French Diplomas Now Automatically Recognized in Morocco
Doha – Morocco's Ministry of Higher Education has announced that diplomas from French public universities will now receive automatic recognition in Morocco, ending a bureaucratic process that often delayed graduates' entry into the job market.
According to an announcement published in the Official Bulletin No. 7392 of February 10, degrees at the bachelor's, master's, and doctoral levels from French public universities will be automatically equivalent to their Moroccan counterparts, provided they are validated by competent French authorities.
'It was time to end administrative complications that unjustifiably harmed our graduates from foreign universities,' said Azzedine El Midaoui, Minister of Higher Education, Research and Innovation. 'This decision represents a step toward a more fair and efficient public administration that better understands the transformations in international academic pathways.'
The new measure eliminates what was previously a complex administrative procedure requiring document submission, review by specialized committees, and publication of decisions in the Official Bulletin – a process that could take at least six months and sometimes stretch to three years.
The automatic recognition applies to degrees in various fields, including legal, economic, social and management sciences, as well as exact sciences and humanities. French diplomas represent more than 60% of equivalence requests processed annually by the ministry.
In 2024, the ministry received nearly 4,000 requests for university degree equivalence across different higher education fields, with approximately 3,700 cases examined by sectoral committees.
The previous equivalence process was not only time-consuming but also costly. Candidates had to provide numerous certified documents, including diplomas, transcripts, school certificates, and sworn translations into Arabic or French. Each translated page could cost more than MAD 250 ($25), creating a significant financial burden.
This reform comes as Moroccan students continue to represent the largest foreign student community in France. According to Campus France's 2024 report, 45,162 Moroccan students were enrolled in French institutions during the 2022-2023 academic year, accounting for 11% of the international student population. This marked a 13% increase between 2017 and 2022.
Moroccan students also dominate French engineering schools with 6,110 students in 2022-2023, a 26% increase over five years, and have a strong presence in business schools, representing 14% of international students in these institutions.
The ministry had already made efforts to modernize the system by launching a digital platform in November 2023 to manage foreign diploma equivalence applications.
This platform enables continuous interaction with users, faster response times, and allows applicants to submit equivalence requests and track their status online without visiting ministry offices.
Ministry sources suggest that similar decisions may be made for diplomas from other countries as part of a comprehensive review of equivalence mechanisms, aimed at improving services for Moroccan graduates from foreign higher education institutions. Tags: French diplomasministry of higher educationMorocco
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