Is This Program Right For You?

This program is right for students who wish to spend a summer term in Beer Sheva, Israel studying Modern or Biblical Hebrew. 

Academics

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev was created to fulfill a unique nation-building mandate: to develop the Negev, its land and its people. It is Israel's fastest growing institution and gaining international repute for its innovative research, its dynamic student body and its modern campus.

Today, Ben-Gurion University is a major center for teaching and research, with over 17,000 students enrolled in the faculties of Engineering Sciences, Health Sciences, Natural Sciences, Humanities and Social Sciences, the School of Management and the Kreitman School of Advanced Graduate Studies. International students are offered the chance to experience first hand why BGU is known to be the number one choice university for Israeli undergraduates. You will have the chance to experience the real Israel, and enjoy a summer, semester or year living like a real Israeli student.

Modern Hebrew

The Ulpan is an intensive immersive Hebrew language course that can be taken for either a four or six week period during the Summer or Winter. It incorporates a traditional curriculum of reading, writing, and conversation skills with mediums such as Israeli music, newspapers, movies, radio and field trips.

Biblical Hebrew

This intensive six week reading course is offered by the department of Bible Studies, in collaboration with the OSP Program.

Find out more about the courses on offer this summer by clicking here and going to BGU's website.

Student Life

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev is located in the city of Beer Sheva – the capital of the Negev region. The name Beer Sheva has two possible translations: 'well of seven' or 'well of oath,' both of which refer to the biblical covenant made by the patriarch - Abraham - and the Philistine king - Avimelech.

The Negev itself is part of an awe-inspiring desert that stretches from Egypt through the southern part of Israel to Jordan and Saudi Arabia. The Negev, accounting for 60% of Israel's land mass, equaling an area of 12,000 square kilometers, encompasses all the landforms that make up a desert: desert flats, sand dunes, desert pavements, cliff faces that stretch for dozens of kilometers, and deep canyons. The Negev provides a worthy challenge to those seeking adventure; the combination of clear blue skies and beautiful yellow sand offers an array of opportunities for exploration.

The city of Beer Sheva is one of the four largest cities in Israel. It lies between the southern Negev desert and the cultivated fields of the biblical lands of Judah to the north. Beer Sheva is a city of great historical significance, where thousands of years ago it offered the junction between East and West. Even today, people can see the convergence of history and modernity in Israel's beautiful desert city, from the Old City of Beer Sheva where you can visit Abraham's well, to the new city, where there is a wealth of cultural opportunities.

Housing

Most of the overseas students live in convenient on-campus apartments with Israeli and international students as roommates. This allows students the opportunity to foster lasting friendships with other Israeli BGU students. The apartments are centrally located, a few minutes from the center of campus. Students can also be housed in apartments close to campus and with families. (Students interested in either of these options should indicate this in their application.)

In the housing complex there is a little supermarket, a cafe/pub, a laundromat, a hairdresser, plus there is a music room, a weekly disco club, a lounge with a television and VCR where movies are shown each week and a computer room that is open all night. Across the road from the apartments is the university sports center.

Most of the dormitories are divided into apartments with single and double bedrooms. Each apartment has a bathroom and small kitchen equipped with a refrigerator, gas burners, sink, storage cupboards and a dining area. Each student will have a bed, desk/table, bookshelf, wardrobe/closet and chair. Some apartments are air-conditioned. All apartments are equipped with private phone lines, although phone service must be arranged individually.

There is no inclusive meal plan during the year or semester for the Overseas Student Program. Kitchenware and cooking equipment as well as eating utensils are not provided, but can be purchased at reasonable prices in order that students may cook in their apartments. Often Israeli roommates already have furnished the apartments with these items. Students can dine in any of the on-campus cafeterias (all of which are kosher) where meals are served at reasonable prices. Plus, there are a lot of restaurants in walking distance from the dormitories, where students can have their choice of 'authentic' Israeli restaurants, and enjoy superb food, while engaging in lively conversation with the locals. This is a great way to learn about the country and people, as well as a good way to improve your Hebrew.

Visas

AU students are responsible for researching what they need to do to legally study in Israel. Please visit the Israeli Embassy website and read the information provided to you by BGU in order to figure out what you need to do to legally be a student in Israel.