Technion – Israel Institute of Technology
הטכניון – מכון טכנולוגי לישראל
Israel's oldest technological university, where admission to each track is set by a published Sekem score threshold.
- Tuition
- ₪12,203
- From · 2026-27
- Founded
- 1912
- QS World Ranking
- #334
- 2027 edition
- Campus
- Urban
- 1,325 dunams (about 132 ha)
About Technion
The Technion – Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa is Israel's first and largest science and technology university. Its cornerstone was laid on Mount Carmel in 1912, and it opened to students in the winter of 1924/25. Since then it has awarded about 92,500 bachelor's degrees, more than 27,000 master's degrees and 6,700 doctorates, and trained more than 3,500 physicians since its medical school opened in 1969.
More than 10,200 undergraduates study in about 50 programmes, alongside about 4,400 graduate students. The Technion is organised into 18 academic faculties covering engineering (aerospace, civil, chemical, electrical and computer, mechanical, materials, biomedical and more), the sciences, computer science, data and decision sciences, architecture, education in science and technology, and medicine. Undergraduate teaching is in Hebrew; international students can start through a BSc programme whose first year is taught in English.
Research is its calling card: Technion faculty Avram Hershko and Aaron Ciechanover shared the 2004 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Dan Shechtman won it in 2011, and graduate Arieh Warshel in 2013. The Technion says its graduates account for more than half of the founders of Israeli start-ups. It suits mathematically strong students who want a demanding engineering or science degree and are ready to learn Hebrew.
Why students choose Technion
Four Nobel laureates in Chemistry are part of the Technion's legacy: Hershko and Ciechanover (2004), Shechtman (2011) and graduate Warshel (2013).
Admission is transparent: each study track publishes an estimated Sekem threshold, for example 91 for Computer Science and 94 for Electrical Engineering for October 2026.
International students can start a BSc in engineering or science with a first year taught in English and intensive Hebrew, then join regular Hebrew-taught programmes from the second year.
Annual tuition is modest by international standards: NIS 15,254 for non-citizens in the English-first-year BSc in 2026-27.
Admissions
Winter (October) 2027 entry
Selectivity
The Technion does not publish an acceptance rate. Admission is by Sekem score, which combines the matriculation average with the Israeli Psychometric Entrance Test (PET) or SAT/ACT; each track has its own threshold, from about 82-84 for tracks such as Landscape Architecture, Biology and Environmental Engineering to 91-94 for Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Mechanical and Electrical Engineering (estimates for October 2026). The English-first-year BSc for international students required a minimum Sekem of 87.
Typical entry requirements
| IB Diploma | At least six subjects including Mathematics, English, a science, history or social science and a second language, with at least three at Higher Level including Mathematics; Mathematics at least 5 and all grades at least 5; converted into a Sekem with the PET or SAT/ACT |
|---|---|
| A-levels / GCSE (British) | Five subjects including Mathematics, a science and English, three of them at A-level including Mathematics and a science; all grades at least B (or 5), average at least 70 on the Israeli scale; combined with the PET or SAT/ACT into a Sekem |
| AP tests (US) | Five AP exams at grade 3 or above, including Calculus AB or BC at 4-5 and two of Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science A or Physics C at 4-5 |
| Israeli Bagrut plus Psychometric (PET) | Sekem threshold set per track, e.g. about 91 for Computer Science and 94 for Electrical Engineering (October 2026 estimates) |
| Other national diplomas (BSc 1st year in English) | Top-level mathematics and a science with 'very high' grades, plus a weighted PET/SAT score of at least 675 for early registration for Winter 2027-28 |
| English language | English is assessed with the English section of the Israeli Psychometric test, the Amir/Amiram test, or the SAT/ACT English sections, not TOEFL or IELTS. All programmes need at least 104 on the psychometric English section (or 204 on Amir/Amiram); Medicine needs 120. The English-first-year BSc requires 120 or an equivalent SAT/ACT English score. |
Deadlines
- Hebrew-track undergraduate registration, Fall 2026 (past, for reference) Non-binding Passed31 May 2026 (regular); late registration until 15 September 2026
Opened 1 February 2026; Medicine and Architecture had earlier deadlines (15 April and 10 March 2026) and no late registration. Fall 2026 semester starts 28 October 2026.
