Quick Summary
Founded in 1963 and independent since 1972, Haifa's university founded in 1963 and independent since 1972, sits atop Mount Carmel on a campus designed by architect Oscar Niemeyer. It holds the largest university library in Israel and has the country's highest proportion of Arab-Israeli students at roughly 41 percent of its enrollment.
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Institutional Profile
Who they are
The University of Haifa was founded in 1963 by Haifa mayor Abba Hushi, initially operating under the academic auspices of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem before becoming Israel's fourth and independently chartered university in 1972. Its hilltop campus on Mount Carmel, which the university moved to in 1966, was designed by Oscar Niemeyer, the architect known for Brasilia and the United Nations Headquarters in New York. Among Israeli universities, it has the highest proportion of Arab-Israeli students, at roughly 41 percent of its student body, a figure the university and outside sources both cite as distinctive within the national higher-education system.
Subject Strengths
Ranks among the top subject programs in AnthropologyPublic AdministrationJournalismLawand Education in the QS World University Rankings by Subject; the Shanghai Ranking's 2025 Global Ranking of Academic Subjects lists 12 Haifa subjectswith Public Administration ranked #42 worldwideits strongest single placement.
Founded1963
TypePublic
Total Students18000
Intl StudentsNot Available
Faculty RatioNot Available
CampusHilltop campus atop Mount Carmel overlooking Haifa Bay
Campus SizeNot Available
Affiliated HospitalsNot Available
AccreditationIsrael Council for Higher Education (CHE)
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Global Standing
Three independent ranking systems
QS World 2026
#678
Quacquarelli Symonds
Times Higher Ed
#501-600
THE World University
ARWU Shanghai
#601-700
Academic Ranking
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Academics & Research
What you can study
Bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree programs, including roughly 20 programs taught in English for international students
Programs
Yes, doctoral programs are offered across the university's faculties
PhD Programs
The university lists a small number of standalone online academic courses (such as a Green Entrepreneurship course) through UHaifa International, but its degree programs, including the English-taught International School tracks, are delivered primarily in person on the Mount Carmel campus.
Online Programs
The university houses roughly 70 research centers and institutes across its faculties. The Leon H. Charney School of Marine Sciences, the largest academic center for marine sciences in Israel, includes the Leon Recanati Institute for Maritime Studies (RIMS), founded in 1975 and known internationally for underwater archaeology. Haifa also co-runs the Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences in Eilat (IUI), a national marine research facility shared with Israel's other universities, and hosts the Research Center for Cyber, Law & Policy, reflecting the university's concentration of coastal city, Mediterranean-adjacent research infrastructure.
Research Centers
Haifa's research output is concentrated in maritime and coastal fields: RIMS has produced decades of underwater archaeology work along the Carmel coast, including excavations of submerged prehistoric and Bronze Age sites, and the Charney School of Marine Sciences' four departments (Maritime Civilizations, Marine Geosciences, Marine Biology, Marine Technologies) anchor a marine-science output base the university describes as the largest of its kind in Israel. Its Global Ranking of Academic Subjects placements in Public Administration (#42), Communication, Sociology, Education, Psychology, and Political Science point to a second cluster of research strength in the social sciences and public policy, an area also served by the Research Center for Cyber, Law & Policy. The university's 41-percent Arab-Israeli student body has also made it a hub for research on Jewish-Arab relations and coexistence, an applied social-science focus distinct from Israel's other research universities.
Research Output
Israel Council for Higher Education (CHE)
Accreditation
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Admissions Brief
What it takes to get in
Entry Requirements
Acceptance RateNot Available
IELTS6.0
TOEFL79
Min GPANot Available
GRENot Available
GMATNot Available
SATNot Available
ACTNot Available
Key Dates
Application deadlines are being updated. Check the official website for current dates.
Required Documents
TranscriptsSOPEnglish ScoresLORsPassport
Insider Tip
International applicants should apply through the University of Haifa International School rather than the standard Hebrew-language admissions system, since the International School manages the roughly 20 English-taught degree and exchange programs available to non-Hebrew speakers. The university began in 1963 as Haifa University College operating under the academic auspices of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and only became fully independent in 1972, a history applicants may find referenced in accreditation documentation. Because the campus sits on top of Mount Carmel, admitted students should plan for the practicalities of a hillside campus, including transportation from central Haifa.
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Cost Ledger
Amounts in Israeli New Shekel
UG Tuition
₪3,000,040,000/yr
per year · ILS
Living Cost
₪3,000,035,000/yr
per year · ILS
PG Tuition
Free
per year · ILS
Application Fee
$100
one time · USD
Total Estimated Annual Cost
$19,000/yr
tuition + living + essentials · ILS
Scholarships AvailableYes, merit-based scholarships are available through the University of Haifa International School for eligible international students
Financial AidIsraeli students may access government-subsidized public university tuition rates; international students on English-taught tracks pay separate International School tuition with limited scholarship support
Work-StudyNot Available
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Featured & Popular Programs
A sample from Bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree programs, including roughly 20 programs taught in English for international students programs total
| Program | Level | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Political Science | BACHELOR | 3-4 YRS |
| Marine Sciences | MASTER | 1-2 YRS |
| Psychology | PHD | 3-5 YRS |
| Law | MBA | 12-24 MO |
| Middle Eastern History | BACHELOR | 3-4 YRS |
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Career Outcomes
Where graduates land
Not Available
Average Salary After Graduation
Not Available
Employment Rate
Notable Alumni
Benny Gantz, former IDF Chief of Staff and Israeli Defense Minister/Deputy Prime Minister; Yoav Gallant, former Israeli Defense Minister and Navy officer; Gadi Eisenkot, former IDF Chief of Staff; Moshe Ya'alon, former IDF Chief of Staff and Defense Minister; and Amos Shapira, former president of El Al Airlines and Cellcom, who also later served as University of Haifa president.
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Campus & Student Life
Life beyond lectures
Housing
Yes, through university dormitories on the Mount Carmel campus
Sports Facilities
University sports and recreation facilities on the Mount Carmel campus
Student Clubs
Student union and international student organizations coordinated through the International School
Library Resources
The largest university library in Israel by holdings, located on the Mount Carmel campus
Exchange Programs
Bilateral exchange partnerships and English-taught international programs coordinated through the University of Haifa International School
Summer Programs
Summer study-abroad and Hebrew ulpan (language) programs run through the International School