Pre-Academic Preparatory Program for Arab High School Gradua...

Many Arab youth seeking higher education do so with massive gaps in knowledge and relevant skills for academia. This great disadvantage leads many of them to do poorly on their psychometric tests, which is a key factor in acceptance to academia in Israel, or to dropout during the first year of their undergraduate degree. In response to this problem, MTA has established a pioneering program on its campus to help ease the transition of Arab students from high school to academia and to increase the number of Arab students studying at the College. Unparalleled by any other program in Israel, its framework is tailored with specific components to address the many barriers Arab youth face when seeking higher education. Led by Arab coordinators, the program includes courses in English, math, statistics, and language proficiency, academia introductory sessions, career counselling, personal guidance, social activities, financial aid and more. Participants who successfully complete the program are automatically admitted to the College without a psychometric score, and continue to receive professional support, financial aid and mentorship throughout their undergraduate studies.

Every year, around 45 students participate in the program. Boasting an over 85% graduation rate, the program, which was established in 2014, has brought about a tremendous change in Arab student enrollment at the College. From only 1% Arab students before the beginning of the program, today, 11% of the MTA student body are Arab students, and the numbers continue to rise. It has also increased the number of Arab students in less traditional fields of study for this sector, most notably computer science, which paves the way to work in Israel’s lucrative high-tech sector, and psychology, which will help address the massive lack of psychologists in the Arab community.

Israel’s Council of Higher Education supports this program through its Planning and Budgeting Committee’s funding of full-tuition scholarships for those qualifying for financial aid and financially supporting the educational program.