Applying to seminary: the timeline for 2027-28

Applying for fall 2027

For the 2027-28 year

Oct 21UK Mizrachi Israel fair · NextListed by MMY
Nov 15Israel fair at the YU/Stern Open House, 1 to 4pmListed by MMY
Nov 16-18Israel fairs in the New York and New Jersey areaListed by MMY
Nov 22Virtual Israel fairListed by MMY
Dec 1Michlalah (Machal) application deadlineMichlalah
Dec 6Joint application deadlineapplytosem.org
Dec to JanInterviews, in person or on ZoomMMY, Lindenbaum, Tehillah
Feb 20-21Acceptances sentMMY, Lindenbaum
Feb 25Deadline to accept a place and pay the depositMMY, Lindenbaum

If you're in 12th grade now and going to Israel in fall 2027, this is your application season. These are the dates schools had published when we checked. Schools set their own dates, so confirm with each school you're applying to.

The joint application

Many seminaries share one online form, the Joint Sem Application at applytosem.org. You fill in your details once and choose the schools you want it sent to. It has to be filled out by the applicant herself, in her own name. When we checked, 21 schools were on it, and the deadline shown was Sunday, December 6, 2026.

On our list, every school that uses it is marked On the joint application.

Schools that don't use it

Bais Yaakov seminaries, Michlalah and some others use their own forms and their own dates. Michlalah's Machal program lists an application deadline of Tuesday, December 1, 2026 and an entrance exam on Wednesday, December 9, 2026. Midreshet Torah v'Avodah uses its own application, with an early deadline of November 1 and a final deadline of December 6. For schools that publish little online, contact the office in September or October and ask how to apply.

Month by month

September and October

Make your shortlist. How to choose a seminary walks you through it.
Ask your school's Israel guidance advisor which seminaries visit your school and when.
Ask teachers for recommendations early. Midreshet Moriah, for example, asks for a transcript, test scores, two recommendation letters and an essay.
If you're in the UK: the Mizrachi Israel fair is listed for Wednesday, October 21, 2026.

November

Go to Israel night or an Israel fair and meet the schools. MMY lists fairs in the New York and New Jersey area from Monday, November 16 to Wednesday, November 18, 2026, an Israel fair at the YU/Stern Open House on Sunday, November 15, and a virtual Israel fair on Sunday, November 22.
Seminary staff visit high schools in the US and UK around now. Some interviews happen during those visits.
Finish your application so you're not writing essays the night before.

December and January

Send your applications. Joint application deadline: Sunday, December 6, 2026.
Interviews are mostly in December and early January, in person in some cities and on Zoom otherwise.
Some schools add a written exercise or exam. MMY's is a Chumash-based exercise done between December 14 and 24, 2026.

February

Acceptances: MMY and Midreshet Lindenbaum both list the night of Saturday, February 20 into Sunday, February 21, 2027.
You then have a few days to choose. Both schools list Thursday, February 25, 2027 as the deadline to accept a place and pay the deposit.

After you accept

Apply for a Masa grant and any local scholarships. See costs, Masa and scholarships.
If you're going through YU or Touro for college credit, enroll in that program too. See college credit.
Sort out your passport, visa and health forms. See visas and health insurance.

One date we couldn't confirm: the joint application site showed a notice about "Israel Sunday" on November 23, which is a Monday in 2026, so that notice looks left over from last year. Ask your school for this year's date.

Sources

Read on 2 and 3 October 2026. Open them to check a figure or see whether it has changed.