With its long tradition of academic excellence, boasting world class universities, colleges and research institutions, Israel is a great place to study in. There are many reasons for any student to consider studying in Israel than studying in many of the Western countries. We must remember, Israel not only is a startup nation but it has been building a Silicon Valley in Beer Sheva, the capital of Nagev region. Let’s have a glimpse on the reasons of choosing Israel as the next destination of higher studies:
World class education
As a student, your main concern with studying overseas is the quality of the institution you will be attending. Israel’s higher education institutions are known worldwide for their academic excellence. With several universities ranked amongst the highest in the world, excellent colleges and research institutes, Israel offers you a high quality academic experience! Many institutions offer programs in English, providing a unique international learning environment designed for you to learn and succeed.
Innovation and technology
If you’re into innovation and technology, Israel is the place for you! Israel is the land of innovation, also known as the “Start-Up Nation”. It is a hotbed of hi-tech activity, with the world’s highest investment per capita in start-up companies. Israel was ranked the 3rd most innovative country in the world (World Economic Forum Global Competitive Index). Studying in Israel gives you the opportunity to experience and participate in Israel’s vibrant start-up culture and eco-system.
Student life
Whether you live on campus or off, in or out of the city, there’s more to studying in Israel than just hitting the books. Israel has a vibrant student social scene with many opportunities to get out and about and enjoy all that Israel has to offer. You will have the opportunity to make life-long friendships with Israelis and other students from all over the world.
Fascinating culture
Choose to study in Israel, and you’ll find yourself at the heart of a diverse, dynamic and constantly developing culture. Israel has over 4,000 years of history, which have incorporated many different cultural influences. Whether it’s food, history, art or music, you will have many opportunities to immerse yourself in Israel’s fascinating culture throughout your studies.
Travel and landscape
Israel has plenty to offer as far as sightseeing. You can experience world-famous historical sites, float in the Dead Sea, go hiking in the beautiful Sea of Galilee region or the Negev Desert, marvel at the Baha’i Gardens in Haifa or enjoy a sunset on Tel Aviv beach. Israel is packed with a wealth of attractions that will keep you occupied until graduation and beyond.
Scholarships:
Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Israel offers scholarships to foreign students, as agreed in the Cultural Agreements between Israel and Argentina, Austria, Belarus, Bulgaria, Canada (Quebec Province), China, Colombia, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Korea, Lithuania, Latvia, Mexico, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Republic of Serbia, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, Spain and Turkey. Belgium, Denmark, Germany, India, Great Britain, Finland, France, Japan, Norway, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Russia also have special scholarship arrangements with Israel.
Basic requirements for a scholarship:
The applicant should hold a BA or BSc degree (or higher) and have a good record of academic achievement.
The applicant should be a citizen of the country where he/she applies for the scholarship and be under the age of 35 (at the beginning of the academic year). Israeli citizens are not eligible to submit an application for this scholarship. Recipients of the scholarship must receive a student visa (A2), issued by the Israeli embassy to which their application was submitted.
Proof of English or Hebrew language proficiency.
The applicant should meet the academic requirements of the Israeli University to which he/she applies. A scholarship will be granted only after the required Institute approves the acceptance of the candidate.
Submission of Application for scholarship
Before downloading and filling out the application forms, please carefully read these important instructions.
Applications should include:
Completed application form – Download application forms
Detailed letter describing the field the applicant intends to study in Israel, specifying the University he/she wishes to attend
Curriculum Vitae
Copies of letters exchanged with Israeli universities, or in the case of a research or post doctorate – the relevant Israeli supervisor. Not required for Ulpan Scholarship.
Official original academic records (or notarized copies) of all relevant studies and test scores, diplomas attesting the completion of an academic degree, including a transcript of the student’s records
At least two (2) letters of recommendation from lecturers/professors who taught the candidate
Three (3) photographs
Certificate of health
All of the above should be printed in English and submitted in three (3) copies to the Israeli embassy in the applicant’s country (in the Netherlands, please follow instructions on website).
