The Council for Higher Education (CHE) on Tuesday officially approved the transformation of Tel‑Hai Academic College into the University of Kiryat Shmona in the Galilee. The institution’s recognition as a university will take effect in the 2026–27 academic year, marking 20 years since the government first decided to establish a university in the Galilee.
The move comes amid protests by residents of Kiryat Shmona — who returned to the city after the Swords of Iron War— over neglect and a lack of government support.
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Tel Hai College will open next academic year as Kriyat SHmona University
(Photo: Tel Hai College)
Tel‑Hai College was established in 1957 as a regional college and was recognized as an academic college in 1997. Now it will become a full university. The government’s decision to move the institution toward university status was originally made in 2005 when Ariel Sharon was prime minister.
Under the decision of the CHE and the Planning and Budgeting Committee, 570 million shekels will be invested in the new university over its first five years. As part of the university’s establishment, CHE has received proposals for Ph.D. programs in biotechnology, education, psychology and nutritional sciences. In addition, a new faculty of engineering will be created, focusing on precision agriculture, knowledge engineering and artificial intelligence. A veterinary school also will be established in the Golan Heights.
Another planned initiative is a project called “University City,” in which the academic institution will integrate into the urban fabric of Kiryat Shmona so that students can live in the city and engage in social and educational activities. As part of the decision, a school and veterinary hospital will be established in Katzrin — becoming the second veterinary school in the country. Until now, for more than 40 years, there has been only one veterinary school in Israel, at the Hebrew University, and most students had to study veterinary medicine abroad.
“The establishment of the university is a historic step of tremendous significance for the Galilee and the Golan," the Tel‑Hai administration said in a statement. "The university will focus on applied research and serve as a bridge between top‑level academia and industry, community and environment. It will attract thousands of students from across the country to the Galilee and create new employment opportunities, allowing students to remain in the region and build their homes here. We are not just establishing a new university in Kiryat Shmona; we are building the future of the northern part of the country.”
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What the new university campus will look like
(Photo: University of Kiryat Shmona in the Galilee)
Education Minister and CHE Chair Yoav Kisch called the approval "a major step in the rehabilitation and strengthening of Kiryat Shmona."
"From the start, I determined that the university would be an integral part of the city and serve as an anchor for growth, renewal and strengthening its social resilience," he said. "Accordingly, the transfer of Tel‑Hai’s Eastern Campus into the jurisdiction of Kiryat Shmona has been completed, and it has been determined that all future university buildings will be located within the city itself. The University of Kiryat Shmona will be a lever for regional development and create an academic and economic future for the youth of the North, while maintaining strict academic quality.”
Professor Ami Moyal, chair of the Planning and Budgeting Committee, added: “The establishment of a strong university in Kiryat Shmona is a planning and budgeting initiative of national significance. A research academic institution in the north is expected to serve as an engine of socio‑economic growth, strengthen the region’s resilience through applied research connected to field needs, and expand opportunities for social mobility for the youth of the Galilee and the North."
"This is a historic event born from close cooperation between the Council for Higher Education — led by Education Minister and CHE Chair Yoav Kisch — together with the Planning and Budgeting Committee, the Momentum Administration, and the Budget Division of the Ministry of Finance — a partnership enabling responsible planning, dedicated funding and phased development of a university that will have a long‑term impact on the region and the entire academic system.”
First published: 16:53, 01.20.26