What The Council For Higher Education of Israel does

The Council for Higher Education of Israel (CHE / המועצה להשכלה גבוהה / מל"ג) is a statutory government corporation established in 1958 under the CHE Law to safeguard academic freedom by separating higher education from political control. It is Israel's national regulatory body for higher education, with responsibility for accrediting institutions, approving academic programs, authorizing degree-granting (including professor titles), allocating government funding through the Planning and Budgeting Committee (Vatat / ות"ת, established 1972), running quality-assurance evaluations, and licensing foreign branch campuses. Its remit covers 59 accredited institutions and ~22,286 students, with the Minister of Education serving as chairperson. It does not generate commercial revenue; operations are funded through Israeli state budgetary allocations.

CHE operates a portfolio of digital products built around its regulatory and educational role. Core platforms include the Aristo curriculum management system for academic program submission and accreditation, the national Campus IL digital learning platform (Open edX-based, multilingual in Hebrew, Arabic and English), and the IsraelX international MOOC presence on edX.org (Contributing Member status since 2017, capped at 30 courses per year). Additional products comprise the Study in Israel international marketing portal, a searchable course catalogue, a scholarships portal, the CHE Hotline, and an emergency information center (Moked). The site stack is standard third-party web infrastructure (Cloudflare, Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, Hotjar, Meta Pixel, Google Ads, AddToAny).

The business model is non-commercial: CHE functions as a regulator and coordinator, distributing oversight via direct institutional engagement rather than commercial channels. Its "customers" in the operational sense are Israeli universities and colleges that depend on CHE for accreditation and funding, plus Israeli and international students and faculty accessing its portals and scholarships. Marketing and international positioning are handled through the Study in Israel platform, NAFSA fair participation, and social media channels across Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, and the official che.org.il site.

Name

The Council For Higher Education of Israel

Legal name

The Council For Higher Education of Israel (המועצה להשכלה גבוהה)

Website

https://che.org.il

Company type

Private

Founded year

1958

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Council for Higher Education of Israel is the statutory regulator that accredits higher education institutions, approves academic programs, allocates funding via the Vatat Planning and Budgeting Committee, and operates digital learning platforms (Campus IL, IsraelX) serving Israeli universities, colleges, and ~22,286 students.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education Regulation

NAICS

Administration of Education Programs (92311), Administration of Education Programs (923110), Public Administration (92)

akta.pro primary industry

Higher Education Regulators & Tertiary Education Commissions (EDADAAAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Higher Education Academic Standards & Degree Framework Authorities (EDADAEAG), International/Transnational Accreditation & Recognition Bodies (EDADACAG), International/Transnational Education Authorities (e.g., cross-border recognition) (EDADAAAJ)

Keywords

• Higher education oversight
• University accreditation services
• Academic program approval
• Education policy regulation
• Government funding allocation

Headquarters

HQ city

Jerusalem

HQ country

Israel

HQ region

Middle East

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Council for Higher Education of Israel (CHE/מל"ג) is a statutory government corporation established in 1958 that regulates Israel's higher education system. It grants permits to open higher education institutions, recognizes institutions, authorizes degree-granting authority, oversees quality assurance, and allocates government funding to universities and colleges through its Planning and Budgeting Committee (Vatat/ות"ת). The Council also operates digital learning platforms (Campus IL, IsraelX) and a curriculum management system (Aristo) used by Israeli higher education institutions.

Product overview

The Council for Higher Education of Israel (CHE/מל"ג) operates a government regulatory body overseeing Israel's higher education system. The organization provides a multi-platform digital presence including: the main institutional portal for regulations and decisions, the Aristo curriculum management system, the Campus IL national MOOC platform, the Study in Israel international marketing portal, a comprehensive course search system, and scholarship services. These platforms collectively serve Israeli higher education institutions, academic staff, and approximately 22,286 students across 59 accredited institutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Va'atat (ות"ת): The Committee for Planning and Budgeting (Planning and Budgeting Committee), the body responsible for budgeting Israel's higher education system.
• Malag (מל"ג)

Products and services

• Campus IL
• IsraelX (edX)
• Aristo (אריסטו) - Curriculum Management System
• Study in Israel
• CHE Website Portal
• Course Search Portal
• Scholarship System Scholarships and grants portal for students and academic staff, including merit-based and need-based financial aid programs administered by CHE/Vatat.
• CHE Hotline (8438*)
• Moked - Emergency Information Center

