Faculty of Natural Sciences - International Students

Please note that not all the information presented here is up to date due to COVID-19 regulations. For up-to-date information, please contact your supervisor.

Dear future BGU 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 – Noga Gez, Faculty of Natural Sciences, nogayah@bgu.ac.il.For your convenience we prepared a short To Do list that will assist you to organize all of the needed logistics also.

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

1. COMPLETED THE REGISTRATION 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 buying 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 Noga Gez 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 2021-2022 will begin on October 17, 2021.

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 (see below).

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 in 2021-2022. Most of the Israeli governmental offices, including BGU, and Israeli embassies 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.

Rosh ha-Shanah (Jewish New Year) – September 6-8, 2021

Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) – September 15-16, 2021

Sukkot (Feast of Tabernacles) – September 20-28, 2021

Purim – March 16-18, 2022

Passover – April 15-22, 2022

Independence Day – May 5, 2022 (it is a national holiday, the private businesses, the public transportation, and the governmental offices does not work)

Shavuot (Pentecost) – June 5, 2022

The weekend in Israel is during Friday and Saturday.
Here is a link to the full BGU Academic Calendar 2021-2022.

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 one month before the visa validity is over, and extend the health insurance policy too). You must submit all the relevant documents to the visa coordinator at BGU (vhi@bgu.ac.il), according to the visa categories, 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. Get valid health insurance for the period of your stay in Israel (if you plan to stay for more than a year – order it for 1 year and extend later).

Please note that due to the COVID situation, every international citizen and accompanying family members and dependents, associated with BGU must be covered by a comprehensive health insurance policy provided by an Israeli provider, for the period of their stay in Israel. (All medical care provided to you in accordance with the Coronavirus). You can get health insurance through Harel (a company BGU works with).

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.

After receiving a health insurance policy - please send a copy to your supervisor and to your department.

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 these documents. Also, take your invitation and acceptance letters with you. Please note that the documents you are taking to the bank are printed (copies on mobile phones are not accepted). Another important thing – the bank decides whether to grant the international students with credit/debit cards, checks, etc. BGU cannot influence those decisions. Therefore, if possible, try to bring an international credit/debit cards from your home country.

U.S.A citizens will also need to present their "social security number” at the bank to open an Israeli bank account. Please note that the banks refuse to open a bank account without this number.

Various banks have various terms for the international students' accounts. When you arrive, please ask me where you can open an account, as it changes occasionally.

After getting an account, make sure to update your account here. You will receive computer authorizations for BGU systems after you arrive.

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 occasionally, 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. 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, and supermarkets will be available 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 a transport from a taxi company which works with BGU.

Accommodations

After receiving a visa, you can choose where would you like to live in:

· Gimel (C) & Daled (D) Dormitories.

· Research Housing.

· BGU Student Village.

For more details, Please see Housing in BGU site or contact Anna Hayun, hayun@bgu.ac.il.

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.

Students union & Student Life

Student Union
At BGU, we have a very active Student Union, you are welcome to visit their webpage or the Facebook page, for an important, interesting information about events and social activities.

BGU Marcus Family Campus Virtual tour – Student Life
Join two of our students on a tour around BGU’s main campus in Be’er-Sheva. See for yourself why everyone says we have the best student life. BGU Marcus Family Campus Virtual tour – Student Life – YouTube

A Rav Kav Card is a magnetic card that can be pre-charged in travel arrangements for various destinations, for all types of travels in Israel.
The card can be used at all public transportation companies in Israel, including a train.
The card offers discounts on a variety of travels.

In order to purchase a Rav Kav Card you will need to present your personal academic information. To get the academic information please enter the university website -> students->Personal Academic Information - Course Registration Status; Schedule; Grades and print all the documents there

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).