Working professionals could soon have to pay MAD 20,000 ($2,150) a year to study for a part-time PhD at public universities. The proposal has sparked a political and public debate, with critics saying it could make higher education harder to access for people with lower incomes. Higher Education Minister Azzedine El Midaoui supports a proposal from the Conference of Moroccan University Presidents to set the annual fee at MAD 20,000 for the first four years of part-time doctoral studies. A four-year PhD would cost MAD 80,000 ($8,240).
The proposal is not yet in force. University governing councils must approve it first, while the government still has to publish regulations covering admissions, fees, supervision and possible exemptions.
The debate grew after Chouaib Doukkali University in El Jadida announced it plans to introduce the annual MAD 20,000 fee from the 2026-2027 academic year.
The proposal is part of Law 59.24, which allows public universities to offer paid flexible-study programmes for people who work full time.
The ministry says running evening and weekend doctoral programmes costs more than regular courses. Universities must pay professors, administrative staff, security guards and cleaners outside normal working hours. They also have to keep classrooms and equipment available.
Doctoral students also need much closer supervision than students on taught programmes. Supervisors meet students regularly, follow their research closely and help them produce original academic work.
The ministry says stronger supervision will improve research quality and increase scientific output. Better research, it says, will also help improve university standards.
Between 40% and 50% of students currently enrolled in doctoral programmes are employees in the public or private sector, according to ministry estimates.
The proposal would give priority to full-time PhD students while keeping places open for working professionals under stricter rules.
The ministry says the fees are aimed at professionals such as engineers, managers and experienced employees who already earn salaries. It also notes that private universities charge between MAD 40,000 and more than MAD 100,000 a year.
The proposed PhD fee is part of a wider plan to introduce standard tuition for flexible-study programmes.
Under the proposal:
- Flexible licence programmes would cost MAD 5,000 a year.
- Flexible bachelor’s programmes would cost MAD 18,000 a year.
- Flexible master’s programmes would cost MAD 15,000 a year, or MAD 30,000 over two years.
- Part-time PhD programmes would cost MAD 20,000 a year for the first four years.
Traditional daytime programmes at public universities usually charge between MAD 100 and MAD 500 a year.
The proposal has drawn criticism in parliament.
Fatima Tamni, an MP from the Federation of the Democratic Left (FDG), questioned whether universities have the legal right to introduce the fees and whether they comply with Article 31 of the Constitution, which guarantees equal access to education.
She said: “Fees ranging from MAD 20,000 to MAD 30,000 should not be treated as a simple financial measure because they would have direct social and political consequences.”
Tamni said the fees equal several months of income for many families and could make admission to master’s and doctoral programmes depend on a person’s financial situation instead of academic ability.
She also warned against applying the fees to students who are already enrolled, saying this could raise legal and constitutional concerns.
Tamni called for the proposal to be suspended until a national debate takes place. She also wants current students to be exempt from the fees and is asking universities to introduce flexible timetables and exemptions for working students.
The issue has also reached the House of Councillors.
Khalid Sati, representing the National Labour Union of Morocco, asked the government to explain whether fees of between MAD 15,000 and MAD 20,000 would be introduced.
He said the charges could increase social inequality and discourage people from modest backgrounds from continuing their studies.
Nawfal Bouamri, president of the Moroccan Organisation for Human Rights, said any policy that makes financial status a barrier to education raises concerns about equal opportunities and social justice.
He pointed to Article 31 of the Constitution, which requires the state to make quality education equally accessible. He also cited international human rights agreements saying higher education should be based on merit rather than the ability to pay.
The National Union of Higher Education (SNESUP) rejected the proposal. The union says public higher education should remain free and funded by the state instead of students.
The National Coordination of Working and Salaried Students also rejected the proposal and said it would boycott the fees unless they are reviewed.
The group said fixed fees ignore the large differences in workers’ salaries and place an unfair financial burden on people trying to improve their qualifications while keeping their jobs.
It called for income-based fees, consultations with working students and a clear explanation of how the proposed amounts were calculated.
Another concern is the way part-time programmes are organised. Some students say they are still expected to attend classes, exams and thesis defences during normal working hours despite paying extra for flexible study.
The ministry says the reforms are needed to improve research quality, strengthen academic supervision and protect the value of doctoral degrees.
The proposal will remain under discussion until university councils decide whether to adopt it and the government publishes the regulations needed to implement it.