Named customers11 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

AI capability2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

21 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• European Union Horizon ProgramscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1996Israel has associated country status in EU Horizon Framework Programs for Research and Development since 1996. The programs are among the world's largest for scientific and industrial cooperation, providing funding for multi-partner research consortia. Israel is the only non-European country participating with equal rights.
• CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational research infrastructure providing Israeli researchers access to particle accelerator facilities for physics and materials science research. Contact: Prof. Eliezer Rabinovitz as national representative.
• ESRF (European Synchrotron Radiation Facility)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational research infrastructure in physics, chemistry, materials science, and biology. Provides Israeli researchers access to synchrotron radiation facilities.
• SESAME (Synchrotron-light for Experimental Science and Applications in the Middle East)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional Middle Eastern research infrastructure for biology, chemistry, physics, materials science, environmental science and archaeology, promoting regional scientific cooperation.
• EMBL-EBI (European Bioinformatics Institute)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational bioinformatics database infrastructure providing Israeli researchers access to molecular biology databases and research tools.
• ELIXIRminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean research infrastructure for biological information, supporting bioinformatics research collaboration.
• European Social Survey (ESS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBiannual multinational social science survey providing infrastructure for researchers, governments, and policymakers. Israel participates through VATAT funding.
• SHARE (Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean research survey infrastructure in medicine, sociology, anthropology, and economics for aging and retirement research.
• GEANTminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean high-speed communication network infrastructure supporting academic data transmission and collaboration.
• PRACE (Partnership for Advanced Computing in Europe)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEuropean supercomputing infrastructure providing access to high-performance computing resources for Israeli researchers.
• BSF (Binational Science Foundation) - NSF CooperationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCooperative research program between the US-Israel Binational Science Foundation and NSF, funding joint research with approximately $3,000 thousand USD annually, with matched funding from NSF.
• GIF (German-Israeli Foundation for Scientific Research and Development)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBilateral foundation established 1986 to fund joint basic research between Israeli and German institutions. Fund capital of approximately 211,000 thousand EUR, with annual contributions from both governments. VATAT contributes approximately 650 thousand EUR annually.
• Israel-China Joint Research FundminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint research funding administered by NSFC (China) and ISF (Israel), supporting joint research projects and workshops. Grants of approximately 100,000 USD per year per side for up to 3 years.
• Israel-India Joint Research FundminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint research funding with UGC (India) and ISF (Israel), supporting joint research projects and workshops in humanities, exact sciences, life sciences and medicine. Grants of approximately 80,000 USD per year per side for up to 3 years.
• Israel-Singapore Joint Research FundminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint research funding with NRF (Singapore) and ISF (Israel) in natural sciences and engineering. Grants of approximately 100,000 USD per year per side for up to 3 years.
• Erasmus+ ProgramcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEU mobility program enabling student, researcher and faculty exchanges. CHE/VATAT developed an internationalization roadmap for Israeli institutions. Roadmap includes comprehensive information for institutions pursuing international activities.
• edX.orgcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIsrael joined as Contributing Member of edX.org, enabling all accredited Israeli institutions to upload MOOC courses under the IsraelX brand at no additional cost, with a limit of 30 courses per year.
• ISERD (Israel-Europe R&D Directorate)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernmental body managing Israel's integration into European Research Area. Operates under the Chief Scientist's Office in the Ministry of Economy. Partners include Ministry of Science, VATAT, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Ministry of Finance.
• Tal-Yam Forum (תל'ם)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerForum for national research and development infrastructure established 1997 for coordination between science and economy bodies. VATAT participates with approximately 30-35% of total forum support. Supported projects include ESRF participation, Internet2, SARAF particle accelerator, IsraelGrid, Nano-technology centers.
• Study in IsraelcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial international marketing platform for Israeli higher education targeting international students, showcasing academic excellence and innovation of Israeli academia.
• Mandela Foundation (קרן מנדל)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPhilanthropic foundation working on leadership development in education, society, and culture, and promotion of humanities sciences.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• edX (2U): Online learning platform partner that powers CHE's Campus IL and IsraelX MOOC platforms through Open edX technology. Strategic technology partner and ecosystem participant enabling CHE's digital learning infrastructure rather than a direct regulatory competitor.

Direct peers

• Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA, UK): UK's independent quality body that safeguards academic standards and quality in UK higher education institutions. Directly comparable to CHE's Quality Assurance Division which conducts external evaluations through international expert committees.
• Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA, USA): US-based coordinating body that recognizes accrediting organizations and quality assurance bodies in higher education. Directly comparable to CHE's accreditation recognition function, though CHE combines this with funding allocation authority.
• Higher Education Funding Council for England (now Office for Students): UK higher education regulator and funding body that allocates public funds to universities and colleges while ensuring quality and standards. Most structurally comparable to CHE/VATAT given its combined regulatory and funding allocation role over a national higher education system.
• Australian Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA): Australia's national higher education regulator responsible for registration, accreditation, and quality assurance of higher education providers. Directly comparable to CHE's quality assurance and accreditation mandate.
• European Quality Assurance Register for Higher Education (EQAR): European-level register listing quality assurance agencies that operate substantially in compliance with the Standards and Guidelines for Quality Assurance in the European Higher Education Area. Comparable as a coordinating quality assurance body in higher education.

Broad incumbents

• U.S. Department of Education: US federal agency overseeing education including higher education accreditation recognition and federal student aid administration. Broader scope than CHE, but performs comparable functions regarding institutional recognition and federal funding oversight.
• German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF): Germany's federal ministry responsible for education and research policy, including oversight of higher education institutions. Broader scope than CHE but performs comparable coordination and funding functions across a national higher education ecosystem.
• Israeli Ministry of Education: Israel's national ministry responsible for primary and secondary education policy. Related government entity whose minister chairs CHE, but operates at K-12 level rather than higher education, providing a broader educational policy context.

Regional players

• University Grants Commission (India): Indian statutory body that coordinates and maintains standards in higher education while providing funding to universities. Comparable in regulatory and funding dual role, though operating in a different geography with much larger institutional base.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/CheMalag
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCw8KrbmxJUUr_VbWEjeGcrg
• Facebookfacebook.com/che.org.il
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/council-for-higher-education
• Instagraminstagram.com/malag_che

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments1 record

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Frequently asked questions about The Council For Higher Education of Israel