This is a list of universities and colleges in Israel. As of August 2021, there are ten universities and 53 colleges in Israel, which are recognized and academically supervised by the Council for Higher Education in Israel. In addition, Israel founded a university in Ariel in the West Bank, which used to be academically supervised by the Council for Higher Education in Judea and Samaria. As many course offerings are varied, Israeli universities are considered to be of top quality, and they are inexpensive to attend.[1] Israel's quality university education is largely responsible for spurring the country's high tech boom and rapid economic development.[1]
The primary difference between a university and a college in Israel is that only a university can confer doctorate degrees, and therefore tends to be more research-oriented than the more teaching-oriented colleges.
Israel's universities are listed below, followed by their English acronym, establishment date, location, latest data about the number of students and the institute's academic rank of the top world universities, according to WebOMetrics[2] (top 3000), Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU)[3] (top 500) and The Times Higher Education Supplement (THES)[4] (top 200), Academic Ranking of World Universities also known as the Shanghai Ranking (ARWU):[5]
Institute | Est. Date | Type | Location | Students | World Academic Rank (WebOMetrics, SJTU, THES, AWRU) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Technion - Israel Institute of Technology (IIT) | 1912 | Public | Haifa | 13,000 (2005) | 101–150, 102–150, 301–350, 79 |
Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI) | 1918 | Public | Jerusalem | 22,600 (2003) | 131, 59, 178, 86 |
Weizmann Institute of Science (WIS) | 1934 | Public | Rehovot | 2,500 (2012) | 346, 102–150, N/A, 68 |
Bar-Ilan University (BIU) | 1952 | Public | Ramat Gan | 26,800 (2008) | 570, 305–401, N/A, 401-500 |
Tel Aviv University (TAU) | 1958 | Public | Tel Aviv-Yafo | 29,000 (2005) | 266, 102–150, 201–250, 201-300 |
University of Haifa (HU) | 1963 | Public | Haifa | 18,000 (2009) | 510, 401–500, N/A, 601-700 |
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) | 1969 | Public | Be'er Sheva | 19,000 (2010) | 448, 203–304, N/A, 501-600 |
Open University of Israel (OPENU) | 1974 | Public | Ra'anana | 48,000 (2014) | 1893, N/A, N/A |
Ariel University1 (AU) | 1982 | Public | Ariel | 14,000 (2012) | N/A, N/A, N/A, N/A |
Reichman University (RU) | 2021 | Private | Herzliya | 8,000 (2021) | N/A |
Most universities offer the full range of graduate and undergraduate degrees: Bachelor's degrees, Master's degrees, and doctorates. However, the Weizmann Institute does not grant bachelor's degrees.
Other institutes of higher education that are accredited by CHEI to confer a bachelor's (and in some cases a master's) degree are known as colleges (Hebrew: מִכְלָלָה Mikhlala; pl. מכללות Mikhlalot). There are also over twenty teacher training colleges - most of which will award only the Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.).
1Located in the Israeli occupied territories
The Ministry of Education has also certified certain institutions to award Professional Certificates instead of academic degrees. These include certificates in technology and in the performing arts.
Several colleges – primarily religious institutions – operate in Israel that are not certified by the CHEI, but rather are accredited by international bodies outside of Israel.
The following foreign colleges and universities maintain international branch campuses in Israel: