Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU): Jerusalem, Israel
a. General Information
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem is the oldest and most reputable university in Israel. There are 23,500 students enrolled at the University, including 11,700 undergraduates, 6,900 master’s degree students, 2,700 doctoral candidates, and 2,200 other students. There are 1,200 tenured academic faculty members and 1,500 full‐time administrative and technical members of staff.
The Faculty of Law of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem is the oldest law school in Israel. Established in 1949, the Faculty is the alma mater of almost all the Justices on the Supreme Court of Israel, and among its alumni are many of Israel’s most prominent legal academics, Attorneys‐ General, senior government officials and representatives and practicing lawyers. The Faculty’s Bernard G. Segal Law Library is the largest law library in Israel. It contains some 300,000 volumes (80,000 titles) and holds several unique collections of Jewish, Israeli, and Roman law and the philosophy of law.
The Faculty of Law is composed of 40 full‐time professors, 150 adjunct professors and over 50 instructors. The Faculty also welcomes more than a dozen leading international Visiting Professors who spend time at the Hebrew University teaching and carrying out research. The result is a dynamic curriculum spanning all the major areas of law and offering the students a broad variety of law‐related and interdisciplinary subjects.
The Faculty admits some 250 LL.B. students each year (for a four year program) and 100 students studying towards the LL.M. degree. In addition to these, about 60 graduate students are working on Ph.D. degrees under the supervision of Faculty members and over 200 students are studying towards M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in the Institute of Criminology. The Faculty encourages its students to broaden their formal legal education by taking joint degrees, interdisciplinary courses and practical courses in clinics offering services to disadvantaged communities in Jerusalem. In addition, we encourage our students to conduct part of their legal education abroad and for that purpose we have numerous programs for international collaboration and student‐exchanges with law schools around the globe.
The Faculty of Law strives for excellence in research at an international level. Many of our Faculty members have advanced degrees from leading foreign universities, and all spend time teaching or conducting research abroad. Research at the Hebrew University has a theoretical and interdisciplinary focus, and scholarly work produced by our Faculty figures prominently in leading legal journals and publishing houses. Members of the Faculty are actively involved at university interdisciplinary centers such as the Centre for the Study of Rationality and the European Forum. The Faculty of Law itself has also established a variety of legal and interdisciplinary research forums: the Aharon Barak Centre for Legal Interdisciplinary Research, the Forum for Law and Economics, the Forum for Law and Philosophy, the International Law Forum, the Institute for Jewish Law, the Minerva Centre for Human Rights, and the Intellectual Property Law Forum. The Faculty of Law is also the home of the Hebrew University’s Institute of Criminology and the fruitful collaboration of lawyers and criminologists is reflected, among other things, in the Jerusalem Criminal Justice Study Group (Crime Group).
b. The Exchange Program
The Faculty of Law at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem maintains exchange programs with law faculties abroad, providing students registered in partner universities the opportunity to study in English in our Faculty for a semester.
Exchange agreements have so far been concluded with law faculties of the following universities: Stanford, UCLA and Georgetown University (U.S.); the University of ESADE (Barcelona, Spain); the Sorbonne University (France); the University of Trento (Italy); the University of Zurich (Switzerland); the National University of Singapore; the University of Hong‐Kong; the University of Aarhus (Denmark); and the University of Rotterdam (the Netherlands). The faculty is also a founding member of the reputable Center for Transnational Legal Studies (London).
Our exchanges provide visiting students the access to a vibrant and exciting community, coupled with the experience of visiting and living in Israel and Jerusalem.
A two‐day induction program is offered to the exchange students. In addition, they are supported by our Academic Director of the exchange programs who will assist them in every challenge that they may encounter. Socially, the exchange students are accompanied by representatives of our Law Students Union and our visiting students are very satisfied with the social life in the campus.
Most of the classes combine traditional lecture with an open debate based on the reading materials for the relevant class. Smaller, elective courses or seminars are more heavily based on such a dialogue.
Student life is lively. The exchange students are allocated to Israeli student mentors who accompany them and support them throughout their stay at the Hebrew University. The students join social activities in the student village and those activities organized by the Law Faculty’s students Association as well as those arranged by Rothberg School of international students. In addition, a very advanced sports center is situated one minute walk from the Students Village.
