Higher Education

The University of Haifa is facing a 60 million shekel annual deficit. As part of a recovery plan, 170 non-tenured lecturers have received notices of dismissal or position reductions.

The number of 18-year-olds in the US is shrinking due to a decline in birth rates, and enrollment in higher education institutions is expected to shrink by 13% by 2041. Contrary to expectations, the decrease in the number of young people will not necessarily make admission chances to desirable institutions easier.

Governments and universities are investing billions in AI, but this is not enough. The true challenge lies not in adding new courses, but in rethinking the entire education model to prepare students for the future.

Two Israeli institutions have secured the 71st and 89th spots in the prestigious 2026 Shanghai Ranking. The Technion, which appeared on the list for the past two years, did not make the cut this year. Harvard, Stanford, and MIT lead the global rankings.

The prestigious international ranking establishes the Hebrew University's place at the top "thanks to research excellence, innovation, and global impact."

For the first time since 2020, there are no three Israeli universities in the top 100 of the prestigious Shanghai Ranking. The Technion has fallen out of the top 100, while the Weizmann Institute and the Hebrew University have maintained their positions.

Farah Ahmed, who previously admitted to being a member of the Islamist organization, was appointed last year as a lecturer and researcher at the Faculty of Education in Cambridge. The exposure joins a series of affairs that raise criticism of the university and its recruitment policy.

Tel Aviv University was ranked third in the world outside the US for the number of research master's graduates who founded unicorn companies. The Hebrew University and the Technion also entered the top ten.

A government report reveals a grim reality on campuses: most students are afraid to display Jewish symbols and feel that universities have abandoned them. A third of harassment incidents are carried out by lecturers and academic staff.

Minister of Education Yoav Kisch was a guest on the "Weekend" program with Yaakov Bardugo on Channel 14 last Friday, and addressed the growing tension with university heads and the expected changes in the Council for Higher Education (CHE).

Ben-Gurion University President Dani Chamovitz has launched a scathing attack on Education Minister Yoav Kisch over the new law regarding gender segregation in academia. Chamovitz argued that the minister fails to distinguish between professional independence and loyalty, while five members of the Council for Higher Education have already resigned in protest against the legislation.

"We are suffering from a brain drain on one hand, but also from boycotts by universities around the world," said Prof. Tamir Sheafer, President of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, at the National Security Conference. According to Arie Zaban, President of Bar-Ilan University, the share of higher education in Israel's GDP has been systematically decreasing for over a decade.

The Northern District Appeals Committee has ruled that the Safed Academic College can proceed with its student dormitory project in the Old City, rejecting the Local Committee's objections regarding transportation planning.