- BSc in Engineering or Science (1st year in English), regular registration Non-bindingDecember 2026 (period runs September to December 2026)
Registration for 2027/28 is open. The minimum Sekem for the programme is updated each January.
- BSc in Engineering or Science (1st year in English), late registration Non-bindingMay 2027 (period runs January to May 2027)
Subject to availability in the programme.
Technion International gives month ranges rather than exact dates for 2027/28. Hebrew-track dates for October 2027 had not been published on 29 September 2026; the Fall 2026 dates are shown for reference.
How to apply
Apply online through the Technion registration system. For the BSc with a first year in English, upload certified diplomas and transcripts, standardized test results, a photo, passport copy, a motivation letter and a recommendation letter, and pay a NIS 513 registration fee; some applicants have an advisor interview. Hebrew-track applicants register online in Hebrew and are ranked by Sekem. Medicine is open only to Israeli citizens and adds the MOR assessment.
What admissions looks for
- A high Sekem score: the Technion ranks applicants to each track by a combination of matriculation average and PET or SAT/ACT score.
- Strong mathematics and science at the highest level available, with bonuses for advanced mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, English and computer science.
- Sufficient English (and, for Hebrew tracks, Hebrew) to follow demanding technical courses.
- For international applicants outside the standard routes, a motivation letter and review by the programme's academic committee, sometimes with an interview.
Tips for applying to Technion
- 1 Use the Technion's online Sekem calculator with your grades and SAT or PET score to see where you stand against each track's threshold.
- 2 Plan your SAT sittings carefully: the Technion does not superscore, so it uses your best single test date.
- 3 Apply early: thresholds can rise later in the registration period as places fill.
- 4 If you take the SAT, send scores officially from the College Board; unlike the PET, they do not reach the Technion automatically.
- 5 Start learning Hebrew early if you choose the English-first-year BSc, because regular Hebrew-taught courses begin in the second year.
Costs & financial aid
2026-27 · figures in ILS
The Technion awards a scholarship covering full first-year tuition to outstanding admitted undergraduates with high admission scores, announced with the acceptance letter. Loans, grants, scholarships and dormitories are considered only after admission. Programme costs for the English-first-year BSc also include a NIS 2,625 summer Hebrew ulpan, NIS 5,100 insurance and NIS 1,230 campus fees.
- Full first-year tuition for high-scoring admitted students
- Excellence scholarship
- NIS 513
- Registration fee (English-first-year BSc)
Academics
Academic calendar: Semesters: winter (from late October) and spring (from March)
Computer Science (Taub Faculty)
Estimated Sekem threshold of 91 for October 2026, and 97 for the excellence scholarship.
Electrical Engineering (Viterbi Faculty)
One of the most competitive tracks, with an estimated Sekem threshold of 94 for October 2026.
Aerospace Engineering
A dedicated aerospace faculty; one of the tracks international students can join after the English-taught first year.
Chemistry (Schulich Faculty)
Home of the Technion's Nobel legacy in chemistry, from ubiquitin (2004) to quasicrystals (2011).
Medicine (Rappaport Faculty)
Open only to Israeli citizens, with a Sekem threshold for the MOR assessment of 92 in 2024.
BSc in Engineering or Science, 1st year in English
A route for students who finished high school abroad, feeding into mechanical, civil, aerospace, chemical and materials engineering, chemistry and biology.
Research
- Avram Hershko and Aaron Ciechanover won the 2004 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the discovery of ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation, Israel's first Nobel Prizes in the natural sciences.
