Enhanced Academic Support for Military Personnel: IDF and Universities Roll Out Comprehensive Plan for 2026-27

Under a new initiative for the 2026-27 academic year, Israeli universities and colleges are significantly expanding academic accommodations for military reservists and career soldiers. The program aims to provide students whose studies have been disrupted by extended service with critical tools to maintain their academic progress, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Sunday.

This initiative builds upon frameworks established in the 2024-25 and 2025-26 academic years, further strengthening support for students in uniform. The goal is to help them maintain a regular academic routine despite long stretches of reserve duty.

At the core of the 2026-27 plan is the expansion of alternative assessment options to all academic programs and fields of study. Students can now choose from options such as submitting a paper instead of taking an exam, sitting for a modified exam, or having the higher of two exam grades counted toward their final score.

Students are categorized into tiers based on the volume of reserve duty they have served. Those in the top tier, alongside career soldiers in frontline roles, will be eligible for alternative assessment in up to three courses, allowing them to submit papers in lieu of attending classes. Top-tier students not in frontline roles will be eligible for two courses, while those in the second tier—having served 21 days or more in a semester—will qualify for one or two courses, depending on the nature of their service.

Students forced to extend their studies by a semester or a year to receive further aid

Students whose military service has forced them to extend their degree by a semester or a year will receive additional support. They will remain entitled to accommodations corresponding to their reserve-duty tier or career service type, ensuring they can successfully graduate.

Additionally, reservists and career soldiers will benefit from relaxed eligibility requirements for merit scholarships, ensuring their military service does not prevent them from receiving dean’s or rector’s awards. The minimum credit threshold required to qualify for these scholarships will be 10% lower than that for other students, providing them with a fair chance in the competition.

In graduate programs, universities will offer individualized accommodations to students whose research has been delayed by their military service. These accommodations include extended deadlines, favorable consideration regarding research grant payments, and a personalized academic plan, all designed to help them complete their research in a reasonable timeframe.

For master’s degree applicants, students whose transcripts display a ‘binary pass’ grade—specifically a pass/fail grade adjusted for reserve duty that impacts admission—will be permitted to disclose their actual grade to the admissions committee. This disclosure will not negatively affect their undergraduate GPA calculation.

The plan also extends eligibility to spouses of military personnel. Partners of career soldiers and frontline reservists who are parents of children up to age 13 will be included in the support framework alongside the service members themselves.

Lecture recordings will be kept for three months after the end of the semester

To assist students in catching up on missed coursework, lecture recordings will be retained for three months following the end of the semester in which the course was delivered. The plan also provides one-on-one tutoring on missed material, flexible rescheduled exam dates, and maximum credit exemptions.

“Following another long year in which career and reserve soldiers have proudly carried the country’s security on their shoulders, we face an unequivocal duty: to support them and their needs as they transition back to academic study. We must prove that we care for them not only while they are in uniform, but also throughout their university careers. The plan we created together with the Council for Higher Education provides a safety net that authentically addresses the real-world needs arising from their field service. Those who serve are not asking for handouts or discounts; they are demanding fairness. It is our duty to ensure they receive an equal opportunity as possible and encounter fairness from all parties in actual deeds,” said Maj.-Gen. Dado Bar Kalifa, head of the IDF Personnel Directorate.

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