How a private institution in Tunis sold students the dream of an internationally recognised degree, then failed to deliver
When somebody tells you “university is a scam”, it’s usually a matter of opinion. In Tunisia, one institution has made this phrase uncomfortably literal.
Inkyfada, a Tunis-based non-profit media collective, recently published the findings of its investigation into the workings of the so-called “Digital College”, which they claim amounts to a fraud on students – giving them useless certificates while taking thousands of dinars in fees, and years of students’ lives that they’ll never get back.
Targeting students fresh out of secondary school with promises of internationally recognised certificates and the opportunity to study abroad, the Digital College offered courses in digital marketing, social media management, content creation and digital communication, all made more palatable by its apparent affiliation with the Collège de Paris, a French institution with several satellite branches around the world.
It was launched with great fanfare in 2022 with ads across billboards and on social media. One student tells Inkyfada how he fell for it. Ahmed* had an offer at a public university but enrolled at “Digital College” after seeing the online ads and because friends were already studying there. He visited the campus and met with a representative who boasted of work opportunities in digital, and the chance to study abroad. It all seemed, he said, like an “official university” – with the formal language of “students” and programmes described as “Bachelor’s” and “Master’s” degrees. It never occurred to him to ask whether such degrees would carry formal status as such.
During his first year, suspicions began to mount. Things started changing on the website. (The article includes the screenshot of a 404 Error message when looking up the college online, snippets from emails, and recordings of students talking about their experience). Ahmed was not alone in getting worried. Many students hoping to study abroad had begun to ask about the process. Several contacted the Collège de Paris directly – only to be told that no such affiliation existed. Some reached out to the Tunisian Ministry of Higher Education to inquire about the college’s legal status – to discover it was not recognised within the national system.
On 23 December 2025, the Ministry issued a statement making clear that only licensed institutions can award degrees, and that advertising otherwise is prohibited. In January 2026, students noticed changes on the college’s website – the word “university” was replaced with more generic terms referring to “training”. As public scrutiny grew, the institution formally admitted to not holding university status at a meeting on 14 February 2026. A lawyer consulted by Inkyfada explained that misrepresentation is illegal in Tunisia, carrying the risk of five years in prison and a fine.
The story doesn’t stop there. Inkyfada’s research connected them to French journalists investigating the wider Collège de Paris group. A report by Béatrice Mathieu revealed that the group is teetering on full blown bankruptcy, with debts of up to 90 million euros (£78 million / $105 million). Several French investigations into institutions belonging to the group are underway.
For students like Ahmed*, the revelations have been devastating. The programme cost him TND 7,900 (equivalent to £2,000 or $2,700) per year, an enormous sum that he, and many other Tunisians, had considered a serious investment. Some may be able to get their money back; some may have already done so. But how should they value their certificates, or their wasted time? There are some things you can’t get back.
The original article ‘“Digital College”: بين صفة الجامعة وواقع مركز التكوين’ by Omaima Al-Zarwani was published in Arabic by Inkyfada on March 18, 2026.
It is available here.
Inkyfada is an independent, non-profit Tunisian web magazine founded in 2014 that specializes in investigative journalism, data journalism, and digital storytelling.
