A global campus in the heart of Israel: Bar-Ilan’s multilingual education revolution

Bar-Ilan University, ranked among the top 2% of the world’s most prestigious universities, stands as a beacon of academic excellence in the heart of Israel’s vibrant Tel Aviv metropolitan area. Renowned for its award-winning faculty, significant research advancements, and Israel’s most beautiful university campus, Bar-Ilan attracts students from across the globe, including Europe, North America, Latin America, and Asia. This diverse student body creates a unique, international learning environment where students benefit from a truly global perspective.

Before making Aliyah six months ago, Sammy Garfinkel searched for an Israel-based university program where he could earn a bachelor’s degree in computer science while studying in English for the first year, and then switch to Hebrew as his language skills improved.

Garfinkel, from London, found exactly what he was looking for in Bar-Ilan University’s new Multilingual program, part of the university’s International School. The initiative – the first of its kind in Israel – provides a soft landing for students who want to become fluent in Hebrew while initially studying in English.

“My Hebrew wasn’t so great when I started, but I’m steadily building it up over the year,” said Garfinkel, who is about to complete his first semester in the 3.5-year program. “I looked at various Israeli universities, but Bar-Ilan was the only one offering this hybrid model in STEM subjects.”

Always a popular choice for foreign students and new immigrants to Israel seeking a quality education, Bar-Ilan’s International School has become even more relevant as antisemitism in the diaspora has skyrocketed.

Students who want to learn exclusively in English can choose between undergraduate degrees, graduate, doctoral and post-doctoral degrees.

Study-in-English Bachelor’s degrees are offered in Communications & Political Science, Linguistics, English Literature, Communication & English Literature and a Multidisciplinary BA in Jewish Studies.

Leora Lerer,  a 19-year-old New Yorker, is studying Life Sciences in the bilingual program. She decided to go to college in Israel after spending a gap year in the country. “I was here on October 7. Seeing everyone come together,I felt there is no other place for me to be. I feel like the whole nation is my support system.”

She chose the bilingual program “because my Hebrew isn’t that good and it provides a great opportunity to learn Hebrew, but also to enter Israeli society, but at my own pace. I didn’t want to be in an English-speaking bubble,” she said. At the same time, the international school “has guided me through literally everything, from a student visa to living arrangements,” she said.

Study-in-English master’s degrees are offered in an International MBA and Cyber Security Certificate, Political Science (a fully online program), Physics, Linguistics (regular and research), Life Sciences, Brain Science, English Literature, Jewish Philosophy, Engineering, Electrical Engineering, and Biblical Studies.

The Multilingual program, which was launched last summer, offers a unique hybrid model: students study Hebrew intensively during the summer, then continue their Hebrew lessons throughout the first year while pursuing their degree in English. From the second year onward, students study in Hebrew alongside their Israeli peers.

This integration not only facilitates a seamless transition into student life and Israeli society, but also opens up career opportunities upon completion of studies.

Students in the Multilingual program can receive a BSc in Computer Science, Life Sciences, or a Bachelor of Law degree (LLB) in law.

Chloe Schwartz, now 26, said enrolling in the International School’s all-in-English Political Science and Communication program “was the best decision I could have made” both academically and professionally.

“I was looking for a university where I would feel comfortable learning in my native language but would also help me be in Israeli society. I studied in English but there were tons of combined activities with Israeli and international students,” she said.

Schwartz, who is originally from Michigan, says she always felt connected to her professors and the other students.

“I could tell that my professors gave us all individual attention and I’m close to them till this day. The professors were more like mentors, guiding us when we had to write a paper and really working with us to try to find a good job. Also, the courses were impactful and a lot of them were practical, not theoretical.”

Schwartz said that one of the highlights of her time at Bar-Ilan was her internship at the university’s Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies, an on-campus think tank. While an intern, she flew abroad to participate in an EU conference. Today, she works as a cyber threat intelligence analyst in the Israeli office of an American cyber security company.

“The university gave me the essential critical thinking skills and hands-on experience necessary to excel in my career,” Schwartz said.

Jessica Scalisi, another graduate of the English-language Political Science and Communications program, said she picked the International School “so I could meet people all over the world. Plus, I didn’t know any Hebrew at the time,” said Scalisi, a New Yorker who made aliyah in 2019. Since then her Hebrew has improved and she’s on her way to being fluent.

She had also heard that the International School offers a warm environment.

“I was a student, not a number, not like when I studied in the States. “The teachers care about us.”

Now 26 and working as a content strategist at an Israeli company that helps new immigrants through community and logistical support, Scalisi is still close to the people she met in the program.

“My advice to anyone enrolled in the program: Enjoy. The time goes by so fast, and the people you meet will be your friends for life.”

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