Tel-Hai University Opens First Academic Year as Israel’s 11th Research University

KIRYAT SHMONA, ISRAEL, October 21, 2026 /CourierPR/ -- Tel-Hai University of Kiryat Shmona in the Galilee has opened its doors as Israel’s 11th research university, marking a significant milestone in the region’s recovery after three years of war. The inauguration, which took place 21 years after the Israeli government’s 2005 decision to convert Tel-Hai into a research university, welcomed over 5,000 registered students, a number that has steadily increased from 4,700 in the previous academic year and has now surpassed pre-war enrollment levels.

More than 70% of the students come from outside the Eastern Galilee, bringing young people from across Israel to a region that is working to rebuild its communities and economy. During the first year of the war, which saw classes held online, enrollment stood at 4,400. The university now operates four clusters: Social Sciences and Humanities, Life and Environmental Sciences, Education and Teaching, and the new Engineering and Advanced Computing cluster.

The establishment of Tel-Hai University is central to a broader effort to rebuild the Eastern Galilee, attract new residents, and create skilled employment. Government investment has reached nearly NIS 700 million, alongside support from philanthropists and cross-sector investment. The new university status now enables Tel-Hai to offer advanced degree programs and expand its research activity in the region.

Yoav Kisch, Education Minister and Chair of the Council for Higher Education, emphasized the importance of increasing the number of students and growing the university year by year.

Ze’ev Elkin, Minister in the Finance Ministry responsible for reconstruction in the South and North, highlighted the significance of the university in the region's development. "This is a moving day," he said.

Prof. Eliezer Shalev, M.D., President of Tel-Hai University, expressed his conviction that the university will serve as an anchor for the flourishing of the entire region.

Eli Cohen, Director-General of Tel-Hai University, expressed his personal and national pride.

Tel-Hai University operates three campuses: the Roadburg Campus and the West Campus in the Upper Galilee, and the Katzrin Campus. The university is addressing challenges in food security, sustainable agriculture, engineering, artificial intelligence, and more through interdisciplinary applied research, academic excellence across the humanities, social sciences, education, and other disciplines, and close collaboration with industry and communities.