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France remains a popular destination for students worldwide, with a 3% increase in international student numbers over one year and a 17% rise over five years. Students from North Africa, in particular, constitute the largest contingents.
Moroccan students continue to be the largest foreign student community in France, according to the latest annual report from Campus France agency. The ‘Key Figures in Student Mobility’ report for 2024 documents that out of a total of 412,087 international students in France during the 2022-2023 academic year, 45,162 were Moroccans, followed by Algerians (32,147) and Chinese (25,605). According to the report, Moroccan students in France increased by 13% between 2017 and 2022, representing 11% of the total international student population.
The report also highlights that Morocco is the top country of origin for foreign students enrolled in French engineering schools, with 6,110 students in the 2022-2023 academic year. This represents a 26% increase over the 2017-2022 period. Moroccan students also have a strong presence in French business schools, representing 14% of the total international student population in these institutions. With 8,058 students in 2022-2023, Morocco ranks second after China (8,337). Notably, the number of Moroccan students in business schools has nearly doubled over the past five years, with a 95% increase. At the doctoral level, Morocco ranks in the top 10 countries of origin for international students, with Moroccan doctoral candidates making up 6% of the foreign doctoral student population in France.
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Student mobility has been on the rise since 2021, recent policy changes announced by some major host countries, such as Canada, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands, aimed at limiting the number of international students, could slow down its growth in the coming years. Despite this, France maintains its 6th position among the top host countries for international students worldwide.
