Higher Education

The Edmond de Rothschild Foundation offers 500,000 shekel grants for up to five AI ventures aimed at reducing academic dropout rates and supporting peripheral students.

A CBS survey shows 70.1% of young Israelis expect to earn an academic degree. Women lead expectations at 75%, while engineering and social sciences remain top fields of study.

Dr. Maya Lugassi Ben-Hamou highlighted the vital role of higher education, AI adaptation, and the expansion of medical faculties to combat doctor shortages.

Tel-Hai Academic College has officially transformed into Kiryat Shmona University in the Galilee, welcoming 5,000 students and aiming to drive economic and social recovery in northern Israel.

Israel's higher education sector expects over 350,000 students for the 2026-2027 academic year, driven by undergraduate growth, new medical faculties, and robust support for thousands of student reservists.

A senior economics lecturer at the Chinese University of Hong Kong faces severe backlash and student demands for suspension after advising female students against pursuing PhDs and suggesting they marry wealth instead.

Stanford University removed an AI-altered promotional poster that digitally replaced a Latino student with a black woman to project campus diversity, sparking national debate.

Generation Z in Israel is transforming the labor market and education, prioritizing flexibility, multiple income streams, and meaningful work while challenging traditional corporate structures.

Israeli universities face a major transformation as artificial intelligence disrupts traditional teaching, assessment, and research methods, requiring a shift toward critical thinking and interactive learning.

Ariel University's Adelson School of Medicine has received approval to launch a new six-year medical degree program for 80 students per cohort, alongside a pioneering master's program for physician associates to bolster national healthcare staffing.

Data from the Ruach Nashit association reveals that female academics in Israel also suffer from domestic abuse and financial dependence, amid a new bill permitting gender-segregated degrees.

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.

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.

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

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.