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Jewish Thought

University of HaifaBachelor of Arts (B.A)

No psychometric exam — with a bagrut average of 100 or more

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Admission requirements

You can be admitted through one of these tracks:

Regular track

Admission based on sekhem score

  • Sekhem: 500 or higher (waitlist range – 450–499)
  • English level placement: Pre-Basic level or higher based on the Amirnet exam or the English section of the psychometric exam
  • Hebrew level placement: a score of 90 or higher on the Yaelnet exam or the Hebrew placement test at the University of Haifa (conditional admission in the first year until the score reaches 120) or successful completion of an academic Hebrew course as part of the university mechina
  • ∙ Applicants to the “Veler” and “Be’eri” programs: an admission interview with the program heads

By bagrut, no psychometric exam

Direct admission without a psychometric exam based on the bagrut average

  • Full bagrut certificate with a weighted bagrut average of 100 or higher
  • English level placement: Pre-Basic level or higher based on the Amirnet exam or the English section of the psychometric exam
  • Hebrew level placement: a score of 90 or higher on the Yaelnet exam or the Hebrew placement test at the University of Haifa (conditional admission in the first year until the score reaches 120) or successful completion of an academic Hebrew course as part of the university mechina
  • ∙ Applicants to the “Weller” and “Be’eri” programs: an admissions interview with the program directors

Through a preparatory program

Admission through the University of Haifa mechinot

  • An average grade of 75 or higher in the University of Haifa mechina
  • English level placement: Pre-Basic level or higher based on the Amirnet exam or the English section of the psychometric exam
  • Hebrew level placement: a score of 90 or higher on the Yaelnet exam or the Hebrew placement test at the University of Haifa (conditional admission in the first year until the score reaches 120) or successful completion of an academic Hebrew course as part of the university mechina
  • ∙ Applicants to the “Weller” and “Be’eri” programs: an admissions interview with the program directors

Special track

Admission through the Ofek track toward a degree — based on a bagrut certificate — without a psychometric exam(our wording)

  • English level placement: Pre-Basic level or higher based on the Amirnet exam or the English section of the psychometric exam
  • Hebrew level placement: a score of 90 or higher on the Yaelnet exam or the Hebrew placement test at the University of Haifa (conditional admission in the first year until the score reaches 120) or successful completion of an academic Hebrew course as part of the university mechina
  • Successfully completing 2 courses with a grade of 75 or higher during the first semester of studies
  • Only after completing the pre-academic track will you become a regular student
  • Full bagrut certificate
  • ∙ Applicants to the “Weller” and “Be’eri” programs: an admissions interview with the program directors
For adults and those who have studied before4

Admission for applicants who hold a degree from a recognized academic institution

  • Degree average: 70 or higher
  • ∙ Applicants to the “Weller” and “Be’eri” programs: an admissions interview with the program directors

Applicants over age 30

  • Applicants over age 30 – bagrut certificate/University of Haifa mechina with an average of 75 or higher
  • English level placement: Pre-Basic level or higher based on the Amirnet exam or the English section of the psychometric exam
  • Hebrew level placement: a score of 90 or higher on the Yaelnet exam or the Hebrew placement test at the University of Haifa (conditional admission in the first year until the score reaches 120) or successful completion of an academic Hebrew course as part of the university mechina

Applicants over age 42

  • Applicants over the age of 42 – bagrut certificate / University of Haifa mechina, with no average requirement
  • English level placement: Pre-Basic level or higher based on the Amirnet exam or the English section of the psychometric exam
  • Hebrew level placement: a score of 90 or higher on the Yaelnet exam or the Hebrew placement test at the University of Haifa (conditional admission in the first year until the score reaches 120) or successful completion of an academic Hebrew course as part of the university mechina

Admission through the transfer pathway from The Open University of Israel

  • Admission without a psychometric exam is possible through the Open University of Israel transfer tracks
  • Students must take 3 courses (a total of 18 credit points) at the Open University of Israel, from the following group, and earn a grade of 70 or higher in each course.
  • Students must take courses in at least 2 of the following fields: Hazal literature; Jewish philosophy; Kabbalah and Hasidism.
  • They must also meet the transfer track requirements for an additional department.
  • Students who wish to enter the faculty through the transfer track will be required to take courses at the Open University of Israel totaling 36 credit points (approximately equivalent to 1 academic year in the faculty) and earn the minimum required grade in each course, as determined by the department.
  • Admission to the selected double major track in the faculty is guaranteed to those who meet the above requirements, regardless of the combination of their bagrut subjects or their bagrut grades, and without the need for a psychometric exam.
  • Upon entering the faculty, students will be considered to have completed 1 full academic year.
  • Students seeking admission to the faculty through a transfer track must begin their studies at the faculty no later than 6 years after taking the first course listed in the relevant group at the Open University of Israel, and no later than 1 year after completing the last course in that group.
  • Applicants whose high school language of instruction was not Hebrew and/or who did not take the psychometric exam in Hebrew must receive a score on the Yael exam (Hebrew proficiency test).

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.

The Hebrew terms

sekhemסכםwaitlist rangeטווח המתנהlevel placementסיווג רמהPre-Basic levelטרום בסיסיBasic levelבסיסיAmirnet examאמירנטpsychometric examפסיכומטריYaelnet examיעל"נטplacement testמבחן סיווג רמהmechinaמכינה

Check your chances — the institution's calculator

What you study

Here, students learn about the Mishnaic period, the literature of the Sages, philosophy and Kabbalah, Hasidism, and modern Zionism. They move back and forth between ancient times and the present, with a sense of responsibility and mission to pass the torch on to future generations.

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.

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)

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.

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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