Natural Sciences, Engineering Sciences, Health Sciences, Humanities and Social Sciences, Business and Management
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev is a public research university founded in 1969 as the University of the Negev. It was renamed in honour of David Ben-Gurion after his death in 1973. The university has five campuses: three in Beersheba, one in Sde Boker and one in Eilat. The choice of the desert south was deliberate, and it still shapes the research profile of the institution.
The student body numbers 18,357, of whom 12,169 are undergraduates, 4,292 are postgraduates and 1,311 are doctoral students. The university employs 873 senior faculty members and 1,155 administrative staff. It reports students from nearly 70 countries. The academic structure includes five faculties with 51 departments and units, seven schools, eight research institutes and 61 interdisciplinary research centers.
Several institutes carry the identity of the university. The Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research study life in arid regions. The Ilse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology works at the smallest scale of matter. The Ben-Gurion Research Institute for the Study of Israel and Zionism covers the historical side. In computer science, the university held the 101st to 150th place in the Academic Ranking of World Universities for four consecutive years up to 2015.
The medical school deserves a mention. The Medical School for International Health was founded in 1997 together with Columbia University and offers a four-year programme, enrolling more than 30 students a year. In 2024 the university started a medical school programme for recent immigrants, funded by Sami Sagol.
The finances show ambition. In 2016 a bequest of about 400 million dollars from Dr. Howard and Lottie Marcus, the largest bequest ever made to an Israeli university, roughly doubled the endowment. The endowment stood at 925 million dollars, and the budget at 466 million dollars. Daniel Chamovitz has been president since 2019. Admission rules and the language of teaching vary by programme, so check the official pages. Fees depend on the programme. Check the current tariff.
Domains taught:
Agriculture, Data Analytics, Ecology and Sustainability, Engineering, Life Sciences, Nanotechnologies, Physics, Software Engineering
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master, MBA
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Five campuses in Beersheba, Sde Boker and Eilat, medical school with Columbia University, 61 interdisciplinary research centers.
Research:
Desert research, nanoscale science and technology, health sciences, engineering and computing.
Famous Alumnis:
N/A
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
2028
Current students***:
18357
Foreign students***:
N/A%
Cumulative former students***:
N/A
Pros
Five campuses, eight research institutes, 61 interdisciplinary centers, strong desert and nanotechnology research, endowment of 925 million dollars.
Cons
Location in the Negev desert region, summer heat, competitive admission, teaching mainly in Hebrew for undergraduate programmes.
Best For
Students interested in desert, water, nanotechnology and medical research in the south of Israel.
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Most Similar Schools Locally
Both schools build their programmes around agriculture, physics and life sciences, and Hebrew University of Jerusalem is the one to compare first within the country, since it covers microbiology and genetics and chemistry as well, and is slightly larger, at about 23,000 students against roughly 18,357 here.
Tel Aviv University is the closest domestic counterpart for physics, life sciences and data analytics; it is larger, enrolling about 28,500 students against roughly 18,357 here, and is also a public institution.
Technion - Israel Institute of Technology sits close to this institution on physics, life sciences and data analytics; it does not run the mba programmes found here and covers aerospace and chemistry as well.
Anyone who wants a second school in the same country with a similar spread of ecology and sustainability, physics and life sciences can consider Weizmann Institute of Science, and it does not run the bachelor's and mba programmes found here and covers bioinformatics and microbiology and genetics as well.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
The closest overseas parallel on ecology and sustainability, physics and life sciences is Victoria University of Wellington, located in New Zealand; it is slightly larger, at about 20,939 students against roughly 18,357 here, and is also a public institution.
La Trobe University offers an international parallel to this institution, with agriculture, ecology and sustainability and life sciences as common ground; it covers mathematics as well, and is larger, enrolling about 36,128 students against roughly 18,357 here.
For ecology and sustainability, physics and life sciences outside the home country, University of Canterbury in New Zealand is a natural reference; it covers geotechnics and civil engineering as well, and is slightly larger, at about 27,121 students against roughly 18,357 here.
In Australia, University of Newcastle Australia teaches much the same core subjects, ecology and sustainability, life sciences and data analytics, and it is also a public institution, and runs the same bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba programmes.
On content, Laval University in Canada and this institution are close, as both teach agriculture, ecology and sustainability and life sciences; it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba, and covers finance and optics as well.
*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 Ben-Gurion University of the Negev?
In Beersheba, in the Negev region of southern Israel.
When was it founded?
In 1969, as the University of the Negev.
Why is it named after Ben-Gurion?
It was renamed in honour of David Ben-Gurion after his death in 1973.
How many campuses does it have?
Five, in Beersheba, Sde Boker and Eilat.
How many students does it have?
18,357.
How many research institutes are there?
Eight, plus 61 interdisciplinary research centers.
What is the Medical School for International Health?
A medical school founded in 1997 with Columbia University.
Who is the president?
Daniel Chamovitz, since 2019.
How large is the endowment?
925 million dollars.
What does it cost?
Fees depend on the programme. Check the current tariff.
Agriculture, Environment, Innovation, Research and Development, Sustainable 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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