Exact Sciences, Engineering, Life Sciences, Medicine, Law, Management, Humanities, Arts
Tel Aviv University was established in 1956, when three institutes merged: the Tel Aviv School of Law and Economics, founded in 1935, the Institute of Natural Sciences, founded in 1931, and the Academic Institute of Jewish Studies, founded in 1954. At first it was run by the municipality of Tel Aviv, and it was granted autonomy in 1963. George Wise was president from 1963 to 1971, followed by Yuval Ne’eman, and Ariel Porat has held the office since 2019.
The campus lies in the north-west of Tel Aviv, in the district of Ramat Aviv. It covers 220 acres, about 89 hectares, up from the original 170 acres. In 2019 the university had 15,285 undergraduates, 11,098 postgraduates and 2,143 doctoral students, and it counted 1,847 faculty members. It presents itself as a university of more than 30,000 students.
The faculties are the Katz Faculty of the Arts, the Fleischman Faculty of Engineering, the Sackler Faculty of Exact Sciences, the Entin Faculty of Humanities, the Buchmann Faculty of Law, the Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, the Gray Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, the Gordon Faculty of Social Sciences, the Boris Mints Institute and the Coller School of Management.
Independent schools include the Berglas School of Economics, the Porter School of Environmental Studies, the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music, the David Azrieli School of Architecture, the Goldschleger School of Dental Medicine, the Miller School of Education, the Shapell School of Social Work, the Sagol School of Neuroscience and the Lowy International School. More than 130 research institutes and centres serve the faculties.
In 2024 the QS World University Rankings placed Tel Aviv University 214th in the world and first in Israel. In 2022 PitchBook ranked it seventh in the world for alumni who founded venture-backed companies, the highest outside the United States. Adi Shamir, a co-inventor of the RSA algorithm, and the economist Ariel Rubinstein have worked there. Reinhard Genzel, Nobel Prize in Physics, holds a Lowy Distinguished Guest Professorship, a programme created in 2023. Fees differ for Israeli and international students. Check the current tariff. Teaching is largely in Hebrew.
Domains taught:
Chemistry, Computer Vision, Data Analytics, Engineering, Finance, Life Sciences, Mathematics, Physics, Statistics
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master, MBA
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Coller School of Management, Sagol School of Neuroscience, Porter School of Environmental Studies, and more than 130 research institutes and centres.
Research:
Exact sciences, engineering, life sciences, medicine, social sciences, humanities, arts and neuroscience in more than 130 research institutes and centres.
Famous Alumnis:
Adi Shamir, Reinhard Genzel, Ariel Sharon, Ariel Rubinstein
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
1847
Current students***:
28500
Foreign students***:
N/A%
Cumulative former students***:
N/A
Pros
Largest university in Israel by research output, leafy campus in Ramat Aviv, many faculties and schools, strong start-up record among alumni.
Cons
Competitive admission, teaching largely in Hebrew, Tel Aviv cost of living.
Best For
Students seeking a large comprehensive research university in Tel Aviv with strong exact sciences and a start-up culture.
Official Linkedin
Official Facebook
Official X / Twitter
Linkedin Alumni Page
Most Similar Schools Locally
Both schools build their programmes around chemistry, statistics and physics, and Hebrew University of Jerusalem is the one to compare first within the country, since it is slightly smaller, at about 23,000 students against roughly 28,500 here, and is also a public institution.
Another national school that puts chemistry, physics and mathematics at the centre is Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, and it is also a public institution and does not run the mba programmes found here.
In terms of fields, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev is the nearest neighbour, with physics, life sciences and data analytics again at the core; it is smaller, enrolling about 18,357 students against roughly 28,500 here, and is also a public institution.
Weizmann Institute of Science shares the core fields of this institution, namely chemistry, physics and mathematics; it is also a public institution and does not run the bachelor's and mba programmes found here.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
In Hong Kong, Chinese University of Hong Kong teaches much the same core subjects, finance, chemistry and statistics, and it is slightly smaller, at about 21,110 students against roughly 28,500 here, and is also a public institution.
Autonomous University of Madrid offers an international parallel to this institution, with finance, chemistry and physics as common ground; it is also a public institution and does not run the mba programmes found here.
University of Porto in Portugal shares the finance, chemistry and physics orientation of this institution, and it covers food science and civil engineering as well, and has almost the same size, at about 30,640 students.
Beyond national borders, National Taiwan University stands out as a comparable school for finance, chemistry and physics; it runs the same bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba programmes, and covers agriculture and electrical and electronics as well.
University of Cape Town offers an international parallel to this institution, with finance, chemistry and physics as common ground; it is also a public institution, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's, doctoral and mba.
*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 Tel Aviv University?
In Ramat Aviv, in the north-west of Tel Aviv, Israel.
When was it established?
In 1956, by the merger of three institutes.
When did it become autonomous?
In 1963.
Who is the president?
Ariel Porat, since 2019.
How large is the campus?
About 89 hectares.
How many students does it have?
Over 30,000, with 15,285 undergraduates and 11,098 postgraduates counted in 2019.
Which faculties does it have?
Among others Arts, Engineering, Exact Sciences, Humanities, Law, Life Sciences, Medical and Health Sciences, and Social Sciences, plus the Coller School of Management.
How many research institutes are there?
More than 130.
How is it ranked?
214th in the QS World University Rankings 2024, the highest in Israel.
What does it cost?
Fees differ for Israeli and international students. Check the current tariff.
Biology, Engineering, 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.
Innovation.world is not affiliated with this school/university. We recommend to contact them directly on their website for any special request.
To complete or correct any information here or share your opinion, please comment below or > send us a direct message <.
