As the national capital, Rabat is calmer, cleaner and greener than Casablanca, with a walkable historic core, an ocean setting and a big concentration of universities and embassies. Mohammed V University and the private International University of Rabat draw students from across Morocco and abroad, and the UNESCO-listed medina and Kasbah give daily life a storybook backdrop. It is an easy, safe-feeling place to settle into Moroccan life.

• Mohammed V University and the International University of Rabat (UIR) host many students
• The capital is calmer and greener than Casablanca, with a UNESCO medina
• Casablanca is under an hour away by high-speed train

Agdal is the student quarter, buzzing with cafes, bookshops and cheap eateries around the university. Social life runs on cafe culture, walks along the river and beach, and events at the many cultural institutes. It is more relaxed than Casa, with students gathering over mint tea, in Agdal's restaurants, or down by the Bouregreg marina and Oudaias.

• Base your social life in Agdal, with its cafes, bookshops and student eateries
• Stroll the Kasbah of the Oudaias and the Bouregreg riverfront at sunset
• Use language exchanges and the cultural institutes to meet locals

Rabat is a touch cheaper than Casablanca, so budget around 6,000-9,000 dirhams (roughly 550-850 euros) a month. A room or small flat runs about 2,500-4,500dh, and the usual mix of street food, markets and set lunches keeps daily costs low. The tram and shared taxis make transport cheap too.

• Rent a room in Agdal or Hassan for central, student-friendly living
• Eat at local snack spots and markets for meals around 20-40dh
• Use the tram and blue petit taxis (with the meter) for cheap travel

There is little formal student housing, so most students share flats found via agencies, Facebook groups or word of mouth. Agdal is the obvious student choice for its cafes and campus proximity, while Hassan and L'Ocean are also central and pleasant. View places in person, negotiate the rent, and be ready to pay a couple of months upfront.

• Search Agdal, Hassan and L'Ocean for central shares
• Use Avito and Mubawab plus local Facebook housing groups
• Ask the Rabat group on Studcasa for trusted leads and deposit advice

The Rabat-Sale tramway (two lines) links the city with its twin Sale across the river, cheap and easy with a rechargeable card. Blue petits taxis are plentiful, so insist on the meter, and buses and shared grands taxis fill the gaps. ONCF trains, including Al Boraq high-speed services, run from Rabat-Agdal and Rabat-Ville.

• Ride the Rabat-Sale tram with a rechargeable card
• Take blue petit taxis and insist on the compteur (meter)
• Catch ONCF trains, including Al Boraq high-speed, from Rabat-Agdal or Rabat-Ville

Rabat is a national academic hub: the public Mohammed V University spans law, sciences, medicine and the humanities, while the International University of Rabat and specialised schools like ENSIAS (IT) and ENA add professional and English-taught options. Teaching tends to be formal and lecture-led, largely in French, with Arabic ever-present around campus.

• Mohammed V University for public faculties; UIR and ENSIAS for private and tech programmes
• Expect French-language, lecture-led teaching in many courses

Here is the honest version, and it depends entirely on your passport. Citizens of the EU, UK, US, Canada, Australia and many others enter Morocco visa-free for up to 90 days, so a short exchange that fits inside 90 days needs no visa at all, just your passport and an entry stamp. That covers a lot of one-semester students.

Staying longer than 90 days (a full year, or a long semester) means getting a residence card, the carte de sejour, which you apply for in-country at the local police prefecture within your first three months. Your university issues the enrolment attestation you will need. Start the paperwork the week you arrive: it is bureaucratic, slow, and everyone underestimates it. Non-visa-free nationalities must sort a student visa at a Moroccan consulate before flying.

• Many nationalities (EU/UK/US/CA/AU): 90 days visa-free
• Stays over 90 days, apply for a carte de sejour in-country
• Bring, passport valid 6+ months, uni attestation, photos, proof of funds and address
• Check your own nationality on the Moroccan consulate site before booking

You will eat well: tagines, Friday couscous, harira, fresh fish off the Atlantic, and street snacks like msemen and sfenj doughnuts with mint tea. The medina's food stalls and the Ville Nouvelle's cafes cover both traditional and modern tastes. As across Morocco, Ramadan shifts daily life toward the evenings.

• Eat couscous on Fridays and try harira soup, especially in Ramadan
• Graze the medina food stalls and fresh seafood near the coast
• Sip mint tea in an Agdal or Oudaias cafe, as it is the social ritual

Agdal is the modern student and cafe district; Hassan is central and historic near the landmark tower; the old Medina and the Kasbah of the Oudaias hold the traditional heart; Hay Riad is a newer, upscale business area; and across the river, Sale keeps a more traditional, local feel.

• Agdal for student life, cafes and campus proximity
• The Medina and Oudaias for historic, atmospheric living
• Hassan and L'Ocean for central, walkable neighbourhoods

Rabat's rail links make travel simple: Casablanca is under an hour by high-speed train, and Tangier is around 1h20 on Al Boraq. Meknes and Fez's imperial medinas are a couple of hours inland, the blue town of Chefchaouen is a longer weekend, and the beach town of Asilah lies up the coast.

• Take the Al Boraq high-speed train to Casablanca (about 50 min) or Tangier (about 1h20)
• Weekend in Fez or Meknes for the imperial medinas
• Head north to Chefchaouen's blue streets or the beaches of Asilah

Rabat feels relaxed and safe, but the usual advice holds: keep some French and Darija ready, insist on taxi meters, and carry cash for small buys. Dress modestly out of respect, especially in the medina, and plan around Friday afternoons and Ramadan when the pace slows right down.

• Insist on the meter in petit taxis or agree the fare first
• Carry cash, as small shops and stalls rarely take cards
• Learn a few French and Darija phrases, which locals appreciate