Additional about Hebrew University’s exchange program is available here.
Download Information Sheet 2024-2025
c. Academic Calendar
The 2024/25 academic calendar for the academic year can be found here.
Important Dates
- Fall Orientation Program (if applicable):
- Date: the orientation will take place prior to the start of the academic year.
- Orientation is highly recommended.
- More information and dates of the orientation will be sent to all students via email.
- Important dates for Fall 2024:
- Recommended Arrival Date: the week before the start of the academic year.
- Classes Begin: October 29, 2024
- Classes End: February 5, 2025– however, students are able to leave around Christmas time in order to return to their home university.
- Exams Begin: Many courses consist of take-home assignments and therefore students are not required to be on-campus.
- Exams End: Not relevant for the exchange students
- Spring Orientation Program:
- Date: orientation takes place the week before the start of the semester.
- Orientation is highly recommended
- More information and dates of the orientation will be sent to all students via email.
- Important dates for Spring 2025:
- Recommended Arrival Date: the week before the start of the academic year.
- Classes Begin: March 20, 2025
- Classes End: July 4, 2025
- Exams Begin: Many courses consist of take-home assignments and therefore students are not required to be on-campus.
- Exams End: Not relevant for the exchange students
d. Language Instruction
All courses are offered in English. Students may also take Hebrew language or Arabic language classes.
Intensive language instruction is offered as well.
Students have a choice of the following:
- Prior to semester –Intensive course for Hebrew language instruction is offered during the summer and winter breaks. This course is at an additional cost for exchange students.
- During semester – students are able to register for the Hebrew language courses offered both during the fall and spring semesters. The course meets 3 times a week. This course is at an additional cost for exchange students.
Please see here for more information:
e. Eligible Courses
Exchange students may elect courses offered by our Faculty. We offer close to twenty courses in the English language annually. (The English‐taught courses and the academic calendar are structured in such a manner that North American, European, and students from the Eastern Asia may take part in our exchange scheme.)
In addition, the exchange students may elect courses offered by our LL.M. program in human rights and international law, a degree taught in English.
Further, our teaching program in English is developed in conjunction with the Rothberg International School at the Hebrew University. The Rothberg International School is a well established academic school within the Hebrew University which offers an impressive number of academic programs to more than 1,300 students annually. Many of these students are one‐year or one‐semester students. This collaboration offers the students participating in the exchange with the Faculty of Law a broad choice of subjects that pertain to law, as well as a chance to participate in the social activities of the Rothberg School, in addition to the activities we will plan from within our Faculty (meetings, participation in our clinics, etc.).
The Rothberg School also offers pre‐semester and summer language courses – a chance to study some Hebrew before the beginning of the academic year.
Those with good command of Hebrew may follow our extensive array of courses offered in Hebrew.
Courses for the 2024-25 academic year have not been publicized yet and will be available in summer 2024. However, they will be similar to the courses offered during previous academic years. Students can find the English Law Courses offered here: http://en.law.huji.ac.il/book/courses-http://en.law.huji.ac.il/book/courses-
Course descriptions and syllabi can be found via the course catalogue: http://shnaton.huji.ac.il/yearbook.php
Courses offered at Rothberg International School can be found here:
https://overseas.huji.ac.il/academics/course-catalog/undergraduate-course-catalog/
f. English Language Courses
See Section e above.
g. Academic Requirements for Admission to Exchange Program
Exchange students will be required to successfully complete at least one year of studies at their law faculty prior to their stay in our law faculty.
h. Standard Course Loads
We recommend that students take between 10-16 credits per semester. However, they should adhere to the credit guidelines of their home university.
Our courses offer 1 credit, 2 credits and 3 credits (2 Israeli credits are equivalent to 3 ECTS and 3 Israeli credits are equivalent to 2 U.S. (semester‐based or Australian credits).
As to the typical reading load in classes, around 25 pages per one academic hour. Thus, for example, a 2 credit course including a weekly meeting of two academic hours will be based on 50 pages reading material.
i. Course Enrollment and Registration
Students pre-register for courses. Students are given registration instructions approximately one month before the start of the academic semester. During the first two weeks of the semester, students can also add and drop courses.
