Israel today is one of the three leading countries in terms of the number of educated population - their number here is 49.9% of citizens (according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development OECD for 2021). The educational system in Israel is known for modern approaches to the learning process at all levels. Graduates of Israeli higher education institutions are qualified specialists who have no problems finding employment in the most prestigious organizations around the world.
General information about the education system in Israel
In Israel, every child can attend one of these types of school:
- state;
- state and religious;
- religious;
- Arabic.
The system itself has 3 mandatory levels:
- Beginners - from 1st to 6th grades, age - 6-12 years. It would be more correct to say that the education of Israelis begins even before school - according to the law, a child must start attending a kindergarten from the age of 3.
- Middle - from 7th to 9th grades, 12-15 years old.
- High school - from 10th to 12th grades, 15-18 years old.
After schooling, you can go on to study further - to the university.
Preschool education
Children in Israel are sent to preschool institutions from 3 months. The nursery is mostly private and paid for by the parents. The price averages around 650 euros. In many cases, a nursery - "mishpakhton" - is organized right at home. In such institutions, small groups and an individual approach to each child.
Kindergartens in Israel for Russians are widespread. Most often these are private bilingual kindergartens, where they speak Russian and Hebrew.
They start going to a public kindergarten in Israel from the age of 3. The time of stay in the institution is until approximately 14:00, then, at the request of the parents, you can send the child to the “extended”. There is no adequate food - it is advisable to take a good brake from home.
The alternative is again a private garden. But its cost is several times higher, so it's up to the personal choice of each family.
From the age of 5, preschool education in Israel must necessarily take place in a state institution (Irievsky garden or "gan hova"). Here, children are prepared for school: classes for teaching the basics of reading, writing, mathematics, natural science.
Study in Israeli schools
One of the differences between Israeli schools and Russian ones is the ability to choose 25% of subjects individually on the board of the school, except for the program approved by the state. Each institution has the right to independently appoint those methods and means of teaching that it considers necessary.
The main subjects - mathematics, English, history, geography, computer science, and Jewish studies - are compulsory in public educational institutions.
Children are assigned to classes according to their level of knowledge. Elementary school students are not given a homework assignment, their goal is to learn to memorize what is taught in the lesson.
In high school, students receive complete secondary education and a matriculation certificate - "bagrut". Profiled schools in Israel can start with “hativa” (high school) or “tikhon” (senior).
They are of the following types:
- general education (academic), broad profile;
- professional;
- agricultural;
- military;
- arts;
- science and technology;
- religious - "yeshiva", boarding type.
To receive a “bagrut”, which gives the right to enter a university, students take the final state exam in compulsory subjects.
Studying in Israel for Russian children has its own characteristics. There are schools in Russian here: all of them are private and are an evening institution in addition to the usual OOH in Hebrew.
Features of higher education in Israel
In Israeli universities, as in schools, students have a fairly large, although not complete, freedom of choice in terms of studying certain disciplines. Each specialty has a set of necessary credits for study: for example, it is impossible to choose the subject "Developing an Enterprise Marketing Program" without having studied the subject "Introduction to Marketing" first.
Most of the time is spent on independent mastering of disciplines, preparation of presentations. In addition, students attend seminars, lectures, laboratory classes. At the end of the semester, exams are taken.
Of the higher education institutions in the country that are eligible to award academic degrees, there are:
- 9 state universities,
- approximately 50 academic colleges (including both public and private).
In state institutions, students pay only a small fraction of the real costs of education, since education is subsidized by the state: 10% of GDP goes to support universities. On average, the cost of training is about 10 thousand US dollars.
Three stages of higher education:
- bachelor's degree: 3 years at the university, 4 - at the college,
- Master's degree: 2 years,
- doctoral studies: 4 years.
For those interested in how to enter an Israeli university, it is best to first contact the university itself: there you can find out in detail the conditions for enrolling applicants, the cost of training and other important details. Quite a lot of attention during admission is paid to the psychometric test, which assesses the skill of English language proficiency, as well as the direction of thinking of the future student.
