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Middle East Studies Program

Experience the daily life, language, food, culture, religion, and politics of a city with ancient roots and modern significance.

About the Program Course Offerings FAQs

MIDDLE EAST STUDIES PROGRAM

About the Program

What You Will Learn

The Middle East Studies Program (MESP) offers undergraduate students a semester immersed in Middle Eastern culture, religion, thought, and practice. The program is designed to combine academic study with experiential learning for a unique and transformational semester.

Students will engage with the distinct communities in Jerusalem and beyond, interact with the diverse ideologies, trace the major conflicts, begin to learn the language, and participate in the local cultures.

Unique Opportunities at JUC

With each step that advances you further into the land, the richer your understanding of Middle Eastern life and culture will become.

By living and studying in residence with JUC, students obtain a mosaic of experiences in daily life, language, food, culture, religion, and the politics of a city with ancient roots and modern significance. With travel throughout Israel, Palestine, Jordan, and other locations in the Middle East, students learn firsthand how to work, play, live, and serve in the region. In and outside of the classroom, JUC students gain insights from both Israeli and Palestinian scholars to encounter the breadth of viewpoints represented in the region.

The MESP will be available in 2026.

For more information, please contact admissions@juc.edu.

Important Information

Can I use U.S. federal student loan money at JUC?

While you will be unable to use U.S. Title IV funds to study at JUC, we do offer scholarships to qualified students and payment plan options, incluing a Title IV Grant Matching program. Both undergraduate and graduate students may apply for scholarships and payment plans from JUC.

Does JUC offer payment plans?

JUC offers these payment plans for eligible students:

  1. The Three Payment Plan allows for the student to make three equal payments throughout the semester of study.
  2. The Deferred Payment Plan is a no-interest plan with scheduled monthly installments that begin after the student graduates from their home institution (Semester Abroad students) or start at $50 per month, increasing to $200 upon graduation or withdrawal of a program (graduate students).
  3. The Title IV Grant Matching program gives students of our Associated Schools matching funds for Title IV grants they would have received from their home institution. 

Click here for more details.

How do I acquire a visa to study in Israel?

Everyone traveling to Israel must have a passport that expires at least six months after they plan to exit the country at the end of their program.

Short-term students who travel from countries that have normal relations with Israel will be issued a three-month tourist visa upon arrival. Students from the United States, Canada, and most European countries fall under this category. Students who come from countries that do not have normal relations with Israel will need to make prior visa arrangements before entering the country.

Read more about obtaining tourist visas here.

What semester on-campus housing options do you offer?

All on-campus housing is dormitory style with bathrooms located separate from the dorm rooms.

Undergraduate students are required to live on campus. Graduate students are encouraged to live their first semester on campus at JUC. If they choose, they may find off-campus housing for their subsequent semesters.

Married students may also live on campus at JUC if space is available (the spouse of a full-time student living on campus is charged board only). Students with children may also apply to live on campus as space is available. Children 6 years and under may live in their parents' dorm room at no additional cost. Families with children 7 and older may have the option to acquire a second dorm room at an additional cost). Click here for more details about campus housing.

I have been accepted to study at JUC. What should I pack before my trip?

A suggested packing list for JUC students is available in our student manuals. For long-term students who will be at JUC for a semester or more, here is a list of what to pack. For short-term students who will be at JUC for a few weeks, here is a list of what to pack. 

Safety and studying in the Middle East

We take the safety of our students with the upmost seriousness and have a proven track record of operating for over 60 years in the Holy Land. Click here for detailed information about how JUC handles local issues related to safety and prepares students to do the same. 

Ready to Learn More?

Contact us with any questions you have and we'll be in touch!

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J.R. Briggs

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Marsha Wright

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Dongwook Joo

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Greg Olson

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Jerusalem Campus

3 Aravnah HaYevosi
9101202

P.O. Box 1276, Mt. Zion
9101202 Jerusalem, Israel

02-671-8628 (inside Israel)
+972-2-671-8628 (outside Israel)

Jerusalem University College

USA Mailing Address

P.O. Box 32041
Minneapolis, MN 55432

1-800-891-9408 (toll free)
1-937-933-9099

admissions@juc.edu

2025 JUC   

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