General information about the higher education system in the country
Governance: The HE law (1958) created the Council for Higher Education (CHE), a statutory corporation whose members are appointed by Israel’s President, and whose chairperson is, ex-officio, the Minister of Education. CHE is empowered to grant academic accreditation to HEIs and to study programs. The Law stipulates that all accredited HEIs are at liberty to conduct their academic and administrative affairs autonomously. In 1977, the Planning and Budgeting Committee (PBC) of the CHE was officially put in charge of the State’s HE budget. Approximately 60% of public HEIs’ budget comes from the PBC.
Facts and Figures: There are 57 HEIs in Israel - 9 research universities (one of which is private) and one Open University, as well as 29 academic colleges (20 public and 9 private), and 18 teacher-training colleges (4 under CHE and 14 under the Ministry of Education). All HEIs can offer Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programs while only universities are allowed to offer PhDs. The undergraduate degree comprises 3-4 academic years, depending on the field. The academic year is divided into two semesters (some allow summer semesters as well).
CHE Vision: to promote academic excellence in research and teaching while addressing national and global challenges, and to advance gender equality and the inclusion of under-represented populations. Information and statistics: In the academic year 2023/24, close to 332,000 students were enrolled for academic degrees according to the following breakdown: 76% undergraduates, 19% Master's students, and 5% doctoral students. Of the undergraduate students, nearly 29% were enrolled for a STEM degree. The number of female Computer Science students has tripled (from 2,620 to 7,720). Women comprise 60% of
the student body (59% undergraduates, 65% masters’ students, 54% doctoral students). In 2023 a third of the undergraduates came from low socio-economic backgrounds. There has been an increase in the representation of minority populations over recent years as a result of dedicated policy measures, today 19% of the student body is from the Arab society in Israel, 1.5% Jews of Ethiopian descent, and 5% form the Haredi sector (accordingly, their general representation in society is 21%, 1.7%, and 13%).
International Standing and Collaborations: Three Israeli universities are among the top 100 in the 2023 Shanghai Ranking, and Israeli scientists are among the top winners of ERC grants. The vast majority of local HEIs participate in Erasmus+, and the academic community has strong ties with counterparts worldwide, facilitated, inter alia, via bilateral programs.
Information on recent policy updates, major reforms and related news
The Planning and Budgeting Committee (PBC) of the Council for Higher Education operates according to five-year budgetary plans in order to guarantee stability and long-term planning. The goals of the 2023-2028 plan are:
- Boosting ground-breaking research via investment in infrastructure and human capital: A €133M initiative will aid universities upgrade research infrastructures, alongside €15M for hiring of technical personnel. In addition, €29M initiative will incentivize the recruitment of research associates and staff scientists.
Flagship Projects:
Sustainability and the climate crisis: A €115M programme will encourage innovative, multidisciplinary and ground-breaking research in select areas with potential to also contribute to national climate goals and sustainable economic growth: energy and climate, agriculture, food/nutrition and biodiversity, and marine and water sciences.
Advanced bio-medical research: A €125M initiative together with philanthropic partners will increase investment in bio-medical research grants and establish career paths for physician-researches alongside new models of employment.
Accelerating applied research: PBC, together with the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, have allocated €30M to a competitive grant fund that will function as a catalyst for promising ventures.
First-generation HE students: The PBC is preparing to launch a programme targeting untargeted first-generation HE students.
Quantum science and technology (QST): In 2018, the PBC launched a flagship project that has since become a national initiative with a total budget of nearly €80.5M until 2026, involving the Ministry of Defence, The Israel Innovation Authority and the Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology. The initiative comprises a competitive research fund, start-up grants for faculty, doctoral and postdoctoral fellowships, infrastructure support, and projects with the industry (e.g., quantum computing).
