For decades, American Jewish teens and their families have faced a fork in the summertime road. On one side is the Academic Summer resume builder – pre-college programs at prestigious universities where high school students can taste college life and earn college credits to impress admissions officers. The other path is the Israel Teen Tour – personal growth journeys, hiking and exploring, and creating life-long, invaluable connections that simply do not translate into GPA points.
It has always been an either/or decision. Two roads diverged, so to speak. Until now. Hebrew University is showing up to ask, “What if we make it both/and?”
With the launch of its new Pre-College Teen Summer Program (June 29-July 26, 2026), the Rothberg International School is bridging the either/or divide with a top-tier, credit-bearing university experience in one of the most interesting cities in the world – Jerusalem.
Participants take two faculty-led courses:
- Introduction to Innovation and Entrepreneurship: Where better to learn the Lean Startup Model than in the Start Up Nation?
- Performing Jewish Identity in American Musical Theatre: A great way to consider culture, stage, and self while practicing both critical and creative writing skills.
Students walk away with 4 university credits and an official transcript from a global top-100-ranked university. In the hyper-competitive college application landscape, that’s more than a perk; it is a powerful differentiator. It says, “I turned my vacation into an exploration of the Start-Up Nation.”
Hebrew University is partnering with the Machon L’Madrichim Leadership Institute of the Jewish Agency to provide trips, tours, hikes and more, and to house students at the Kiryat Moriah educational campus. Learning does not end at the classroom door. The itinerary is designed to balance study time with exploration of the country and to engage with our diverse relationships with ourselves and our cultures.
The program is fully Shabbat-friendly and kosher, welcoming students from a variety of backgrounds and experiences.
A $6,000 head start? The program cost is $12,500, which covers tuition, housing, meals, insurance, and all travel within Israel. There is a significant incentive, thanks to the American Friends of Hebrew University, granting an automatic $6,000 scholarship to the first 30 accepted students from the US and Canada. At $6,500 the program is highly competitive, even a savings, in comparison with many US-based pre-college programs and most non-academic teen tours in Israel.
We can’t have it all. Life is about trade-offs. For one month in Jerusalem, though, they can have it all. They can be serious students and global adventurers at the same time. They can earn the credits that satisfy the college counselors and share the experiences that satisfy the soul.
The deadline to apply is March 1, 2026. If you are (or have, or know) a motivated teen who is tired of the “either/or” summer, it’s time to introduce them to “both/and.”
Visit overseas.huji.ac.il/precollege for more information.
Contact [email protected] with any questions.
This article is sponsored content provided by Hebrew University.