List of Israeli universities and colleges


As of January 2026, there are eleven universities and 53 colleges in Israel, which are recognized and academically supervised by the Council for Higher Education in Israel. As many course offerings are varied, Israeli universities are considered to be of top quality, and they are inexpensive to attend. Israel's quality university education is largely responsible for spurring the country's high tech boom and rapid economic development.
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.

Universities

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, Shanghai Jiao Tong University and The Times Higher Education Supplement, Academic Ranking of World Universities also known as the Shanghai Ranking '':
InstituteEst. DateTypeLocationStudentsWorld Academic Rank
Technion - Israel Institute of Technology 1912PublicHaifa15,000 101–150, 102–150, 301–350, 79
Hebrew University of Jerusalem 1918PublicJerusalem23,500 131, 59, 178, 86
Weizmann Institute of Science 1934PublicRehovot2,500 346, 102–150, N/A, 68
Bar-Ilan University 1952PublicRamat Gan27,400 570, 305–401, N/A, 401-500
Tel Aviv University 1958PublicTel Aviv-Yafo30,000 266, 102–150, 201–250, 201-300
University of Haifa 1963PublicHaifa18,000 510, 401–500, N/A, 601-700
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev 1969PublicBe'er Sheva19,000 448, 203–304, N/A, 501-600
Open University of Israel 1974PublicRa'anana48,000 1893, N/A, N/A
Ariel University1 1982PublicAriel14,000 N/A, N/A, N/A, N/A
Reichman University 2021PrivateHerzliya8,000 N/A
2026PublicKiryat Shmona3,545 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.

Colleges

Other institutes of higher education that are accredited by CHEI to confer a bachelor's degree are known as colleges. 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

Non-degree post-secondary education schools

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.

Non-Israeli certified Colleges

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.

Foreign university campuses

The following foreign colleges and universities maintain international branch campuses in Israel: