Israel broadens academic support for reservists and career soldiers

Israeli universities and colleges have widened academic accommodations for military reservists and career soldiers for the 2026-27 academic year, the IDF announced on Sunday, November 1. The measures cover all fields of study and are intended to help students continue their education despite extended periods of service. They build on support introduced for the previous two academic years.

A central change makes alternative assessments available across all academic programs. Students may be allowed to replace an exam with a paper, take an adapted exam or have the better of two exam scores counted. Eligibility is organized into tiers according to the amount of reserve duty a student has completed, with the nature of their service also determining the support available.

The plan provides alternative assessment in three courses for students in the highest tier and career soldiers serving in frontline roles, including the option of submitting papers instead of attending classes. Highest-tier students who do not serve in frontline positions qualify for two courses. Those in the second tier, which includes students who completed at least 21 days of reserve duty during a semester, qualify for one or two courses depending on their service.

Students who need an extra semester or year to finish their degree because of military service will retain the accommodations associated with their reserve-duty tier or category of career service. Scholarship requirements will also be adjusted. Reservists and career soldiers will need 10% fewer credits than other students to be eligible for merit scholarships, including dean’s and rector’s awards.

Graduate students whose research has been delayed by service will receive individually tailored assistance from their universities. This can include deadline extensions, consideration concerning research grant payments and a personal accommodations plan. For master’s applicants, an actual grade behind a reserve-duty-related pass/fail mark may be disclosed to an admissions committee when it affects admission, without changing the applicant’s undergraduate grade point average.

Eligibility will also extend to partners of career soldiers and frontline reservists who are parents of children aged up to 13. To support students catching up on coursework, institutions will retain lecture recordings for three months after the relevant semester ends. Other provisions include individual tutoring on missed material, rescheduled examinations and maximum credit exemptions.

Maj.-Gen. Dado Bar Kalifa, head of the IDF Personnel Directorate, said the plan was developed with the Council for Higher Education to address needs arising from military service. He described support during education as part of the responsibility owed to those serving. “Those who serve are not asking for discounts; they are demanding fairness,” he said.