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The following information was translated from the Misrad Hachinuch Website. Please see their site for updates and changes.

Evaluation of Academic Degrees from Foreign Countries
A person with an academic degree earned outside of Israel has three main avenues for using this degree in Israel:

1. Academic: In order to pursue an advanced degree in Israel, you must submit your foreign degree to the Israeli university you wish to attend. Your degree will be evaluated. The universities have full academic freedom in this matter and are not subject to Misrad Hachinuch’s criteria.
2. Employment: In order to practice a profession that requires Israeli licensing (e.g. medicine, law, engineering, psychology, para-medical professions, etc.), you must apply for a license from the appropriate government office. For example, Misrad Habriut grants licenses to practice medicine, psychology, and other health-related fields. Transcripts and diplomas must be submitted to the appropriate governing body.
3. Salary: If you are employed in the Israel public sector, you will receive an increase in salary based on your academic degrees. Degrees from Israeli institutions are automatically recognized. Degrees from foreign countries are evaluated by the Foreign Degree Evaluation Branch, which issues a certificate with the applicant's name, date of degree, name of university, state and country, level of academic degree and major. This certificate is only valid for salary-related issues and does not serve as confirmation of academic level.

For specific details about required documentation, application forms, information about the acceptance of distance learning degrees, and branch offices and hours, please see the Misrad HaChinuch website: http://cms.education.gov.il/EducationCMS/Units/KishreiChutz/HaharachatTeharimAcademyim/MisEng2.htm

Misrad HaChinuch has strict guidelines about the acceptance of non-academic credits. These include credits from institutions that are not recognized officially as institutions of higher education (such as yeshivot and seminaries) as well as credits that were not taken in the course of a degree program (even if they were obtained from a recognized academic institution). The credits are evaluated according to the following guidelines:

If you started your degree before July 2008, Misrad Hachinuch will accept up to 20 non-academic credits, as long as you meet these criteria:

• You started the degree after having worked for at least 10 years.
• There is a clear connection between the non-academic credits and the degree.

If you started your degree after July 2008, these are the guidelines defined by Misrad HaChinuch:

Non-academic credits cannot constitute more than 25% of the total credits needed for the BA, based on the following criteria:

• The exemption applies only to subjects that are not part of the core curriculum, major, or introductory classes necessary for the BA.
• The exemption applies only to studies in an institution requiring applicants to complete 12 years of study prior to acceptance.
• The exemption applies only to institutions that are certified by the local authorities to accept non-academic studies towards a BA; it does not apply to institutions that award such exemptions to Israeli students alone.
• The exemption applies only to situations where the non-academic studies are commensurate with the parallel academic studies in terms of their scope.
• The exemption applies only to non-academic studies that were undertaken within five years of beginning the academic coursework.

The department may demand documentation or information necessary to verify the above criteria, including:

• Documentation certifying the completion of coursework and its scope
• Syllabi of the non-academic studies
• Syllabi of academic courses from which you received an exemption
• The scope of academic studies from which you received an exemption

All requests for recognition of non-academic studies are determined by the committee, and are based on the above guidelines. Nonetheless, applicants will be considered on a case by case basis and based on the discretion of the committee.

As there have been issues in recent years with acceptance of foreign degrees (especially those which included non-academic credits), please note the following:

• You must submit separate transcripts from each source of credits that counted toward your degree. For example, if your degree is from the University of Maryland but you took courses - for credit that counted toward your degree - at NYU, you must also submit the NYU transcripts.
• Due to the strict guidelines regarding non-academic credits, the Thomas Edison degree is often problematic in terms of official recognition by Misrad HaChinuch.
• In order to facilitate the acceptance of yeshiva or seminary credits, it is recommended to major or minor in Jewish Studies or another faculty where a connection to the yeshiva/seminary credits can be clearly established. Another option is to take extra credits toward your degree so that the yeshiva/seminary credits don’t have to be counted.
• If Misrad HaChinuch doesn’t recognize your BA, then your MA will also not be recognized.
• Those who are still living abroad and would like to submit their degrees for recognition must provide: a local Israeli address, passport and the stamp of an Israeli lawyer on their documents which reads “Neeman L’Makor.” Some Israeli consulates provide this service.
• Anyone who started university studies after August, 2000 must also present a high school diploma.
• For any questions, please email: diplomot@education.gov.il