Overview | Academics | Cost | Location | Life Abroad | Student Voices
The University of Haifa, the only university in northern Israel, was founded in 1963 joint auspices of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Haifa Municipality. The university is surrounded by the beautiful Carmel National Park. The university welcomes a diverse student body of more than 18,000 students in six faculties: Humanities, Social Sciences, Sciences and Science Education, Law, Social Welfare and Health Studies, and Education; and five schools: Business Administration, Social Work, History, Public Health, and Political Sciences.
Participants can choose a summer, semester, year-long program. Students with a high level of Hebrew can directly enroll into the University; otherwise, the International School within the university offers classes in English along with Hebrew and Arabic language courses.
Haifa - Israel's third largest city and northern capital is the heart of it all! Situated in a broad natural bay between the beautiful Mediterranean Sea and the awe-inspiring Carmel mountain, the city's terraced landscape offers a rich variety of breathtaking panoramas, giving the observer the sensation of being on a heavenly peninsula.
Getting to Your Program
Participants are responsible for arranging round-trip transportation to the program site.
Visa
It is recommended that students apply for their student visa prior to departure. Participants must have a passport valid for six months after the end of the program. US citizens participating on the summer only program do not need to apply for a visa. If you are a not a US citizen, please consult with your Study Abroad Advisor.
Orientation
IAP expects you to be an active participant in preparing yourself for your study abroad experience. As a participant on an IAP program, you will receive a pre-departure orientation, either in-person or online. The type and format of this orientation will vary by program and will be provided to you upon acceptance to the program.
All students will have an on-site orientation on the first day of the program. The orientation will include guided tours of the important facilities on campus as well as the city of Haifa, an opportunity to meet the staff of the International School, and important information regarding all aspects of life at the University of Haifa.
Housing
Students live in university dorms during the length of their program. There are two dorms open to international students, the Federman Dorm and the Talia Dorm; participants specify which dorm they would prefer upon application. The Federman Dorm includes modest apartments with three double rooms and a shared bathroom, kitchen, and living space. The Talia Dorm is only available for students studying at the university for a year and includes spacious apartments with three to six single rooms, each room with its own bathroom, and a shared kitchen and living space. All apartments are single-sex and include a bed, desk, closet, and shelves, as well as sheets, a blanket, and a pillow. The kitchen is equipped with a refrigerator and two stove-top burners; dishes and silverware are not provided. Within the dorm, you will find computer labs, a grocery store, a common area with a big-screen TV and self-serve laundry facilities.
The University of Haifa campus spreads along the Carmel Mountain ridge southeast of the city of Haifa and is surrounded by the Carmel National Park. The campus is easily accessible by numerous bus routes around the city with direct lines to and from each of the central inter-city bus stations in Haifa.
Excursions and Activities
The first day of the semester, students participate in an orientation that includes a tour of the campus, a tour of Haifa and a chance to meet staff at the International School. To become better acquainted with Israel as a whole, the School offers three overnight excursions per semester. Additional academic excursions are also offered on Sundays which are mandatory for a specific class but are open to students outside of the class. In addition to excursions, the School offers many cultural happenings during the week.
Students also have the option of volunteering in the local community. Past volunteering projects include teaching English to immigrant children and youth in Haifa, recording Holocaust survivors' stories, and working at the local food bank.
Insurance
All participants in IAP programs are enrolled in health insurance through Cultural Insurance Services International (CISI) and the cost is included in program fees.
On-Site Support
Administrative Staff at the University of Haifa
Returned Student Network
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here to see testimonials from students abroad or to contact a returned student.
Student Profiles
Check out student profiles to learn more about their experience abroad.
Josh FellmanKadie Ray
Video
Watch videos about the program.
Josh Fellman
Program participants take classes at the University of Haifa within the International School. All courses at the International School at the University of Haifa are taught in English. UW students are required to take the intensive Hebrew Ulpan or Arabic language pre-session along with a Hebrew or Arabic language course during the semester. Arabic is only offered during the summer and not during the winter. If a student meets the prerequisites for a class taught in Hebrew in a different department, the student will be able to write course papers and exams in English.
Students will take classes with Israeli students from different backgrounds and other international students. Most courses offered through the International School are in the following disciplines: Political Science, History, Economics, Anthropology, Literature, Philosophy, Religion and Communications. Students take between twelve and eighteen credits per semester.
Students also have the option to complete an internship while in Haifa for credit. If interested, students need to apply for an internship and will work with the internship coordinator on possible placements. The internship will be for 3-4 credits depending on the number of contact hours completed. A list of possible placements can be viewed on Haifa's website.
Affiliate Institution(s)
overseas.haifa.ac.il/
Foreign Courses
Available Courses
Course Equivalents
Use the links below to see a list of courses that students have taken on this program before and the UW equivalents. Note: this list only includes pre-approved courses for your program and may not be an exhaustive list of courses or departments. You will get instructions on the course equivalent process after acceptance.
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Group by host institution and Sort by UW-Madison Course Titles
