Scholarships, Bursaries and Student Loans in Morocco

Minhaty: The National Bursary

Minhaty is Morocco's main bursary for university students, run by the Office National des Oeuvres Universitaires Sociales et Culturelles (ONOUSC). Since the 2025/26 academic year, eligibility runs through the Registre Social Unifie (RSU), the government's unified social scoring system, replacing the older method of self-declared parental income, according to H24info .

To apply, you and your family first need to be registered in the Registre National de la Population (RNP) and the RSU. Only after that registration can you submit a Minhaty file. For the 2025/26 cycle, applications ran from mid-July through September 30, 2025, on the official portal, minhaty.ma. Submit your file as soon as your RSU registration clears, since processing both registrations before the window closes can take longer than students expect.

Who Qualifies

• You hold a baccalaureate and are enrolled or enrolling in a recognized higher education program.

• Your family is registered in the RSU, with a social score under the threshold set for that cycle.

• You were under 26 years old on the date of your baccalaureate exam.

• You do not already receive another scholarship or bursary for the same period.

Exact RSU thresholds and award amounts get set by government decision each cycle, so confirm the current criteria on the Minhaty portal or with your university's ONOUSC office rather than relying on a figure you heard elsewhere.

How Payment Works

Once approved, Minhaty pays your bursary quarterly through a dedicated Minhaty VISA card, issued by Al Barid Bank. You collect the card after approval, and top-ups load automatically each term rather than arriving as a lump sum at the start of the year. Keep your address and contact details updated with your university's ONOUSC office, since a mismatch between your file and your current situation can delay a payment or trigger a review of your award.

Regional ONOUSC Offices

ONOUSC operates regional offices (CROUS-style centers) tied to each university, handling both Minhaty processing and cite universitaire allocation locally. If a payment does not arrive on schedule or you need to update your file, your regional office, not the national portal, is usually the fastest place to resolve it. Ask your faculty's student affairs desk for your regional office's contact details as soon as you enroll.

Research Funding for Graduate Students

If you move into a Master's or, more often, a PhD program, look beyond Minhaty toward research-specific funding. The Centre National pour la Recherche Scientifique et Technique (CNRST) runs excellence bursaries and research grants for doctoral candidates attached to a recognized Centre d'Etudes Doctorales. Individual universities and their doctoral centers also run their own smaller grant pools, so check with your thesis supervisor and doctoral center early.

Corporate and Foundation Scholarships

Several large Moroccan companies and foundations run their own scholarship programs alongside the state system, including the OCP Foundation and major national banks. Criteria, amounts and application windows differ by program and change year to year, so check each foundation's official page directly rather than a secondhand listing before you plan around one. Many corporate scholarships target specific fields, such as engineering, finance or agriculture, tied to the sponsor's own industry, so look first at foundations connected to your intended career path.

Student Loans

Morocco does not run a large dedicated government student loan program. A small number of banks offer consumer credit products marketed toward students and their families to cover tuition or living costs, structured as ordinary personal loans rather than a subsidized government loan. Treat these as a last resort behind Minhaty, university aid and family savings, and compare interest rates carefully before signing. Ask any bank offering a student loan product for the full repayment schedule and total cost in writing before you agree, since marketing materials commonly emphasize the monthly payment over the total amount you end up repaying. Involve a parent or guardian in any loan decision, since most student credit products in Morocco require a co-signer or guarantor given that few students carry independent income or credit history.

How to Apply Well

• Register for RSU and RNP status early, since Minhaty applications depend on it.

• Gather your bac certificate, national ID and family documents before the portal opens.

• Apply within the window each cycle. Late files commonly get rejected outright.

• Keep your Minhaty VISA card details safe and check your balance each term rather than assuming automatic renewal.