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History of the Jewish People

Ben-Gurion University of the NegevBachelor of Arts (B.A)

No psychometric exam — with a bagrut average of 85 or more

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Admission requirements

Intake for the 2026/27 academic year

You can be admitted through one of these tracks:

Regular track

History of the Jewish People, primary department | Admission based on the psychometric exam/Netiv La'Akademia exam [sekhem or psychometric exam](our wording)

  • Sekhem: 450
  • Psychometric exam, general multi-domain score / Netiv La'Akademia exam: 450
  • English level: Basic level
  • Hebrew level for applicants required to demonstrate Hebrew proficiency: Level 5
  • Main department with a minor in Natural Sciences / a minor in the Computer Science Department. Applicants must also meet the admission cutoff for the Natural Sciences / Computer Science minor, depending on the chosen track.

By bagrut, no psychometric exam

History of the Jewish People, primary department | Admission based on the bagrut certificate only(our wording)

  • Bagrut average: 85
  • English level: Basic level
  • Hebrew level for applicants required to demonstrate Hebrew proficiency: Level 5
  • Main department with a minor in Natural Sciences / a minor in the Computer Science Department. Applicants must also meet the admission cutoff for the Natural Sciences / Computer Science minor, depending on the chosen track.

Regular track

History of the Jewish People double major | Admission based on the psychometric exam/Netiv La'Akademia exam [sekhem or psychometric exam](our wording)

  • Sekhem: 450
  • Psychometric exam, general multi-domain score / Netiv La'Akademia exam: 450
  • English level: Basic level
  • Hebrew level for applicants required to demonstrate Hebrew proficiency: Level 5

By bagrut, no psychometric exam

History of the Jewish People double major | Admission based on the bagrut certificate only(our wording)

  • Bagrut average: 85
  • English level: Basic level
  • Hebrew level for applicants required to demonstrate Hebrew proficiency: Level 5
For adults and those who have studied before1

Applicants aged 40+ are exempt from the psychometric exam

  • Applicants aged 40+ are exempt from the psychometric exam but must have eligibility for a bagrut certificate and level placement at “Basic” in English.
  • Level 5 in Hebrew for those required to meet this requirement

These are minimum requirements: meeting them does not by itself guarantee admission.

The requirements are in the institution's words. Names and labels marked "our wording" are our own, written from the same page.

For every track

  • Starting 01.02.2026 – review of exceptional cases in the Department of the History of the Jewish People
  • Applicants with a prior academic background who meet the admission cutoffs will be admitted without needing to submit a transcript.
  • Policy for reviewing exceptional cases: Applicants who meet the English and Hebrew requirements but do not meet the required admission conditions will be referred to the department for consideration as detailed below: applicants whose psychometric exam score or sekhem is up to 20 points below the required score.
  • Review of exceptional cases is subject to available places in the department and may take place at different times during the registration period.

The Hebrew terms

psychometric examפסיכומטריNetiv La'Akademia examנתיב לאקדמיהsekhemסכםgeneral (multi-domain) psychometric scoreרב-תחומיBasic levelבסיסיdepartmentחוגbagrut certificateתעודת בגרותbagrutבגרותbagrut averageממוצע בגרותdouble majorדו-חוגי

Check your chances — the institution's calculator

  • Source:The institution's sitebgu.ac.ilchecked 2 Oct 2026intake 2026/27

What you study

It focuses on the history of the Jewish people, and offers courses on the social, cultural, intellectual, and political aspects of its development over the past 2,500 years, both in its homeland and throughout its migrations, from distant India to the United States.

Studies cover different periods and events in the history of the Jewish people, from the biblical period to the 21st century, in Israel and around the world. History is studied and researched from different perspectives, such as social, political, economic, religious, cultural and geographic history, and others. Topics covered in the degree include: the biblical period, the Second Temple period, the period of the Mishnah and Talmud, the Arab and Crusader periods, Jews in Christian Europe, Jews under Islamic rule, World War II, waves of immigration to the Land of Israel, the establishment of the state, the State of Israel and the Diaspora, and more.

After the degree

What graduates work as

  • Teaching in secondary schoolmost commonTeaching at the secondary-school level, excluding the teaching of subjects intended to prepare students for work in specific fields of employment.
  • Teaching in elementary schoolTeaching a range of subjects at the elementary-school level.

Which industries they work in

  • Education50%

Graduates’ salaries are about average 15,300 ₪ Average monthly salary 5–6 years after completing their studies(average across universities)

Most graduates go on to a master's degree(average across universities)

Admitted students and graduates

for this program at this institution

  • Program length: 3 years

Money

How the institution is funded

Budgeted institutions

Tuition2026/27

Annual tuition for a full-time bachelor's degree program in the 2026/27 academic year: ₪12,203.

Periphery 44 grant

only for programs at the Eilat campus

Who: Discharged soldiers and those who have completed national service.

per the Ministry of Defense page as checked on 4 Oct 2026

This field at other institutions

Questions and contact:info.shpieg@gmail.com

An unofficial guide. Every fact comes from a public source — the institutions' sites, the Council for Higher Education, the Labor Ministry's Avodata, the Ministry of Defense — and links to it. Requirements change: check the institution's site before you apply.

How the data was collected

  • The Council for Higher Education register of institutions and programs — 2 Oct 2026
  • Avodata, Ministry of Labor: fields, employment and pay — 2023 data, collected 2 Oct 2026
  • Institutions' sites: admission requirements — checked 2 Oct 2026–5 Oct 2026
  • The Russian, English and French text is machine-translated and reviewed; where they differ, the Hebrew original prevails

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