Frequently Asked Questions
AMERICAN CANDIDATES
If you have been chosen for a grant as an American citizen, any and all questions may be addressed directly to MACECE at the following email address: info@macece.ma
Preference is given to candidates with no previous Fulbright experience. The minimum waiting time required between one grant and another is usually 3 years. For more information on this issue, you should contact CIES in Washington DC.
No inoculations or visas are required to enter Morocco.
When possible, the applicant is advised to contact the Moroccan institution he or she would like to be affiliated with, even before being selected. For possible contacts and leads check our web site listing on Moroccan Educational Institutions. The Commission, on behalf of the grantee, then follows up with its own letter of affiliation request. For those who have no affiliation, the Commission will assist in arranging it. It is important to mention that very little can be done prior to arrival in Morocco to clarify exact institutional responsibilities, and lecture schedules for Fulbright grantees are sometimes decided only a couple of weeks before classes begin.
There are no age restrictions. However, medical clearance is mandatory for all grantees.
Housing is the grantee's own responsibility, but the Commission is willing to assist in any way possible in finding housing for you. Grant awards include monthly stipend which is meant to cover local living expenses.
Bring a copy of your marriage certificate. Get medical insurance for all family members. Inquire about schools for your children before arrival. Click here for information on the Rabat American School or the US Embassy in Morocco's listing of American schools. (See below for more information on children's schooling.) Bring the children's birth certificates and medical records (especially of standard inoculations required for school enrollment).
No. Children's school fees are the grantee's own responsibility. American schools exist in Rabat, Casablanca and Tangier. The Rabat American School charges about $10,000/child/year. In addition, there are many private French schools and French/Arabic schools. The Moroccan system of public education is free, but Arabic based with French as a foreign language from the third grade. For a partial list of addresses and contact persons at private schools in Morocco (including French mission schools) click here: Moroccan schools or here: US Embassy in Morocco's listing of American schools.
For all grantees, it is preferred that you start your grant in Morocco no later than mid-September. Getting settled may require some time before you can start your research/lecturing. The academic year runs from mid-September to the end of June, although classes might actually start in late September or early October. Grantees are advised to attend the orientation meetinmg in the second week of September.
The office to contact in the US is: Institute of International Education , 809 United Nations Plaza , New York, NY 10017-3580 , Tel. (212) 984-5565.
Grantees are advised to have adequate language skills before arrival. University lecturing in Morocco is done both in Arabic and French depending on subject. A working knowledge of French is necessary, and knowledge of Arabic (Standard and especially Moroccan dialectal) is essential for those working in rural areas. Working in some areas and with certain sections of the population (especially rural women), a knowledge of one of the Berber dialects is a must. (For detailed information on Morocco's linguistic situation try this site: Languages of Morocco.) There are possibilities for lecturing in English in departments of English Language and Literature, or at the American-style Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane, but some knowledge of French and/or Arabic will facilitate daily life immeasurably. For student grantees wishing to brush up on their Arabic or learn Moroccan dialectical Arabic, the Arabic Language Institute in Fez (ALIF) has served previous grantees well. Another option is the Qalam wa Lawh Language Academy in Rabat. The Center for Cross-Cultural Learning is also recommended by former grantees.
Fulbright grantees are permitted to send up to four packages of educational materials (books, papers, articles...) to Morocco via diplomatic pouch. The pouch address is:
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c/o Cultural Affairs Officer, USISSize limits for each package are: no more than 24 inch. long, no more than 62 in. combined length and girth, and no more than 40 pounds.
We do not recommend that you try to ship an automobile from the US to Morocco.