AI and data science: In 2018, the PBC launched a flagship programme that evolved into a national initiative with the ministries mentioned above with a total budget of €250M until 2026. The initiative provides support to university-led research centres, doctoral and postdoctoral fellowships, data resources, technology sandboxes, and public sector projects.
- Enhancing international collaborations: in collaboration with the Israel Science Foundation (ISF), the PBC aims to establish LAP (Lead Agency Process) agreements with select countries, to streamline and ease accessibility to joint international research grants. In parallel, a €62M aims to improve the level of English of graduates, and foster internationalization by promoting mobility, joint degrees/courses etc.
Information about relevant projects and initiatives
N | Project name | Objectives | Length of project | Keywords | Links |
1 | BIG ART (Bootcamps In | BIG ART (Bootcamps In Greece with Augmented Reality Technologies) is an Erasmus+ Capacity Building project that equips students and staff in Israel and Albania with Augmented Reality (AR) and mixed reality skills. It connects VET providers and IT companies for project based learning, focusing on vulnerable groups and female students to enhance career prospects and regional development. | 3 years |
| |
2 | NURIC - Capacity Building in Nursing Informatics Competencies to Foster the Digital Transformation of Healthcare | Digitalization in our society and in healthcare is increasingly affecting the work of nurses. Nurses play a crucial role in using and promoting digitalization in our society, and in healthcare it is increasingly affecting the work of nurses. NURIC is an international project of cooperation and partnership of several institutions from different countries. Its aim is to promote competencies in nursing informatics for nursing VET (Vocational Education and Training) students (“initial VET”) and for professional nurses (“continuing VET”). Including nursing informatics skills in Vocational Education and Training would enhance their employability in various roles, support their personal development, and foster modern health care. The project is funded by the Erasmus+ Program and is rewarded with a total grant of 10 almost 400,000 euros. It will involve market actors, develop a curriculum adapted to the local needs, and pilot and evaluate shorter nanocourses and more intensive certificate courses (up to 20 ECTS) in nursing informatics. At least ten nano-courses and at least one certificate course for at least 15 participants will be implemented in each country. A web-based repository of OER (open educational resources) learning materials will be available and hosted also after the end of the project. In Kosovo, the Chamber of Nurses expects to recognize the courses. In Israel, accreditation by the Ministry of Health will be sought. | 3 years
|
| |
3 | IMPACT - Inter- | Peace And CollaboraTion) is a consortium of HEIs, organizations, youth (a) joint innovative Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) modules; (b) joint virtual activities and events. | 3 years
| peace; dialogue; AI; skills; | https://eve-impact.eu/ |
4 | VOLCANIC- Innovative Technological Pedagogy in Higher Education | The 21st century confrontshigher education institutions' (HEIs) staff and social and educational policymakers with the challenge to adjust existing curricula and teaching methods to improve the level of competence, skills, and the employability prospects of their students. The Volcanic project aims to train HEIs and K6-K12 teachers to master effective pedagogies for using Computational Thinking (CT) to incorporate ICT in their teaching. As the Moroccan and Israeli HEIs participating in this project teach mainly disadvantaged populations -the Bedouins in Israel and scattered populations in Morocco - we will focus also on the special needs of these populations and the conditions upon which they could acquire proper skills and knowledge to use ICT in their learning. The need to boost the use of ICT in the Moroccan and Israeli HEIs is evident and declared a national mission in both countries. Overall, 500 disadvantaged students from remote areas, 200 K6-K12 teachers, and 50 HEI teachers are expected to benefit from the work and results of this project. Nine partners - three Moroccan, three Israeli, and three EU HEIs - will join forces in the project to fulfill this mission through the design and piloting of 12 courses, establishing learning spaces in HEIs, and training K6-K12 teachers. The project's sustainability and impact will be achieved through the dissemination of its results on national and international digital learning platforms. | 3 years | Inclusion, teacher training, skills, employability, computation |
Other relevant links
National Erasmus+ Office Israel
CHE-PBC stratagy and international affairs webpage