There are no compulsory courses which we require to follow although our induction program is obligatory. Students may indicate prior to their arrival at Hebrew University their preferences regarding courses but actual registration will be made following the induction program to enable students to make more informed choice about courses.
j. Grading System
Most courses require a take-home assignment or exam. Some courses have in-class exams. Grades are given on a numerical scale of 0-100. A grade of 60 and above is passing.
k. Application Procedure
In order to apply and for additional information regarding application material requirements, please go here.
The admissions team will finalize decisions within one month after receiving all required documents. Once the application is submitted students will receive an official answer regarding acceptance. The only evidence of acceptance to a Rothberg International School Division of Undergraduate Studies program is an official letter issued by one of these offices:
– Division of Undergraduate Studies at RIS;
l. Application Deadline
Nominations by sponsoring schools are to be made by April 2024. The application is paper-based. Students are sent the application forms as soon as the nomination is received and are required to provide a hard copy of the application as well as an electronic copy.
Applications for the fall semester are due by April 2024. Applications for the spring semester are due November 2024.
m. Housing Information
Students are guaranteed on-campus housing if they complete the application by the deadline. Students are offered housing at the Student Village dorms.
On-Campus Housing Availability:
- Students are offered housing at the Student Village Dorm Complex
- Students must fill out the housing request form when they complete their application through Rothberg International School.
Off-Campus Housing options:
- If students are interested in off-campus housing they are responsible for securing this.
Students can receive assistance here: https://overseas.huji.ac.il/student-life/university-housing/off-campus-housing/
Please see additional information below:
https://overseas.huji.ac.il/student-life/university-housing/
http://international.huji.ac.il/book/export/html/6156
http://multimedia.huji.ac.il/tour360/direct.html?c=scopus&p=kfarout
n. Visa/Immigration Information
Exchange students are required to visit their local Israeli Consulate or Embassy of Israel prior to their arrival to obtain a student visa. The student visa is an A2 visa – a multiple-entry student visa (making it possible to leave Israel for a vacation and return without requiring a new visa). The visa is valid for up to one year. Recipients of this visa are not permitted to work in Israel. It is mandatory that all students participating in programs of one semester or longer secure a Student Visa (A-2) before arriving in Israel. You must contact your local Israeli embassy or consulate to apply for a student visa.
The following items must be submitted upon application:
- Your passport or other travel document, valid for at least two years
- A letter of acceptance from the Hebrew University
- For students under age 18, a notarized declaration signed by both parents
- A visa application form, in duplicate, with one photograph attached to each copy. (These forms may be obtained from the Israeli Consulate)
Please see additional information below:
https://overseas.huji.ac.il/admissions/visas/
o. Fees
Exchange students continue to pay their normal tuition to Stanford for the quarter during which they study at Hebrew University and are not required to pay the Hebrew University tuition.
p. Estimated Cost of Living
Below are some of the estimated expenses for international students at Hebrew University. However, please note that students’ requirements can vary significantly, depending on how much is spent on housing, travel and living expenses.
Housing: Autumn Semester – $1,800
Spring Semester – $2,320
Full Year – $5,310
Food: approximately $400 a month
Books: students are not required to purchase books for law courses
Visa fees:$60
Local Travel: approximately $100 a month
Miscellaneous (entertainment, supplies): approximately $200-$400
Additional fees:
Health Insurance: Students are to purchase the health insurance offered by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The health insurance provider is Harel Yedidim. Cost of Insurance: TBA
q. Health Insurance Requirements
All students are required to be covered by health insurance for the duration of their stay at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
Students must purchase the health insurance of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The health insurance provider is Harel Yedidim. Coverage is offered for COVID-19 under this health insurance.
r. Covid-19 Updates
Updates for international students:
https://overseas.huji.ac.il/corona-updates/
General updates from the university management:
https://vp-director.huji.ac.il/corona-updates
Israel Ministry of Health updates:
https://govextra.gov.il/ministry-of-health/corona/corona-virus-en/
s. Program Contacts/Advisors at Hebrew University
For further information please contact:
Ms. Shanie Rabinowitz
International Programs Coordinator
Faculty of Law, Hebrew University
Mt. Scopus, Jerusalem
Tel: 972-25880044
Email: shaniebe@savion.huji.ac.il
Dr. Guy Harpaz
University Dean of Student and Academic Director of Exchange Programs
Email: guy.harpaz@mail.huji.ac.il