• CV in English
• Transcripts of study in Hebrew and English:
• In Hebrew – with your GPA from each year you studied at the university and every degree; these can be printed from your online personal file.
• In English – an official transcript from your faculty’s administrative office.
• A separate motivational letter for each desired university (in English). Your letter should describe the reasons for choosing the specific university, including the connection between your current or future program of study and the academic programs offered to exchange students at the host university, as well as the specific courses you mentioned in your online application on the scholarship website, language courses, and/or multicultural studies.
• Master’s and PhD students: A letter of recommendation (at least one) in English from a university lecturer. The letter must be addressed “To whom it may concern” and must be submitted directly by the author of the letter through the procedure as detailed on the website. BA students are not required to submit a recommendation letter.

You must meet with your faculty’s relevant advisors and receive their approval in advance for the courses you are planning to take abroad, before you leave for your student exchange program. To determine with whom it is best to consult, see the list of contact people below.

You can use this table for converting credit points when considering courses at other universities.

Undergraduate students (BA/BSc degrees) must take courses worth at least 10 credit points and no more than 20 or 25 credit points (depending on their field) to be recognized on their transcripts as courses studied abroad.

Master’s students are required to study a maximum of 10 credit points while abroad, subject to the approval of their advisor.

The academic calendars of foreign universities are different from Hebrew University’s calendar, and they vary from country to country and also from university to university within a single country. Therefore, it’s important to check the academic calendar of the university to which you would like to go (you will find a link to their fact sheets in the list of universities), and plan on attending a semester that fits your schedule.

Since the semesters at other universities start and conclude at dates different from ours, it’s possible that you will have to go abroad already in summer and finish the autumn semester early, so that you will have a long break before starting the spring semester at Hebrew University.

For those interested in going to Australia, be aware that your semester abroad there will start later than in other destinations – approximately one or one and a half years after you receive the letter of acceptance (around February or July, depending on which semester). We recommend you plan your studies accordingly.

In English or in the local language, according to what the host university offers. We suggest you look into the option of taking language classes.

It depends on where you go. Some universities enable exchange students to take courses in different fields (in different departments of faculties), while others require exchange students to register in a specific department and you can only take courses in that department. This information can usually be found in each university’s fact sheet. There are links to the fact sheets in the list of universities that appears in the Call for Applications.

It is important to check in advance whether it is possible to take courses in different fields in order to build your course load correctly, and also in order to adapt your academic program at Hebrew University before and after the student exchange semester, if necessary, with the help and approval of your faculty’s student exchange advisor. For example, if you go abroad to a university which allows you only to take courses in a single field, you may need to take more courses in your second field before or after you go abroad.

When you apply to a student exchange program, you can choose up to three universities which you are interested in attending. You will be assigned to one of them. The list of potential universities appears in the Student Exchange Program Call for Applications that is published each year.

The Call for Applications contains extensive information about exchange programs at each university: which fields of study are offered at each university and which ones are not, whether they are limited to students earning certain degrees, whether there are language requirements, etc.

In the first stage, you should eliminate the universities which are less relevant for you and then focus on the others. Ask yourself: do I want to study in that country? Are the language requirements relevant for me? Does the university teach my field of study? etc. Once you reduce the number of options, start to research the remaining ones more thoroughly by looking through their course catalogs, academic calendars, and other important information. Then, focus on narrowing down your preferences to the three options that are most suitable.

All the institutions that participate in the exchange program have been carefully selected, and the list also includes Ivy League universities and other leading universities.

The list of universities to which one can apply for a student exchange program appears every year in the updated Call for Applications.

Some Hebrew University faculties offer additional student exchange options that are intended for students of that faculty – so look out for information!

No. After you successfully complete the student exchange program, you will receive an official transcript from the host university that will recognize the courses you studied. Hebrew University will count the credits you receive for those courses towards your degree.

Of course! Student exchange programs are considered part of your degree studies and you will receive credit for courses taken abroad.

If necessary, upon arrival at the foreign university you can make changes to the course load you submitted and which was approved before you went abroad. Usually, you can do so within the first three weeks of the semester, in conjunction with the international advisor at your home faculty at Hebrew University.  

The cost of student exchange programs varies. It depends on different factors, such as the host country, length of stay, standard of living, and more.

While you are on a student exchange program, you’ll continue to pay tuition to Hebrew University as usual (and not to the host university), aside from registration fees and other fees that you may have to pay the host university (such as for orientation week).

