How Much Is University Tuition in Israel? NIS 12,203 a Year in 2026/27
Bachelor’s tuition at Israel’s state-budgeted universities is NIS 12,203 a year for 2026/27, and a master’s year is NIS 16,490, per the Planning and Budgeting…
NIS 12,203 a year is the bachelor’s tuition at Israel’s state-budgeted universities and colleges for the 2026/27 academic year, set by the Council for Higher Education’s Planning and Budgeting Committee in a notice dated 18 August 2026. The rate applies to a full year of a bachelor’s programme at the institutions the Committee budgets. A full master’s year at the same institutions costs NIS 16,490. Both amounts are charged per year of study, not per degree.
| Figure | What it counts | Period |
|---|---|---|
| NIS 12,203 | Annual tuition, full bachelor’s programme, state-budgeted institutions | 2026/27 academic year |
| NIS 16,490 | Annual tuition, full master’s programme | 2026/27 academic year |
| NIS 16,490 | Annual tuition, full-year pre-academic preparatory course | 2026/27 academic year |
| 25% | Surcharge above basic tuition for foreign citizens, and for students whose tuition an employer or an institutional, governmental or public body pays | 2026/27 academic year |
| 1.546% | Change in the consumer price index used to index the rates | July 2025 to July 2026, published 14 August 2026 |
| NIS 12,017 | Annual tuition, full bachelor’s programme, the previous year | 2025/26 academic year |
| NIS 16,239 | Annual tuition, full master’s programme, the previous year | 2025/26 academic year |
Source: Council for Higher Education, Planning and Budgeting Committee, tuition notice of 18 August 2026 for 2026/27, with its notice of 19 August 2025 for 2025/26.
The Planning and Budgeting Committee sets bachelor’s tuition at NIS 12,203
The Planning and Budgeting Committee published NIS 12,203 as the annual tuition for a full bachelor’s programme in 2026/27. The Committee’s chair issued it in a one-page letter to the presidents and directors general of the budgeted institutions, printed both in numerals and in words. The rate is uniform across every institution the Committee budgets, which covers Israel’s universities and the budgeted colleges.
- The rate binds the universities and colleges budgeted by the Planning and Budgeting Committee.
- It is the charge for one academic year of a full programme, and a bachelor’s degree carries it for each year of study.
- The Committee reissues the notice every August, and the amount moves with the consumer price index.
- Non-budgeted institutions set their own fees, and the notice does not cover them.
A master’s year costs NIS 16,490, the same as preparatory courses
The Planning and Budgeting Committee published NIS 16,490 as the 2026/27 tuition for a full master’s year, and set the same NIS 16,490 for a full-year pre-academic preparatory course. The notice also applies the master’s rate to part of the bachelor’s population: a bachelor’s student who has not yet accumulated 18 credit points pays NIS 16,490 rather than NIS 12,203.
| Student | Annual tuition, 2026/27 |
|---|---|
| Full bachelor’s programme | NIS 12,203 |
| Bachelor’s student below 18 credit points | NIS 16,490 |
| Full master’s programme | NIS 16,490 |
| Full-year pre-academic preparatory course | NIS 16,490 |
Source: Council for Higher Education, Planning and Budgeting Committee, tuition notice of 18 August 2026.
Tuition rose 1.546% with the consumer price index from 2025/26
The Planning and Budgeting Committee stated that the 2026/27 amounts are the 2025/26 amounts raised by 1.546%, the change in the consumer price index from July 2025 to July 2026, as published on 14 August 2026. The 2025/26 notice of 19 August 2025 set NIS 12,017 for a bachelor’s year and NIS 16,239 for a master’s year. Both new amounts reproduce from the old ones at that rate, rounded to the shekel.
The 1.546% is the July to July change the Committee applied. It is a different measure from the 12-month inflation rate for any other month, and the two may not be swapped.
Foreign citizens and employer-funded students pay 25% above basic tuition
The Planning and Budgeting Committee states that two groups pay 25% above the basic tuition in 2026/27. The surcharge is set as a percentage of the basic rate, so it applies to whichever basic rate the student’s programme carries.
- Students who are foreign citizens.
- Israeli students whose tuition is paid wholly or partly by an employer.
- Israeli students whose tuition is paid wholly or partly by an institutional, governmental or public body.
The notice publishes the rule as a percentage and prints no shekel amount for the surcharged rate. Any shekel figure for it is a calculation from the basic rate, not an amount the Committee published.
No Israeli body here publishes fees for English-taught programmes
The Planning and Budgeting Committee published rates for the institutions it budgets and for nothing else. Fees outside that schedule are set by the individual institutions, and the notice carries none of them.
| Charge | In the Committee’s 2026/27 notice? |
|---|---|
| Basic bachelor’s, master’s and preparatory tuition at budgeted institutions | Yes |
| 25% surcharge rule | Yes, as a percentage only |
| Fees at non-budgeted colleges | No |
| Fees for English-taught international programmes | No |
| Supplemental charges such as security, student union or health insurance | No |
Source: Council for Higher Education, Planning and Budgeting Committee, tuition notice of 18 August 2026.
Every figure here comes from one Committee notice
- Every amount is an annual charge for one academic year, and none is a degree total.
- The rates cover state-budgeted institutions only and may not be read as the cost of all higher education in Israel.
- The 25% surcharge has no published shekel amount, and a figure computed from it is not the Committee’s.
- The 1.546% is the consumer price index change from July 2025 to July 2026, and is not the inflation rate for any other period.
Questions readers ask
Is NIS 12,203 the cost of a whole degree?
No. The Planning and Budgeting Committee published NIS 12,203 as the charge for one academic year of a full bachelor’s programme in 2026/27, so a degree carries it for each year of study.
Do all Israeli universities charge the same tuition?
Yes, for the institutions the state budgets. The Planning and Budgeting Committee issued one uniform rate to every budgeted university and college for 2026/27.
How much is a master’s degree in Israel per year?
The Planning and Budgeting Committee published NIS 16,490 a year for a full master’s programme at budgeted institutions in 2026/27.
How much does a pre-academic preparatory year cost?
The Planning and Budgeting Committee set NIS 16,490 for a full-year pre-academic preparatory course in 2026/27, the same amount as a master’s year.
Why do some bachelor’s students pay NIS 16,490?
The Planning and Budgeting Committee states that bachelor’s students who have not yet accumulated 18 credit points pay the master’s rate, which is NIS 16,490 in 2026/27.
Do international students pay more?
Yes. The Planning and Budgeting Committee states that students who are foreign citizens pay 25% above the basic tuition at budgeted institutions in 2026/27.
Do Israelis ever pay the 25% surcharge?
Yes. The Planning and Budgeting Committee published the surcharge for Israeli students whose tuition an employer, or an institutional, governmental or public body, pays wholly or partly.
How much did tuition cost in 2025/26?
The Planning and Budgeting Committee published NIS 12,017 for a bachelor’s year and NIS 16,239 for a master’s year in its notice of 19 August 2025.
How is the tuition amount updated each year?
The Planning and Budgeting Committee stated that the 2026/27 rates are the 2025/26 rates raised by the July to July change in the consumer price index, 1.546% for July 2025 to July 2026.
When is the new tuition rate announced?
The Planning and Budgeting Committee issued the 2026/27 notice on 18 August 2026 and the 2025/26 notice on 19 August 2025, and the notice is reissued each August.
Does the official rate include student union or security fees?
No. The Planning and Budgeting Committee published basic tuition only, and its notice sets no amount for security, student union or health insurance charges.
Are private colleges covered by the official rate?
No. The Planning and Budgeting Committee published rates that bind budgeted institutions only, and non-budgeted colleges set their own fees.
Sources
- Council for Higher Education, Planning and Budgeting Committee, 2026. Tuition at Higher Education Institutions Budgeted by the Planning and Budgeting Committee for the 2026/27 Academic Year. Letter of the Committee’s chair to the presidents and directors general of the budgeted institutions, 18 August 2026, in Hebrew, with the notice of 19 August 2025 for 2025/26. https://che.org.il. Official or primary record.
