dozen regional colleges throughout Israel operate for the purpose of educating individuals far removed from the major university centers. These schools originally intended to accommodate the educational needs of residents of kibbutzim and others living in rural areas. Today, however, regional colleges play a large part in facilitating the absorption of Israel's Olim Chadashim (new immigrants) into the educational arena. In all, more than 41,000 students work within this segment of the Israeli educational system at the current time.

For many years, students used the regional colleges as starting points, satellite campuses at which they could complete the first two years of an undergraduate curriculum before moving on to the overseeing public universities. Recently, however, some of these schools have attained independent status, initiating full-time degree programs of their own approved by the CHE. Today, a bachelor's degree attained at one of the regional colleges is viewed with the same prestige as a degree completed at one of the major universities.

Each regional school emphasizes certain areas while offering studies in a variety of subjects. The Emek HaYarden College on the shores of Lake Kinneret concentrates on tourism and technology. In the south, the Negev College focuses primarily on communications and management. Kfar Saba's Beit Berl College provides both graduate and post-graduate training in the fields of education and the arts. The College of Judea and Samaria in Ariel and the Galilee's Tel-Hai College maintain technological programs stressing engineering, computers, and biotechnology.

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