Free ulpan in Israel: the state ulpan, Hebrewbyte, the voucher and elev
Updated
Yes, a new oleh can learn Hebrew in a free ulpan. That is the short answer. The useful answer is longer: the State funds three different options, they work in very different ways, and none of them suits everyone.
This guide compares them plainly: the public ulpan, in a classroom; Hebrewbyte, an online ulpan subsidised by the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration; and the private ulpan voucher. Then it says where a paid online ulpan, such as elev's, fits, and where it does not.
One warning first. We could not read the Ministry's own pages for this guide, because gov.il blocks automated readers. The figures below come from Nefesh B'Nefesh and Kol Zchut, two reliable organisations, and each figure names its source. Your absorption counsellor at the Ministry of Aliyah has the final word.
The public ulpan: free, in class, intensive
This is the ulpan everyone has heard of. According to Nefesh B'Nefesh, classes run five hours a day, five days a week, for five months, for a total of about 420 to 450 hours, according to the same source. Some guides say 500 hours; the two most careful sources say 420 to 450.
The deadline. You will read six months, eighteen months, five years and ten years. Kol Zchut, the Israeli guide to social rights, gives eighteen months from your aliyah date, or twenty-four for an oleh on income support. We could not confirm this on the Ministry's page, so ask your counsellor for your exact date, and sign up early rather than late.
Who it suits. Anyone who can give five mornings a week for five months. Kol Zchut also lists an evening ulpan, which runs longer at a lighter pace. A class only opens when enough olim in the same area start at the same time.
The catch. The timetable. An oleh with a job, or with small children, can rarely keep five mornings free. The class sets the pace, not you.
Hebrewbyte: an online ulpan subsidised by the Ministry
According to Nefesh B'Nefesh, Hebrewbyte is an online ulpan subsidised by the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration for olim and aliyah candidates who qualify. You study at your own pace, for a nominal fee of 50 NIS.
Who it suits. Anyone who cannot get to a classroom, or who wants to start before the move. Of the three options, it comes closest to a "free online ulpan".
The catch. It is not quite free, and only the Ministry can tell you whether you qualify, so check before you count on it. Studying alone also asks for a discipline that a classroom gives you for free.
The private ulpan voucher: refunded, not free
The Ministry also refunds a private ulpan, chosen from a list of approved schools. According to Nefesh B'Nefesh, a course usually means 200 hours, over six months at most, in classes of twelve students at most, in person or on Zoom.
- In your first two years after aliyah, you must first complete a public ulpan.
- Between two and ten years after aliyah, no public ulpan is needed.
- A 200 NIS co-pay is never refunded, and you pay it to the ulpan directly.
- The amount: the Israeli press reported a voucher of 7,500 NIS (Maariv, 2022). You pay first and claim the refund afterwards.
The catch. The scheme was frozen in March 2024: according to Ynet, the Ministry "temporarily" stopped issuing vouchers. Nefesh B'Nefesh describes it again today, but check that it is open before you enrol.
elev does not accept this voucher. elev is not an ulpan approved by the Ministry, it is not on the Ministry's list, and no voucher refunds its subscription. If a school suggests otherwise, it should be able to show you its name on the Ministry's list.
And a paid online ulpan, such as elev?
A paid online ulpan replaces none of the three. It is useful where they leave a gap.
What elev's ulpan does. Four levels, from א׳ to ד׳, each split into short chapters: reading, grammar, everyday vocabulary, reading and listening comprehension, with exercises marked as you go. You work at your own pace, at any hour, from your phone. The placement test is free and needs no account, and several chapters are free with an account, such as the level א׳ reading comprehension chapter.
What it does not do. It gives no recognised certificate, so it cannot stand in for the end-of-ulpan exam when a professional licence asks for one (see Hebrew requirements by profession). There is no teacher in a classroom. And it is paid, apart from its free chapters.
When it helps. During the public ulpan, to go back over at home what the class covered too fast. Afterwards, so you keep what you learned. Or instead of a class, when the timetable is impossible and Hebrewbyte is not enough.
What is the best online ulpan?
There is no single best one. There is the one that fits your week. Three questions settle it:
- Do you have five free mornings for five months? Start with the public ulpan: it is free, and nothing replaces a classroom.
- Does your professional licence ask for an ulpan exam? Then you need an ulpan that gives one, public or approved private.
- Neither? Start with Hebrewbyte, and add a self-paced online ulpan if you want more practice.
Whichever you choose, start by finding out where you stand. elev's placement test is free, needs no account, and tells you which level to start at. elev's ulpan is described here.
Check the official conditions with your absorption counsellor at the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, and on Kol Zchut (in Hebrew). They change, so read them again in the year you enrol.