The popularity of Israeli universities
The oldest universities in Israel were formed even before the final formation of the state. Three universities, founded before 1948, are today some of the best in the world:
- Hebrew University of Jerusalem;
- Israel Institute of Technology - Technion;
- Research Institute named after H. Weizmann.
According to the academic ranking of universities (ARWU, Academic Ranking of World Universities) in the world in 2021, these Israeli institutions, as well as Tel Aviv University, are among the 200 world leaders. There are also three other Israeli higher education institutions in the world's 1,000 leading universities:
- University named after Bar Ilan in Ramat Gan;
- University of Haifa;
- David Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
The main feature of Israeli universities is their focus on science. Some universities may include the entire range of specialties, while others focus on more specific industries.
How much does university tuition cost?
Specifically, the cost of education depends on the university and the chosen specialty, however, in everything in Israel since the beginning of the 2000s, the price for education has remained high: higher than in Europe as a whole. Foreigners who are interested in how much it costs to study in Israel should take into account that for citizens of other states the cost will be 25% higher than for Israelis.
In the best universities, the price of tuition per year for a bachelor's degree can reach:
- 12,000-15,000 shekels (2,800-3,500 euros) - Faculties of Humanities;
- 16,000–25,000 shekels (3,700–5,900 euros) - faculties of social or natural sciences;
- from 25,000 shekels - at the Faculty of Medicine.
The cost of studying for a master's degree can reach 50,000 shekels per year (12,000 euros).
Officially, there is no possibility of free education in Israel. But there are various support programs that provide full or partial compensation for the cost of training.
Such help can be counted on:
- new immigrants - young people returning to Israel due to the presence of Jewish roots;
- students who have shown themselves in science, art;
- applicants from low-income families, including foreigners.
Also, support can be received by foreign students with a bachelor's degree and excellent academic performance. They are awarded a scholarship that partially covers health insurance, a year of master's degree at the University of Israel, and Hebrew language courses.
There are internship and exchange programs for international students, such as the MASA project (see the Jewish Agency website for details).
Admission and study at Israeli universities for migrants
Migrants who graduated from school abroad and who enter a university in Israel must translate their certificate into Hebrew and submit it to the admissions office after notarization of the document. Further, a decision will be made on the compliance of the certificate with Israeli standards.
Usually, due to the fact that the full secondary education lasts 12 years in Jewish schools, an applicant from the CIS needs to study at the university for another 1-2 years after school in his homeland in order for his certificate to correspond to the “bagrut”.
As for the requirements for knowledge of languages (English, Hebrew), their level should be quite high upon admission: at least B1 - Hebrew and A2 - English. In the future, the student is obliged to improve the languages to C1 and B2, respectively.
Before entering the university, a migrant can take preparatory language courses:
- intensive - ulpan - about 2 months before the start of studies;
- in-depth - for those who start from scratch - lasting about six months;
- SELA is a one-year training course.
Applicants for English-language programs at Israeli universities provide international certificates (TOEFL, IELTS).
The most up-to-date information on the preparation of foreign applicants, including Ukrainians, for studying at an Israeli university and participating in the SELA program, as well as scholarship programs for new immigrants, is provided by the Office of Student Affairs in Israel (website of the Office).
Another prerequisite for admission is the passing of a psychometric test. On its basis, taking into account the marks in the certificate, specialties and faculties suitable for the applicant are determined.
Training at medical universities in Israel is not available to foreigners. Some specialties may require additional interviews (for example, the Faculty of Medicine at Ben-Gurion University), submit examples of work (art direction at Tel Aviv University), or pass exams.
Outcomes
The education system in Israel is special in many ways. Here secondary education is compulsory for everyone and lasts from 6 to 15-18 years. The rather strict requirements for admission to an Israeli university and the high cost of education are factors that can negatively affect the desire to study after school.
However, the quality of education, a diploma that is quoted throughout the world and the absence of problems with further employment are the advantages, thanks to which the universities of Israel are filled with the best both local and foreign applicants from year to year.
