Foreign students in Northern Cyprus: False promises and disillusion

With nearly 50,000 foreign students, mainly from Africa, the Middle East and the Indian subcontinent, education has become a lucrative business in Northern Cyprus. According to authorities, it generates a third of GDP – more than tourism. In order to recruit students, universities employ so-called agents, often former students themselves. They are paid a commission – up to $800 per student – ​​for each person they sign up. But this system leads to problematic behaviour, particularly on the part of African agents.

On social media, these agents make various promises that stretch the truth. "The majority of the experiences that people have here when they come with an agent is that they tell them: 'You'll find jobs, it's easy to find housing, it's cheap, there are opportunities to get a scholarship'. When in fact it's very limited. All the people who come here are shocked by the reality that they discover. I have friends who also thought that they would have easy access to other European countries," says Magazi Ahmed, a Sudanese student and member of the Voice of International Students (VOIS), an association which pressures universities and the authorities to end to the system of agents.

These agents' false promises can have serious consequences. Thousands of students find themselves penniless. Many of them end up dropping out of university. Although their courses – costing between €3,000 and €5,000 – are relatively affordable compared to European or American private universities, they have often only paid for their first semester, convinced of finding a job to finance the rest of their course. But job offers are rare. And since paying one's tuition fees acts as a visa, failing to do so is equivalent to being in an illegal