Application Procedures

Inquiries concerning admission to The Rabbinical School of The Jewish Theological Seminary are welcome at any time during the year. Please contact The Rabbinical School's Admissions Office at (212) 678-8817, rabschool@jtsa.edu, or use our contact form.

Every prospective student will have a preliminary discussion with our director of Admissions. We can arrange campus visits, which include classes, daily minyan, and personal meetings with students and faculty. After visiting the school, a candidate may be encouraged to submit a formal application.

To Apply:

Complete the online application.

Applications should include:

• Signed application form;
• Official transcripts of all postsecondary studies;
• Official scores on the GRE aptitude tests (those whose native language is not English may take the Test of English as a Foreign Language [TOEFL] instead);
• Academic writing sample (generally not exceeding 5,000 words);
• Submission of admissions essays;
• $65 application fee (payable by check or money order to JTS); and
• Three recommendation letters (download the recommendation form). At least one recommendation must address the candidate's academic qualifications.

Send materials to:

Office of Admissions
The Rabbinical School
The Jewish Theological Seminary
3080 Broadway
New York, NY 10027

These materials need not be submitted all at once. While it is preferable to submit the application and fee in the fall, the remainder of the material can then be submitted as it becomes available.

The candidate should also arrange for three or more academic, professional, and character references to be submitted. All candidates who have attended another school at JTS within the last three years must include a letter of recommendation from the dean of that school.

After Submitting the Application

The final stage of the application process occurs when the candidate, upon the approval of the Faculty Committee, is invited to meet with the Admissions Committee. These final interviews are generally scheduled in the first months of year at JTS.

Applicants are required to take a Hebrew placement examination and may be asked to undergo a psychological assessment. They should also familiarize themselves with the JTS Rabbinical School reading list.

List College Applicants

Students in JTS's Albert A. List College of Jewish Studies who want to apply to The Rabbinical School are urged to speak with a dean or the director of Admissions of The Rabbinical School at the earliest possible opportunity. The dean will direct these students to the courses that will best prepare them for entry into The Rabbinical School. Applications from List College students will be considered on the same basis as the applications of students from other colleges.

Transfer From Another Rabbinic School

The only exception to the five-year rule on length of rabbinical studies may be made in cases where an applicant has already begun studies at another rabbinical school. Application must be made to The Rabbinical School of JTS as usual.

Upon receiving an offer of admission, the candidate may then petition the Rabbinical School Faculty Committee for credit for the study completed elsewhere. The committee will generally approve such requests if:

• the academic requirements completed are substantially equivalent to the requirements to be waived at JTS
• previous rabbinic curriculum sufficiently covered issues of religious growth and professional development as determined by JTS

Except in extraordinary circumstances, approved transfers will, at most, exempt the student from the first year of study at JTS.

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