YOUR family, many options
Nobody hands PARENTS a map for this.
In the US the path is drawn for you. Visits, applications, acceptance, and a fairly predictable line from there. Israel opens up instead. A gap year can lead into national service, or into a degree, or into both in whichever order suits your child.
That range is the opportunity. It is also why most families want someone to think it through with, and it is exactly what The Future is Calling is here to do: lay out the paths clearly and help you find the one that fits.
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What parents ask first
Three things every parent wants to know...
Here is where we stand on each. The specifics for every family become a conversation, not just a webpage.
It STARTS WITH a conversation,
not a paragraph
This is the one question we are asked most, and it's one that requires much more than a line of website copy. Our partner campuses and programs have established safety, support and community structures, and all students become part of a community that looks out for them - everyday, every night, every moment.
But every family's concerns are specific. Yours is shaped by your child, where they would be, and what you have been reading. We would rather talk that through with you directly than offer reassurance you did not ask for.
Support
Your child will not be figuring it out alone.
Hebrew is not a prerequisite. Many programs are built for English speakers, others combine English and Hebrew, and there is language support, including Ulpan, to help students grow into it. How much Hebrew matters depends on the path, which is one of the first things we sort out with you.
On campus, the six partner universities have community and support structures built for students arriving from abroad. And we stay with your family across the whole arc, not just the application.
Cost
An Israeli degree can cost a fraction of a comparable U.S. degree.
How much of a fraction depends on the university, the city, and the way your child chooses to live. Tel Aviv is not Be'er Sheva. A three-year degree is not a four-year one.
Rather than quote you a number that may not turn out to be yours, we built a calculator that runs your actual variables. It is below, and it is free to use.
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Cost Calculator
Estimate Your Costs
Use our calculator to get a personalized estimate based on your child's university, degree, and lifestyle preferences.
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University
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City
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Degree
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Duration
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Tuition
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Housing
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Lifestyle
Select the university you're considering
Select the university you're considering
Where this can go
Just a few of the paths families are exploring.
Explore
9th, 10th grade
Nelech
Hebrew for everyday living
Sophomore Year in Israel
Prepare
11th grade
Academic Guidance & Consultation
Counselor Program
Apply
11th, 12th grade
Explore College in Israel
Application Support
Gap Year
gap year
College Planning During Your Gap Year
Student Ambassadors
University
Belonging
Hebrew & Language Support
On-Campus Community & Support
IDF & National Service
Sherut Leumi & Mechina
Real families
They started where you are.
A MOTHER'S TRUST
For Ariella, it started before college. She knew there were many other options than just Birthright or a gap year. She had the courage to find people who could walk us through them.
DENISE HERSCHBERG
Boca Raton, FL
One father's questions
"It was a desire that at our daughter's stage of development, she would be making intelligent and informed decisions. Not "my friends are doing this," not reflexive and emotional, but that there was an intentionality and that there was a plan."
SHLOMO TROODLER
Philadelphia, PA
It is a conversation, not a screening. You will speak with someone who knows the Israeli system directly. They will ask about your child's grade level, what they are drawn to, and what you are wondering about. You will leave with a clear picture of the paths that fit and a sense of the next step. Nothing to sign, nothing to pay.
Yes. The Future is Calling is a free service from the Tzemach David Educational Foundation. Our advice, programming, and services cost nothing. There is no fee to talk with us, explore your options, or find the right path. The universities and programs you ultimately choose have their own costs, which we help you understand and plan for.
Yes. Families come to us as early as freshman year and as late as senior year, and there is a path for each: an immersive year in Israel, a gap year, national service, or a degree. The earlier the conversation, the more options stay open.
That is the most common place to start, and it is early enough to matter. A conversation now commits you to nothing. It is how families figure out which questions to ask next and which paths are worth a closer look.
Not to begin. Many programs are built for English speakers, others combine English and Hebrew, and there is language support, including Ulpan, to help students grow into it. How much Hebrew matters depends on the path, which is one of the first things we sort out with you.
This is the question we are asked most, and it deserves a real conversation rather than a paragraph. Our partner campuses and programs have established support and community structures, and students are part of a community that looks out for them. We would rather talk through your specific concerns directly than offer reassurance from a website.