Sciences, Humanities, Social Sciences, Law, Medicine, Agriculture, Education
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem was co-founded by Albert Einstein and Chaim Weizmann. Its cornerstone was laid on 24 July 1918, and the Mount Scopus campus opened on 1 April 1925. It is the second-oldest institution of higher learning in Israel, after the Technion. Judah Magnes served as its first chancellor from 1924 to 1935.
The university has about 23,000 students, among them 12,500 undergraduates, 5,000 postgraduates and 2,200 doctoral students. It employs about 1,200 tenured faculty and 1,500 administrative staff. In 2018 one third of the doctoral candidates in Israel studied there.
The Mount Scopus campus, in Jerusalem, reopened after 1967 and was completed in 1981. It houses the faculties of humanities, social sciences, law and education. The Edmond J. Safra campus at Givat Ram, renamed in 2005, is home to the Faculty of Science. The Ein Kerem campus has the faculties of medicine and dental medicine next to the Hadassah medical centre, and the Rehovot campus hosts the faculty of agriculture and the veterinary school. The university also has sites in Rishon LeZion and Eilat.
The National Library of Israel was founded in 1892 as a centre for Jewish books and became a general university library in 1920. It holds more than five million books and was located on the Givat Ram campus until 2023. The Albert Einstein Archives hold about 55,000 items, because Einstein bequeathed his papers and their copyright to the university, and the entire archive was digitised by 2012.
As of 2018, fifteen Nobel laureates, including eight alumni and teachers, two Fields medallists and three Turing Award winners were linked to it. Alumni include four Israeli prime ministers, among them Ehud Barak, Ariel Sharon and Naftali Bennett, the jurist Aharon Barak, the historian Yuval Noah Harari and Daniel Kahneman, Nobel laureate in Economics. Fees differ by programme. Check the current tariff. Undergraduate teaching is mainly in Hebrew.
The university is consistently the top-ranked institution in Israel in mathematics, and in 2021 the Shanghai Ranking placed it 90th in the world and first in Israel.
Domains taught:
Agriculture, Chemistry, Data Analytics, Life Sciences, Mathematics, Microbiology and Genetics, Physics, Statistics
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Hadassah Medical Center at Ein Kerem, the National Library of Israel, the Albert Einstein Archives, and research collaborations worldwide.
Research:
Natural sciences, mathematics, humanities, social sciences, law, medicine, dental medicine and agriculture, with one third of Israeli doctoral candidates in 2018.
Founded with Albert Einstein and Chaim Weizmann, several campuses in Jerusalem, top Israeli university in mathematics, Nobel laureates among alumni and faculty.
Cons
Campuses spread across Jerusalem and Rehovot, competitive admission, teaching mostly in Hebrew at undergraduate level.
Best For
Students and researchers seeking Israel’s leading comprehensive research university, strong in the sciences, humanities and law.
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Most Similar Schools Locally
A good alternative in the same country is Tel Aviv University, which likewise covers chemistry, statistics and physics; it covers finance and computer vision as well, and is slightly larger, at about 28,500 students against roughly 23,000 here.
In terms of fields, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology is the nearest neighbour, with chemistry, physics and mathematics again at the core; it is also a public institution, and runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes.
Where this university leans on agriculture, physics and life sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev does the same, and it is slightly smaller, at about 18,357 students against roughly 23,000 here, and is also a public institution.
Also strong in microbiology and genetics, chemistry and physics, Weizmann Institute of Science makes a sensible second look at home; it is also a public institution and does not run the bachelor's programmes found here.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
Seen from abroad, University of Turin (Italy) is a close relative on subject matter, since agriculture, microbiology and genetics and chemistry are central to both, and it is also a public institution, and runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes.
Beyond national borders, Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf stands out as a comparable school for microbiology and genetics, chemistry and statistics; it is larger, enrolling about 36,569 students against roughly 23,000 here, and is also a public institution.
University of Milan offers an international parallel to this institution, with agriculture, microbiology and genetics and chemistry as common ground; it covers food science as well, and is larger, enrolling about 64,878 students against roughly 23,000 here.
A foreign alternative with a similar emphasis on microbiology and genetics, chemistry and statistics is University of Vienna in Austria, and it covers finance as well, and is far larger, with about 85,243 students against roughly 23,000 here.
Université Paris Cité, based in France, is built around microbiology and genetics, chemistry and statistics much like this institution, and it is also a public institution, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
Where is the Hebrew University of Jerusalem?
In Jerusalem, with campuses at Mount Scopus, Givat Ram and Ein Kerem, and another in Rehovot.
Who founded it?
Albert Einstein and Chaim Weizmann, among others.
When did the Mount Scopus campus open?
On 1 April 1925, after the cornerstone was laid on 24 July 1918.
How many students does it have?
About 23,000, including 12,500 undergraduates.
Which faculties are at Mount Scopus?
Humanities, social sciences, law and education.
Where is the Faculty of Science?
On the Edmond J. Safra campus at Givat Ram.
What are the Albert Einstein Archives?
A collection of about 55,000 items bequeathed by Einstein to the university and fully digitised by 2012.
What is the National Library of Israel?
The library founded in 1892, which became a general university library in 1920 and holds more than five million books.
Which prime ministers studied there?
Four Israeli prime ministers, including Ehud Barak, Ariel Sharon and Naftali Bennett.
What does it cost?
Fees differ by programme. Check the current tariff.
Biology, Chemistry, Innovation, Physics, Research and Development
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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