Tel Aviv University (TAU) announced that about 100 disabled IDF veterans who were injured during the Swords of Iron War are currently in admissions process for the 2026–2027 academic year. This is highly significant and meaningful for TAU, which in a short period of time established a dedicated admissions track — the first of its kind in Israel — for wounded soldiers. To date, approximately 30 disabled IDF veterans have been admitted, and the University hopes that the remaining candidates will join them before the close of the registration period.

In addition, during the University’s Open Day on May 29, TAU operated, for the first time, a special information center for disabled IDF veterans. The center offered guidance on academic programs, admissions procedures, and the support services provided by the University. Representatives of the Ministry of Defense’s Rehabilitation Department were also on hand to advise prospective applicants.

Approximately three months ago, TAU approved a special admissions framework for IDF soldiers wounded during the Swords of Iron War who have been officially recognized as disabled veterans by the Ministry of Defense’s Rehabilitation Department, with a disability rating of 20 percent or higher.

Under the new policy, candidates currently undergoing rehabilitation and recovery as a result of physical or psychological injuries are entitled to the same accommodations granted under the university’s special admissions framework for IDF reservists. Accordingly, they will be able to enroll in first-year undergraduate studies without having to take the psychometric entrance exam. The framework applies to all fields of study, with the exception of medicine.

The University will provide students admitted through this track with a comprehensive package of support services, including personal counseling and professional guidance in coping with academic, personal, and social challenges; academic tutoring provided by outstanding student mentors; skills development workshops focusing on areas such as time management and learning strategies; community activities and enrichment programs; and an advanced learning center equipped with assistive technologies.

TAU introduced the special admissions track for reserve soldiers immediately following the outbreak of the Swords of Iron War, in light of the extraordinary demands of reserve service and the challenges it created for candidates preparing for the psychometric exam.

TAU Vice Rector Professor Gal Oestreicher-Singer said, “Since the outbreak of the war, we have been witnessing a difficult and painful reality in which thousands of Israelis serving as combat soldiers and members of the security forces are coping with physical and psychological wounds that will affect their lives for many years to come. As a society, and as a public university, we have a responsibility to stand by their side not only in words, but through action. We believe in the rehabilitative power of academic study and campus life, and we also see the opportunity to support these individuals as a great privilege.”