Jewish Thought
Ben-Gurion University of the NegevBachelor of Arts (B.A)
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Admission requirements
Intake for the 2026/27 academic year
You can be admitted through one of these tracks:
Regular track
Jewish Thought, single major | Admission based on the psychometric exam or Netiv La'Akademia exam [sekhem or psychometric score](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
- Applicants must also meet the admission cutoff for the division in Natural Sciences or Computer Science, depending on the chosen track.
By bagrut, no psychometric exam
Jewish Thought, single 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
- Applicants must also meet the admission cutoff for the division in Natural Sciences or Computer Science, depending on the chosen track.
Regular track
Jewish Thought, double major | Admission based on the psychometric exam or Netiv La'Akademia exam [sekhem or psychometric score](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
Jewish Thought, 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
Age 40+: exempt from the psychometric exam
- Age 40+: exempt from the psychometric exam (must have eligibility for a bagrut certificate + Basic level 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
- 01.02.2026 – Review of exceptional cases in the Department of Jewish Thought
- 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: Admission based on the psychometric exam / sekhem: 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
Jewish thoughtמחשבת ישראלpsychometric examפסיכומטריNetiv La'Akademia examנתיב לאקדמיהsekhemסכםgeneral (multi-domain) psychometric scoreרב-תחומיBasic levelבסיסיbagrut 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
The Goldstein-Goren Department of Jewish Thought is one of the world’s leading academic centers for research and teaching in Jewish thought and culture—including the Talmud, Jewish law, Kabbalah, Hasidism, medieval and modern philosophy, modern Israeli religious culture, modern spiritual movements, New Age, and more.
Studies focus on the masterpieces of Jewish thought through the generations and compare them with the patterns of thought in general philosophy, providing an in-depth familiarity with Jewish thought from the Second Temple period to the modern era. Courses in the degree include: Jewish-Hellenistic Apocryphal Literature, Qumran Literature, Ancient Mystical Literature, the Thought of the Sages, Jewish Philosophy in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, Kabbalah in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, Jewish Philosophy in the Modern Era, Kabbalah and Mysticism in the Modern Era, Philosophy of Jewish Law, Zionist Thought, Scientific Thought, Myth, and more.
- Source:The institution's sitebgu.ac.ilchecked 2 Oct 2026
- Source:Avodata, Ministry of Laboravodata.labor.gov.ilchecked 2 Oct 20262023 data
After the degree
Graduates’ salaries are below average 13,000 ₪ 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)
- Source:Avodata, Ministry of Laboravodata.labor.gov.il“universities” tabchecked 2 Oct 20262023 data
Admitted students and graduates
for this program at this institution
- Program length: 3 years
- Source:Avodata, Ministry of Laboravodata.labor.gov.ilchecked 2 Oct 2026
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
- Source:Council for Higher Educationche.org.il /…/מוסדות מתוקצביםchecked 4 Oct 2026
- Source:Council for Higher Educationche.org.il /…/שכר-הלימודchecked 4 Oct 2026
- Source:Ministry of Defensehachvana.mod.gov.il /…/List-of-Educational-Institu…checked 4 Oct 2026
- Source:Ministry of Defensehachvana.mod.gov.il /…/Perypheria44checked 4 Oct 2026