Guidelines for submitting a request for exemption from Basic Jewish Studies in the master’s degree

 

  1. A request for exemption or credit for prior learning may be submitted through the In-Bar portal only.

    In the In-Bar menu on the left, select > Requests and authorizations > Submit a request > Request for exemption / recognition of prior studies, then select the relevant request based on your degree of study

  2. Include all original, relevant documents only (transcript, Bahad 1 report for 2008-2010 only, women’s Jewish learning institution certification [external to Bar-Ilan] or original yeshiva certification). Keep in mind that only actual yeshiva study time is recognized for exemption from Basic Jewish Studies. For hesder yeshiva study – the certification attached must include active military duty periods and date of return to yeshiva.

    Verify that all the following documents are included and valid:

    Yeshiva gevoha (after age 18): The certification must include the logo of the yeshiva, the non-profit organization number (if it has one), signature and stamp of a signing authority, student’s full name and ID number, period of study – from month-year to month-year and number of weekly hours in attendance.

    Hesder yeshiva: The certification must include the logo of the yeshiva, the non-profit organization number (if it has one), signature and stamp of a signing authority, student’s full name and ID number, period of study – from month-year to month-year, number of weekly hours in attendance and period of military duty during the hesder period. Only actual yeshiva study time is recognized.

    Women’s Jewish learning institution: The certification must include the logo of the institution, the non-profit organization number (if it has one), signature and stamp of a signing authority, student’s full name and ID number, period of study – from month-year to month-year, a list of courses taken including grades and number of weekly hours in attendance.

    Bahad 1 report: For 2008-2010 only! [during which time the Basic Jewish Concepts course was taken].
     

  3. A request for exemption from Basic Jewish Studies may only be submitted after admission to Bar-Ilan University, and only during the first year of study.

  4. Please note that in accordance with CHE rules and regulations, high school study is not recognized for academic exemptions.

  5. Requests for exemption may be submitted by students who have accumulated sufficient credits based on prior learning in Jewish disciplines (Bible Studies / Talmud Studies) in the amount equivalent to students who hold a bachelor's degree from Bar-Ilan.

  6. Keep in mind that an exemption obtained by a student who has completed study at yeshiva gevoha or hesder for their bachelor's degree may not necessarily suffice to provide exemption for subsequent degree programs. Eligibility for exemption is determined by policy of exemption for graduate degrees (master’s/PhD) request submission.

  7. Exemption from Basic Jewish Studies in the master’s degree will not be granted on the basis of one or two courses taken in prior studies, but only in the amount equivalent to students who hold a bachelor’s degree from Bar-Ilan. 

  8. Students who hold a bachelor's degree from Bar-Ilan with a surplus course in Basic Jewish Studies (codes 01/02/03/04) or Institute for Torah Studies / Midrasha studies from their bachelor's degree must submit a request to recognize the course as fulfillment of master’s degree requirements (authorization from the Registrar’s Office or the Midrasha or the Institute for Torah Studies must be attached as evidence that the course(s) were surplus courses for the bachelor's degree and did not serve to fulfill other academic requirements. An ‘academic balance sheet’ report does not suffice.). 

  9. Students who hold a bachelor's degree from Bar-Ilan are granted an automatic exemption from 4 credits of the 8 required in the master’s degree based on Basic Jewish Studies completed in their prior degree; in this case there is no need to submit a request for exemption 

  10. Students who audited Basic Jewish Studies courses (codes 01/02/03/04) must submit a request to recognize those courses for fulfillment of master’s degree Basic Jewish Studies requirements, provided those courses did not serve to fulfill other academic requirements.

  11. Exemptions have financial implications on tuition for the academic year in which they have been granted. For inquiries contact the Tuition Department directly, before submitting the exemption request in In-Bar.

 

Request status:

You may track the status of your request in In-Bar: Requests and authorizations > List of requests, in the ‘status’ field.

An official response will be sent by the School for Basic Jewish Studies via email.

It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that they in fact received a response (via email) to the exemption request they submitted.