Israeli Universities See Enrollment Rise Amid Shifting Study Trends

Israel's academic year is commencing with approximately 351,000 students across 57 institutions, marking a return to studies after three challenging years of war that saw many students serve extensive reserve duty. Data from the Council for Higher Education (CHE) reveals a notable increase in enrollment for medicine and artificial intelligence, while computer science has seen a decline. The overall growth is not uniform across all institution types or fields of study.

While undergraduate studies accounted for the majority of the increase in the past academic year, specific fields like education, law, social sciences, and humanities also saw growth. Artificial intelligence and data science continue to expand, aligning with technological advancements and market demand. Engineering fields maintained stable enrollment, but mathematics, statistics, and computer science experienced a decrease. The CHE attributes these trends to a long-term strategy aimed at developing higher education to meet national economic and societal needs.

Strategic initiatives have been implemented in recent years, including expanding medical training to address healthcare workforce shortages and approving new programs in AI, data science, and data engineering to adapt academic training to technological changes. Efforts have also been made to strengthen postgraduate studies and research to cultivate a pipeline of researchers and academic staff, fostering national innovation. The establishment of the University of Kiryat Shmona in the Galilee is another key development, intended to bolster research, the economy, and society in the north.

In the 2025-2026 academic year, undergraduate studies represented about 90% of the total growth in higher education. Academic colleges admitted 38.5% of undergraduate students, universities 35%, the Open University 17.1%, and teacher training colleges 9.4%. The Open University and non-budgetary colleges saw the most significant growth in undergraduate enrollment. First-year undergraduate enrollment across all institutions increased by 4.5%, while postgraduate studies saw a modest 0.9% growth, concentrated in academic colleges.

Medical studies saw a significant 11% increase, with 1,404 new students, contrasting with a mere 1.4% growth in other health professions. Enrollment from the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) community rose by 6.2% to 20,006 students, and the Arab community saw a 3.6% increase, reaching 65,386 students, or 19% of the total student body. Students of Ethiopian descent also increased by 4.1% to 4,770.