Faculty of Natural Sciences - International Students

We are happy and excited to welcome you at our university. BGU is located in Beer-Sheva, the capital of the Negev (Southern part of Israel).

To make your arrival arrangements as smooth as possible, here is some information that I hope you'll find useful.

Please contact me if you have any questions – Ina Aviv, Research Coordinator, Faculty of Natural Sciences
inaviv@bgu.ac.il

IMPORTANT NOTE: AS THE REGISTRATION / THE APPLICATION PROCESSES TAKE TIME, PLEASE DO NOT PURCHASE PLANE TICKETS BEFORE YOU HAVE:

1. COMPLETED THE PROCESS

2. RECEIVED AN ACCEPTANCE LETTER

3. RECEIVED A VISA AND A HEALTH INSURANCE VALID FOR THE PERIOD OF YOUR STAY

You must arrive to Israel with a visa which reflects the purpose of your stay (usually A2 – student visa), the visa cannot be changed after your arrival.

As some tickets are non-refundable we strongly suggest to buy them only after the mentioned above steps are completed.

There are 2 very useful guides for BGU international students and guests – Pre-Arrival Guide for International Students and Researchers, and Information for the New International Student .

Please note that due to various terms and conditions of your visit/studies/fellowship, not all the information there might be relevant to you, please consult Ina Aviv or the Department.

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Planning your arrival

The process depends on what are you going to study and for which degree (Undergraduate programs/ Graduate programs/ Doctoral degrees/ Post-doctoral fellowships, various internship programs). For exact instructions and deadlines, please advise your future department/ supervisor.

The academic year in Israel usually starts during October (academic year 2020-2021 will start October 18, 2020).

BA/B.Sc./M.Sc., PhD students should arrive before the academic year starts. Besides the courses you might take at your first semester, there are a few issues to take care of, such as finding suitable accommodations (dorms/ an apartment on the private market, roommates search, etc.).

Post-Doctoral fellows should arrive accordingly to an agreement with their supervisor, but please note that it is easier to find suitable accommodations before the start of the academic year (or of a new semester).

For your convenience and easier decision making, here are the dates of the major Jewish holidays for 2020. Most of the Israeli governmental offices, BGU included, in Israel and abroad, are closed through the holidays, and some – even more. It means that the procedures as visas, health insurances, etc. – are to be taken care of in advance.

Purim – March 9-10

Passover – April 9-15

Independence Day – April 29 (it is a national holiday, the private businesses and the transportation work, the governmental office don't work)

Shavuot (Feast of Weeks) – May 28-30

Rosh ha-Shanah (Jewish New Year) – September 18-20

Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) – September 27-28

Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) – October 2-9.

The weekend in Israel is during Friday and Saturday.

When you know the date of your arrival to Israel, the most important issues to take care of before arriving are: registration to BGU, visa and health insurance.

Registration process

The registration process depends on the degree/program you are about to study.

For more information, please contact your supervisor/your host department.

After finishing the registration, you will receive an acceptance/invitation letter. You will also receive a BGU ID number (for working with BGU computer systems). The number usually has 9 digits, starting with 850… .

Getting a visa and its extension

The visa, as stated at the guide, is to be obtained at your home country (or at a country you currently live in), at the Israeli embassy or consulate. If there are a few of them at your country, please contact them to find out where it can be done.

They will help you schedule a meeting and tell you which documents to bring. One of the documents is an acceptance letter to BGU. After receiving a formal acceptation letter in English from BGU, please ask your supervisor to send you a letter in Hebrew. This is a demand of the Israeli embassies abroad. The letter in Hebrew should be more detailed and include an information about your future scholarship and where you will live during your studies. If you will order a room at the dorms - the Dorms department can issue a letter about your order.

The visa granted to students and post-doctoral fellows is usually the A2 visa, which allows you to enter Israel as a student for a specific period of time. With an A2 visa you can study and/or conduct a research, but not work. Recently, the foreign students receive also a multiple-entries visa. This kind of visa allows you to travel outside of Israel during your stay (for conference's/vacations).

If you are not sure what type of visa suits your visit, please consult us. IMPORTANT: it is not possible to arrive in Israel with a different kind of visa, and change it after your arrival. You will have to return to your country and then arrive with a proper kind of visa.

After receiving a visa - please send a copy to your supervisor.

The visa is usually granted for one year (or less, if you are coming for less time – and it'll appear at the acceptance letter), and can be extended when necessary (BGU helps you with this procedure, usually you should ask for extension about 3 weeks before the visa validity is over, and extend the health insurance policy too). There are some forms to fill, validate the at the Visa and Health insurance office in BGU, schedule a meeting at the Ministry of Interior and arrive to the meeting with all the documents, passport, and a health insurance policy for the requested period. The visa is being extended during the meeting.

It is extremely important that your visa and the health insurance are always valid.

Health insurance

Health insurance – is necessary for getting a visa, and for becoming a BGU student. All the information and the requirements are stated in the guide , p. 6.

If you choose to order a health insurance through the agency BGU works with – the renewal should be done before the validity ends, and before you file for a visa extension, as one of the visa terms.

Please note that health insurance policies in Israel do not cover childbirth (i.e. delivery, hospitalization as a result of childbirth, or childbirth related complications). If you expect to need such coverage for yourself or your spouse, please look into the possibility of purchasing appropriate insurance from your country of origin.

The insurance policy offered to international students, postdocs and scientists does include, however, prenatal monitoring. Please also check the general outlines.

After receiving a health insurance policy - please send a copy to your supervisor. If ordered in your home country – the policy has to be in English.

Health insurance while travelling abroad – the insurance you have in Israel does not cover your stay abroad. Please make sure you order a proper health insurance when you travel for conferences or vacations (which should be approved by your supervisor and the Head of your Department).

Packing list

Addition to the packing list (p. 11 of the guide): in order to open a bank account, you'll be asked to present 2 ID's. One is your international passport, and the other should be another ID from your home country – your "regular" ID, driving license (with a photo), etc. It is very important and the banks refuse to open bank accounts without those documents. Another important thing – they decide whether to grant the international students with credit/debit cards, checks, etc. BGU cannot influence those decisions. Therefore, if possible, try to possess an international credit/debit cards from your home country.

Various banks have various terms for the international students' accounts. When you arrive, please ask me where can you open an account, as it changes every once in a while. Currently, the bank located at the campus can open account for international students.

You will receive computer authorizations for BGU systems after you arrive.

Make sure you update your new Israeli bank account , by clicking the "Updating Bank Account Details for Scholarship payments and Refunds" option.

Financial preparation

Please note that depending on the arrival dates and various administrative issues, it might take some time until you receive your first scholarship/ other payment. Therefore, as you'll need to pay for initial expenses and apartment fees, please be prepared financially for the first period of your stay.

The examples of the initial expenses are:

Deposit for dorm order: 1,800 NIS for single room in a shared apartment, 3,400 NIS for a private family apartment, to be paid in advance from your home country once the booking is made.
Rent payment
Health insurance for a year: 630-860 USD (can be paid by installments by international credit card). After your arrival, you can change the payment method to a direct debit from your bank account after you open it)
Tuition advance payment: ~1,000 NIS (excluding post-doctoral fellows)
Living costs: ~1,000-1,500 NIS for about a month (food, linens, toiletries).

The scholarships are being paid every 5^th of the month for the previous month, but the request must be done by the departments around 2 weeks in advance. It means that depending on your arrival and the administrative procedures, you might receive your first scholarship payment on the 5th of the following month or the month after.

Scholarships and awards

The most updated information about scholarships and awards is to be found at the Kreitman School of Advanced Graduate Studies site. The information is usually also being distributed by department's secretariats, but we strongly suggest you check the information above every once in a while too.