- Dan Shechtman won the 2011 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the discovery of quasicrystals.
- Faculty members Abraham Lempel and Jacob Ziv developed the Lempel-Ziv data compression algorithms.
- The Technion runs international campuses, including Guangdong Technion – Israel Institute of Technology in China and the Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute in New York.
Schools & faculties
- Stephen B. Klein Faculty of Aerospace Engineering
- Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning
- Faculty of Biology
- Faculty of Biomedical Engineering
- Faculty of Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Wolfson Faculty of Chemical Engineering
- Schulich Faculty of Chemistry
- Henry and Marilyn Taub Faculty of Computer Science
- Faculty of Data and Decision Sciences
- Andrew and Erna Viterbi Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering
- Faculty of Mechanical Engineering
- Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine
The Technion says its graduates account for more than 50% of the founders of Israeli start-ups and at least 50% of the country's engineers.
Student life
The Technion campus, known as Technion City, sits on the slopes of Mount Carmel above Haifa, with views over the city and Haifa Bay. Many students combine study with work in industry, which the Technion encourages. International students in the English-first-year programme live in university dorms, study Hebrew intensively, including a summer ulpan, and get academic and social support before joining regular courses.
- Campus on Mount Carmel with views over Haifa Bay.
- Summer Hebrew ulpan and intensive Hebrew courses for international students.
- Many students work in industry during their studies, and some take two degree programmes at once.
- Research internships and a one-month Summer Research Program in July are open to visiting students.
Housing. International students in the English-first-year BSc can live in Technion dorms, at NIS 15,600 for the 2026-27 programme year.
Location
Haifa is Israel's main northern port city, built up the slopes of Mount Carmel to the Mediterranean. The Technion campus is on the mountain, above the city and Haifa Bay. The Technion International office estimates student spending of USD 500-600 a month on food, travel and basics, not counting housing.
Nearest airport: Ben Gurion Airport (TLV), Israel's main international airport
Notable alumni
- AW Arieh WarshelChemist, 2013 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for multiscale models of complex chemical systems
- DF Dov FrohmanElectrical engineer, inventor of the EPROM and former Intel vice president
- JS Johny SroujiSenior vice president of hardware technologies at Apple
- DM Dov MoranEntrepreneur best known as inventor of the USB flash drive
- DM Daniel M. LewinCo-founder and CTO of Akamai Technologies
- AG Andi GutmansPHP developer and co-founder of Zend Technologies
- NO Neri OxmanArchitect and designer known for work in environmental design; began her architecture studies at the Technion
- AR Assaf RappaportFounder of the cloud security company Wiz; MSc in computer science from the Technion
Frequently asked questions
Can international students study at the Technion in English?
Undergraduate degrees are taught in Hebrew, but students who finished high school abroad can take the BSc in Engineering or Science with a first year in English plus intensive Hebrew, then join regular programmes from the second year.
Does the Technion accept the SAT instead of the psychometric test?
Yes. The Technion accepts the Israeli Psychometric Entrance Test, the SAT or the ACT. SAT scores are converted with Math weighted 0.67 and Reading and Writing 0.33, and superscores are not used.
What is a Sekem score?
It is the Technion's admission score, combining your best recognised matriculation average with your PET or SAT/ACT score. Each track has a threshold, for example about 91 for Computer Science for October 2026.
How much is Technion tuition for international students?
For 2026-27, the English-first-year BSc costs NIS 15,254 a year for non-citizens and NIS 12,203 for new immigrants, plus dorms (NIS 15,600), insurance and campus fees.
Can international students study medicine at the Technion?
No. The Technion states that only Israeli citizens can study Medicine and double degrees with Medicine.
Sources & methodology
Figures on this page were checked against official university publications, national application services and ranking publishers in September 2026. Each number is shown with the year or admissions cycle it describes. Always confirm deadlines and fees on the university's own website before applying.
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