agadir, with the file created online in AVATS; the embassy in Rabat does not process visas. For Cyprus, the university files the entry permit in Nicosia and consular cover comes from Lisbon.
A TB certificate is required for the UK (yes), and the approved clinics are in Rabat only, so applicants elsewhere travel for it. Work backwards from the visa, not from the intake: for a September 2027 start, DAP procedure (Licence 1 / PASS-L.AS / Architecture) for 2027/28 entry: platform opens 1 October 2026, closes 15 December 2026, 18:00 (metropolitan France time), Ireland states Study visas: 8 to 12 weeks minimum, and Austria takes Up to 90 days, the statutory maximum.
Five patterns run in Morocco. Agencies take an upfront placement fee and close before the term starts. A Marrakech agency sold places on Chinese degree programmes and enrolled the students on language courses instead; two of its principals were convicted in June 2026. Intermediaries charge for the Campus France procedure, which has one official fee and no accredited agents at all. Agents sold Northern Cyprus university places as recognised in Morocco after equivalence was suspended in 2023, and the graduates affected are still without recognition. Visa brokers sell Schengen appointments with forged bank and institutional documents, and the DGSN has made arrests across Nador, Oujda, Jerada and Rabat.
Three checks cover most of it. Ask which university the agent is contracted with, then confirm it on that university’s own admissions page. Refuse to pay anyone for a step the official portal charges for directly. Never hand over an original diploma. Nobody can sell you a place or a visa; if a promise is guaranteed, the promise is the product. Our checklist is at how to spot a fake agent.
| School qualification | Baccalauréat national (Bac marocain) (Ministère de l'Éducation nationale, du Préscolaire et des Sports (MEN)) |
|---|---|
| Grading scale | Marked out of 20. Awarded on the Examen national unifié du baccalauréat taken in the second year of the cycle secondaire qualifiant, combined with the Examen régional unifié taken in the first year and contrôle continu. Streams (filières): Sciences Mathématiques A and B, Sciences Physiques, Sciences de la Vie et de la Terre, Sciences Agronomiques, Sciences Économiques et Gestion, Techniques de Gestion Comptable, Lettres et Sciences Humaines, Sciences de la Chariâa, Arts Appliqués, Sciences et Technologies Électriques and Mécaniques, plus Baccalauréat international option française, anglaise or espagnole |
| Home entry standard | 10/20 to pass. Mentions on the national /20 scale: Passable 10 to 11.99, Assez bien 12 to 13.99, Bien 14 to 15.99, Très bien 16 and above. Selective public establishments (medicine, ENCG, ENSA, CPGE) admit by concours on the Bac average, not on the pass mark |
| Years of schooling | 12 |
| Degree grading | Licence: 6 semesters, 180 credits; DEUG issued at 120 credits. A module is validated at 10/20 or by compensation; a semester is validated at an average of 10/20 with no module below 5/20. Mentions: Passable 10, Assez bien 12, Bien 14, Très bien 16 (Cahier des Normes Pédagogiques Nationales, décret 2.04.89) |
| Document legalisation | Hague apostille — Administrative documents, which include diplomas and relevés de notes: the Wali or Governor of the province or prefecture (Ministry of the Interior). Judicial documents: the procureurs du Roi at the tribunaux de première instance, the procureur général at the Cour de cassation, and the Secretary General of the Ministry of Justice. Requests in writing or online at apostille.ma |
| English | English is not an official language · no medium-of-instruction route |
| Students abroad | 75,186 (2023) |
| Most go to | France 35,458 · Germany 5,301 · Türkiye 4,958 |
| Funded schemes | 6 schemes open · restricted: Eiffel, Oead, Maec Aecid · closed: Commonwealth, Banach Nawa |
| TB test for the UK | Required — MAD 400–600 — Rabat only — Dr Mandouri Ahmed, 30 rue Abou Faris Al Marini; Dr Nadia Ben Saad, 55 angle avenue Ibn Sina et rue Zellaqa, Agdal |
| Home funding bodies | Ministère de l'Enseignement Supérieur, de la Recherche Scientifique et de l'Innovation — Direction de la Coopération et du Partenariat (bourses d'études à l'étranger, portal maBourse) · ONOUSC — Bourses des études à l'étranger · Agence Marocaine de Coopération Internationale (AMCI) · CNRST — Programme de Bourses d'Excellence de Recherche · Fondation Mohammed VI de Promotion des Œuvres Sociales de l'Éducation-Formation — Bourse Istihqaq |
Last verified 2026-09-09 against official sources (men.gov.ma · hcch.net · visas-de.tlscontact.com · gov.uk · enssup.gov.ma).
Our core guidance is free because universities pay us commission when you enrol. That covers shortlisting against your filière and Bac average, deadlines, and the order of the visa file. We read your documents before you submit them, which is where most Moroccan files fail: sworn translations, apostilles, and preparation for the Campus France interview. Premium Placement is an optional paid service for applicants who want the whole file managed. We never sell guaranteed admission or visas.
| Destination | Where you file | Fee | Decision time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | Rabat — TLScontact visa application centre; decided by the German Embassy Rabat | €75 | 6 to 8 weeks after submission; the embassy's national-visa page also states up to 3 months |
| United Kingdom | Casablanca — UK visa application centre operated by VFS Global | MAD 7,304 | 3 weeks standard; priority GBP 500 (5 working days), super priority GBP 1,000 (next working day) |
| Ireland | Casablanca or Agadir — Honorary Consulates of Ireland; the application is created online in AVATS | €60–100 | Study visas: 8 to 12 weeks minimum |
| Malta | Casablanca — VFS Global; decided by the Central Visa Unit at Identità in Malta | €100 | 6 to 8 weeks for the long-stay D |
| Cyprus | Nicosia — the Cypriot institution files the entry-permit application with the Civil Registry and Migration Department; honorary consulates in Casablanca and Marrakech via Portugal | €70–140 | Entry permit 1 month; residence permit 3 months |
| Hungary | Rabat — consular office of the Hungarian Embassy, 17 Zankat Ait Melloul, Souissi | MAD 0–1,195 | 21 days for the residence-permit decision, excluding time spent supplying further documents |
| Poland | Rabat — consular section of the Polish Embassy, 23 avenue Oqbah, Agdal | MAD 2,143 | 15 working days from payment, extendable to 30 days |
| Türkiye | Rabat — consular section of the Turkish Embassy; Consulate General in Casablanca | Free | At least 3–4 weeks from a complete file, per the Turkish Embassy in Rabat's own official visa-procedures notice, applicable to all long-stay (>90-day) visas including the student visa. Note for site editors: Moroccan nationals holding an acceptance letter from a Turkish HIGHER-EDUCATION institution (university) do not need this consular visa at all — the same notice states they may travel to Turkey visa-free, enrol, and obtain a student residence card locally; the consular 'visa d'études' applies only to those accepted by a school or language centre instead. |
| Spain | BLS International centres in Casablanca, Rabat, Tanger, Tétouan, Nador and Agadir | MAD 971 | One month maximum from a complete file |
| France | TLScontact centres in Rabat, Casablanca, Fès, Marrakech, Tanger, Oujda and Agadir, after the mandatory Campus France Études en France procedure | €50 | Long-stay 3 weeks to 3 months; France-Visas advises applying at least a month before departure |
| Italy | VFS Global centres in Rabat, Casablanca, Marrakech and Beni Mellal; decided by the Embassy in Rabat and the Consulate General in Casablanca | MAD 535–539 | 90 days for national visas, fixed by Italian law |
| Austria | Rabat — Austrian Embassy, 2 Zankat Tiddas; the first application is lodged in person | €218 | Up to 90 days, the statutory maximum |
South African students can fully fund European study through Chevening, Stipendium Hungaricum, DAAD and Erasmus Mundus, each with…
Egyptian students have at least four fully funded routes into European universities: Chevening (UK, Master's), Stipendium Hungaricum (Hungary,…
Poland and Germany are the most affordable European destinations from Zimbabwe; the UK offers the strongest scholarship in…
Choose the destination by language first, then apply to the university, then to the consulate. France teaches most Moroccan students and charges €178–2,902 per year at public universities, while Germany charges no public tuition. Your apostilled Bac marocain is the base document everywhere except Germany, which takes the consular chain instead.
Germany is the only destination with no public tuition; you pay a semester contribution of €100–400 per semester and must show €11,904 per year in a blocked account. Türkiye's public universities charge US$1,600–2,400 per year and France €178–2,902 per year. Free tuition is not free study: living costs remain the larger bill.
Yes. It follows 12 years of schooling, the standard European universities require, and it is accepted for first-year entry across our destinations, often with a filière or average condition. Morocco issues the Hague apostille, so diplomas and relevés de notes need one stamp from the Wali or Governor. Germany is the exception and takes the full consular chain.
It depends on the language of the programme. Campus France requires a TCF tout public, a DELF B2 or a DALF, and the Bac international option française gives no exemption. English-taught programmes usually ask IELTS 6 for a bachelor's in Germany and 5.5 in Hungary. British Council runs IELTS in eight Moroccan cities; the Institut français runs TCF and DELF nationwide.
DAAD, Erasmus Mundus, Stipendium Hungaricum, Türkiye Burslari, Chevening and the Italian Government scholarships are open. Eiffel, OeAD and MAEC-AECID are restricted, so read the specific call before you build a plan on them. Commonwealth Scholarships and the Polish Banach programme are closed. At home, maBourse and ONOUSC fund study abroad; AMCI, CNRST and the Fondation Mohammed VI do not.
It depends on the destination. Germany is TLScontact in Rabat at €75; France is TLScontact in seven cities after Campus France, at €50. The UK and Malta go through VFS in Casablanca, Italy through VFS in four cities, Spain through BLS in six. Poland, Hungary, Austria and Türkiye are lodged at their embassies in Rabat.
Yes, within the limit each destination sets. Hungary allows 30 hours/week, Italy 20 hours/week maximum and Germany 140 full days or 280 half days per year (≈20 h/week). No consulate accepts expected earnings as proof of funds, so the job pays for your month, not for your file.
No. The Campus France procedure has one official fee and no accredited agents, so anyone charging to handle it is charging for a step you do yourself. Moroccan cases include an agency convicted in June 2026 for selling Chinese degree places and enrolling students on language courses, and brokers selling Schengen appointments with forged bank documents.