Preferable time of arrival in Israel

When you have the visa and the health insurance – you can purchase a flight ticket to Israel.
International flights usually arrive to the Ben Gurion international airport. It is easy to reach Beer-Sheva from the airport by train.
Please note that public transportation does not work at nights, weekends (Friday afternoon and Saturday) and national holidays.. There is a bus 469 (Metropolin company) working at nights. If possible, try to arrive in Israel during working weekdays (Sunday-Thursday), in the early morning, and to Beer-Sheva – around morning/early noon. It will help you and your hosts to welcome you properly. The departmental offices, dorms' managers, supermarkets – everything will be open and you will be able to easily settle down. Otherwise, please consult with your hosts how to arrange the arrival. Taxies are an expensive but convenient option. The price is about 500 NIS. I'll be happy to assist you with ordering from a taxi company which works with BGU.

Accommodations

There are a few options of accommodations in Beer-Sheva.

The most simple and cheap option is renting a room at the dorms apartments.

Research students and post-doctoral fellows usually receive a room for themselves, with 1-3 roommates in apartment. Living room, kitchen, bathroom and toilet are shared.

Please note you'll have to bring pillows, blankets, linens and kitchenware.

Due to a high demand of the dorms, the sooner you book the room the better. The best time to book is in June, for an academic year which starts in October.

The lease is usually for 1 academic year. The minimum time of order is one semester. If you arrive for a shorter period of time, please consult us before placing the order.

Pictures of the rooms can be viewed here: Gimel dorms , Dalet dorms .(These pictures are for illustration purposes only, actual dorm rooms may differ).

The maps of the dorms are here.

The monthly prices for the dorms (1 student in a room in a shared apartment) vary from 750 to 1,080 NIS.

Mandatory payments: electricity (depends on apartment's use), water (about 40 NIS a month), security (312 NIS a year), social activities (50 NIS a year).

Non-mandatory payments: internet (420 NIS a year), router (80 NIS).

When to pay	For what period	How to pay
Before the academic year/fellowship starts, and according to the Dorms Department's demand. it is a condition for the booking.	1,800 NIS - for single room, 3,600 NIS – for a double (family) apartment. About a half of the sum is a deposit for the dorms, to be returned to the student after he leaves the dorms, after all the bills and other duties are paid. The other half is a payment for the first month (depends on the monthly payment)	*If you are abroad* - by bank transfer. Please email Ina Aviv for details. *If you are in Israel* – cash/credit card/direct debit from your bank account
December	From the start of the lease until December 31, minus the part paid at the first payment	You'll receive payment forms to the dorms or to your department
January	January + February
March	March + April
April	May - June
May	July until the end of the lease

Please note that the regulations and the prices might change, the most up-to-date information is listed at the dorms' Hebrew site.

Other options of accommodations:

You can arrive to the U-Tel (BGU guesthouse) for the first days or a week, and search for an apartment/see the dorms after you arrive.

There are also sites like Airbnb, and a few Facebook groups for searching apartments/ roommates:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/255874794796779/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/170744879507/?ref=group_browse_new
https://www.facebook.com/groups/712487315492862/?ref=group_browse_new
https://www.facebook.com/groups/mehiron/?ref=group_browse_new

Social activities

There are 2 Newsletter mailing lists with important and interesting information and events for International students.
If you are interested please email their distributers and ask to add your email addresses: tamarmaz@bgu.ac.il and kashach@aguda.bgu.ac.il .

There is also a Facebook page of the Student union.

Arriving with spouses and children

There is a possibility to arrive with your spouse and children. You'll need special visas for them. Please consult us if necessary. The visas granted to a spouse allow them to stay with you in Israel during your studies/fellowship, but not to work.

If you are planning to arrive with children – it is possible to admit the children in Israeli kindergartens and schools. The cost fees for the kindergartens and schools vary due to the age of the children.

Please consult me if needed.

Students accounts

Please find information about tuition and various payments here:

http://in.bgu.ac.il/en/Documents/Tuition-and-payment-regulations.pdf

Students union

At BGU, we have a very active Student Union (https://bgu4u.co.il/en/student-union/ ), you are welcome to visit their webpage.

To-Do check list – before and after the arrival

International Students

​​​​​​​​We are happy and excited to welcome you at our university. BGU is located in Beer-Sheva, the capital of the Negev (Southern part of Israel).