The final date for the submission of application forms is normally no later than November 30.
Final decision regarding the granting of a scholarship will be made around July of each year.
The MFA will notify the candidate of his/her acceptance to the scholarship program.
For more details, please write to: [email protected].
Choose to study in Israel, and you’ll find yourself at the heart of a diverse, dynamic and constantly developing culture.
During its 68 years of existence, Israel has fast developed into an economy one renowned for its high-tech development, innovation and entrepreneurship – gaining the nickname ‘the start-up nation’, with its own version of the US Silicon Valley, the Silicon Wadi.
Israel is especially known for innovation in the high-tech sector, and is reportedly home to more high-tech start-ups than any country other than the US – pretty impressive, considering its relatively small size and population. In recent years, Israel has also been touted as the world’s next major biotech hub.
As you’d expect with all this innovation and development going on, Israel has a strong selection of highly reputed universities – with strengths not just in science and technology subjects, but across the academic spectrum.
Universities in Israel
Education is highly valued within the national culture of Israel, and its higher education sector has been praised for helping to encourage the country’s economic development and recent technological boom. The high quality of Israel’s higher education system was also recognized in the QS Higher Education System Strength Rankings, published for the first time in 2016, in which it ranks as the world’s 28thstrongest national system.
There are nine universities in Israel, as well as lots of higher education colleges; the main difference is that the universities offer degrees all the way up to doctorate level. Courses are often taught in Hebrew, but many leading Israeli universities also offer English-taught programs.
Of Israel’s nine universities, six are featured in the QS World University Rankings® 2018. Here are the top four, all of which are in the global top 400:
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Ranked 145th in 2018, Hebrew University of Jerusalem is consistently Israel’s highest-ranked university in the QS World University Rankings. It was founded in 1918, making it the second-oldest of universities in Israel. The Hebrew University has three campuses across Jerusalem, and a fourth in the city of Rehovot, with around 23,500 students in total. Most full degree programs are taught in Hebrew, but there is also a selection of English-taught courses available, mostly at master’s level. The university’s Rothberg International School offers shorter study abroad programs, and the university is home to the world’s largest Jewish studies library. Hebrew University features in the QS World University Ranking by Subject 2017 in the top 50 for theology, divinity and religious studies and the top 100 for biological sciences.
Tel Aviv University
Founded in 1956, Tel Aviv University is currently ranked joint 205th in the world. It has 28,000 students enrolled across nine faculties, making it Israel’s largest university. One of the most prestigious Israeli universities, it comes first in research output in the country and is ranked among the world’s best for 21 subjects, including the worldwide top 100 for archaeology and the top 150 for philosophy, computer science, psychology, mathematics and economics.
Technion Israel University of Technology
Technion-Israel Institute of Technology is ranked joint 224th in the world and is the oldest university in Israel, founded in 1912. Located in the city of Haifa, its main language of instruction is Hebrew, but the international department of the university offers courses taught entirely in English. Technion is ranked among the world’s best for 17 subjects, with positions in the top 100 for both computer science and mathematics, and the university has been hailed as an Israeli version of the US’s Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Ben Gurion University of Negev
Ranked joint 352nd in the world, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev is located in the city of Beersheba in southern Israel. Home to 20,000 students across three campuses, it’s also ranked 39th in the QS Top 50 Under 50, a ranking of the world’s leading universities under 50 years old. Ben-Gurion University was originally founded in 1969 as the University of the Negev, but was renamed after the founder and first Prime Minister of Israel, David Ben-Gurion, following his death in 1973.
The other two top universities in Israel to feature in the 2018 world university rankings are Bar-Ilan University (ranked in the 551-600 range this year) and the University of Haifa (ranked 601-650). Another Israeli university worth mentioning is the Weizmann Institute of Science. Although not included in the world university rankings as it teaches only at postgraduate level, the institute has a strong reputation in the sciences. It features in the QS World University Rankings by Subject in the top 250 for six science subjects, including the top 100 for biological sciences.