Nevertheless, there are various expenses that you should take into account, including: plane tickets, housing, food, health insurance, passport, visas, local transportation, and personal expenses.

Tip: This website and others provide information about the estimated cost of living in each country.

In order to pay for the trip, you may be able to receive a scholarship from the Erasmus+ program, through the host university in the bilateral track, or other external scholarships to which you can apply. These scholarships can significantly help to offset the costs of studying abroad.  

In some countries you are allowed to work, but not in every country. In most destinations, it is difficult to find work and you should be prepared for the possibility that you may not find a job during your student exchange program.

Depending on the offerings and regulations of your host university as well as your personal preferences, you’ll likely be able to choose between living in student dorms or in a rented apartment.

In addition to the opportunity to study abroad without paying tuition to the host university, you will receive a grant from Hebrew University according to the destination.

The grant will be given to whoever does not receive a scholarship for the student exchange program from the host university or from a different entity that exceeds the grant given by Hebrew University to students going abroad.

You'll pay tuition to Hebrew University during the student exchange program, and not to the host university (see more information here).

In the list of universities that appears on the Call for Applications, there is a “Language requirements” column for each institution which states whether you need an authorization of language proficiency in order to attend a student exchange program at that university. You do not need to take an exam at the time that you apply to a student exchange program, but only after you have been accepted to the program and assigned to a university that requires a language proficiency authorization.
 

What types of authorizations are there?

1. TOEFL/IETLS grade – These are external language exams for which you must register independently. You do not need to take an exam at the time that you apply to a student exchange program, only after you are accepted to the program and assigned to a university that requires a certain score in English. However, you may receive a very short notice for taking the exam (depending on the deadline of the university to which you are assigned). Therefore, if you requested to be sent to a university that requires an English test, you should prepare for it in advance and check when you can take it.
2. Authorization of English proficiency (such as English B2) on behalf of Hebrew University – If you have been assigned to a host university that requests such a document, please contact Miriam Poupko, academic advisor of HUJI’s Unit of English as a Foreign Language (miriam.poupko@mail.huji.ac.il). 
3. Authorization of language proficiency for a language other than English – Be aware that some universities require a language proficiency authorization for a language other than English if you want to take courses in that language together with local students (not language classes!), while other universities request an authorization of language proficiency even if you are planning to take all your classes in English. It’s important to check in advance! This information appears in the Call for Applications. If required, you must submit an authorization of language proficiency for a language other than English at the time that you apply to the student exchange program. To do so (for example, for Spanish C1), please contact Chaya Fischer, Director of HUJI’s Language Center: chaya.fischer@mail.huji.ac.il.

Every year, the International Office publishes a Call for Applications for student exchange programs through the university email system, social media, and the International Office’s website. The Call for Applications lists two types of proposed universities – those that are part of the Erasmus+ program and those that are part of bilateral agreements. On your application you can choose universities from both groups.

The Call for Applications provides information about the application process and the deadline. The application process is an online process and includes completing an application form and submitting documents such as a CV in English, an official transcript of grades in English, motivational letters, and a language proficiency authorization (if required). Pay attention to the exact instructions in the Call for Applications.

When can I go on a student exchange program?

Undergraduate students (BA/BSc degrees): Apply in the 2^nd year and go abroad in the 3^rd year

Master’s students: Apply in the 1^st year and go abroad in the 2^nd year (occasionally it is possible to go abroad in the 1^st year, subject to the approval of your faculty, department, and advisor). Students in a research track can take courses and/or conduct research (up to you, with the approval of the host university.)

PhD students: Eligible to go abroad at any stage of their degree

You can check here to see which classes are offered by the universities of your choice.

Yes, you can make changes to your registration form till the end of the deadline by clicking on the “Edit Application” button.

For a detailed description on how to access the platform, please click here

Undergraduate students do not need to obtain a letter of recommendation from a lecturer.

For master’s and PhD students, a letter of recommendation is one of the criteria considered by the university’s acceptance committee. If you did not study at Hebrew University as an undergraduate student, you can submit a letter of recommendation from a lecturer at the university where you obtained your BA/BSc degree. Please note that the letter of recommendation must be from a lecturer who has a PhD degree or more, and it must be written in English. The letter must be addressed “To whom it may concern” and must be submitted directly by those who write the letters of recommendation using the procedure described on the website.