Why Mauritius is Africa's new study abroad destination

Higher education to become a strategic economic sector

Transforming Mauritius into an international higher education hub is part of a broader strategy for economic diversification. The tourism industry never fully recovered from the blow dealt by the COVID-19 pandemic. Data from the Mauritius Tourism Authority in December 2024 shows that tourist numbers during a two-month peak season period remain about 100,000 lower than in the same period in 2019. To compensate for the decline in tourism, the government is shifting its focus to more resilient sectors that can generate foreign revenue: higher education is one of them.

In his budget speech delivered in early June, Prime Minister Dr. Navin Ramgoolam outlined the following key points regarding the higher education sector:

• Encourage foreign universities to open campuses and offer courses in Mauritius.
• Collaborate with private stakeholders to create a marketing strategy for the “Study Mauritius” brand abroad.
• Double the number of international students in Mauritius by 2028. According to the latest publicly available data from the Higher Education Commission (HEC) for 2023, there were approximately 3,000 international students in Mauritius two years ago. The objective is to increase this number to over 6,000 within the next three years.
• Build a student dormitory for international students in Réduit, a centrally located area of Mauritius that hosts major institutions, including the University of Mauritius, the Open University of Mauritius, the Mauritius Institute of Education, and Polytechnic Mauritius.
• Invest Rs 438 million (about US$10 million) in improving the infrastructure of educational institutions.
• Establish a National Education Council and a National Curriculum Advisory Board to enhance the quality of education, including at the university level.
• Invest in research and innovation, so that Mauritius becomes an education hub that not only consumes knowledge but also produces it.

In early June, the Ministry of Tertiary Education, Science, and Research held the Higher Education Summit 2025 to discuss all of the above points with key stakeholders, including academics and researchers, university students, employers, and policymakers. The goal was to help the ministry shape a roadmap for the internationalization of the country's higher education sector. More updates are likely to be announced in the coming months.

The quality and affordability of Mauritius makes it popular with Indian and African students

The “A Snapshot of Participation in Tertiary Education 2023” report of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) gave details about the demographic makeup of international students in Mauritius. Slightly over 30% come from India, and the rest mostly come from a range of African countries: Madagascar, Nigeria, Kenya, Zimbabwe, South Africa, and Tanzania.

The reports cite that the combination of high quality and affordability is a factor that attracts them. Mauritius is home to the global campuses of British, French, and Australian universities, such as Middlesex University, the University Paris-Panthéon-Assas, and Curtin University. For international students from developing countries, attending these universities in Europe or Australia might be too expensive. In comparison, they can obtain the exact same degrees while living in a more affordable study destination, namely Mauritius. Most international students on the island choose STEM subjects, especially medicine and computer science, which also supports the government's push to grow research in these fields.

Housing stress could be eased with the new hall for international students

Housing can be a significant challenge for international students in Mauritius. Because the island is small and family plays a central role in the local culture, most domestic students live with their parents while attending university. They simply commute from the family home to campus each day by metro, bus, or car. As a result, there has traditionally been little demand for student dormitories. The few dorms that do exist are mainly operated by private or international universities, such as Middlesex University Mauritius, rather than local public institutions like the University of Mauritius.

As a result, many international students often have to go through the hassle of hunting for rental housing and finding housemates to share the cost. Even modest homes can rent for around Rs 15,000 (approximately USD 335) per month, which is just slightly below the national minimum wage of Rs 17,110 (approximately USD 382). It might not sound like a lot to students from wealthier countries, but for many Malagasy or Indian students, it's quite a strain. Building a state-funded hall of residence near major public universities might well solve this problem.