The Open University of Israel, founded in 1974, is one of ten universities in Israel.
The Open University's mission is based on the principles of equal opportunity and the narrowing of socioeconomic disparities.
The University's open admission policy welcomes anyone interested in pursuing academic studies.
Our students' success depends on their present efforts rather than on past achievements.
The Open University is dedicated to excellence in research and teaching.
Over 47,000 students are currently enrolled in undergraduate, graduate and PhD programs at campuses and study centers throughout the country, from the northern border to the south.
We attract students from all social strata in Israel and from around the world.
Our diverse student body is composed of a cross section of Israeli society, including individuals who work full time and support families, gifted high school students, professionals seeking advanced degrees, ultra-Orthodox men and women, Israeli Arabs, students with disabilities, and residents from all over the country, including Israel's geographic and socioeconomic periphery.
The OUI is the only higher education institution that grants active-duty IDF soldiers the opportunity to study during their service.
The Open University has been a forerunner in distance education for many years, well before the onset of COVID-19.
Teaching and learning take place with the help of advanced learning technologies, which offer a choice of in-person classroom tutorials or online teaching.
Tutors and students communicate through interactive course websites. Most courses are in Hebrew, with selected courses also available in English and Arabic.
Classes may be attended in real time or via recordings available anywhere and anytime.
The accompanying textbooks and study guides are developed and published at the Open University.
The Open University, the largest academic publisher in Israel, has two publishing houses: Lamda Scholarship, the OUI scholarly press, which publishes original research and academic titles under rigorous academic review, and Lamda Books which publishes OUI textbooks, used by OUI students and all other academic institutes.
Over one hundred senior faculty members are engaged in research in seven academic departments. faculty is deeply engaged in ongoing scholarly pursuits across a diverse range of disciplines, mirroring the breadth of our academic offerings. The caliber of their work has been recognized not only through prestigious international awards but also through generous research grants that fuel their future research.
Approximately 2,000 lecturers and instructors are responsible for teaching.
This large academic enterprise is run by some 1,000 administrative employees.
There are six research institutes and centers in the Open University: