Moroccans began benefiting from Fulbright study grants even before independence in 1956. In 1967, the Kingdom of Morocco and the United States of America signed a Cultural Agreement which led to increased educational and cultural exchanges of many types financed largely by the American government and administered by the US Embassy.

The recipients of these early Fulbright grants include eminent Moroccan government officials, as well as leading intellectuals, university administrators and writers of both nationalities. In light of the positive results achieved through these exchanges, a provisional commission on educational and cultural exchange was established in 1980.
Finally, in a determined effort to strengthen and expand such exchanges, a binational agreement for the creation of the current Commission for Educational and Cultural Exchange was signed and went into effect in 1982. This agreement stems from the close bilateral relations that the two countries have enjoyed for over two centuries. 

Signing of the historic agreement that lead to MACECE's creation by U.S. Secretary of State Alexander Haig and Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs M'hammed Boucetta.