YU Reopens Transfer Applications Through May in Response to Campus Antisemitism
Yeshiva University will be extending its transfer application deadline through the end of May for undergraduate students, due to the flare-up of anti-Israel protests at universities across the country.
The announcement, made on April 25, was made one week after pro-Palestinian protesters at Columbia University began a large tent encampment on campus, displaying signs such as “Globalize the Intifada” and “From the River to the Sea,” both of which are calls for violence against Israel. Since then, similar encampments have appeared on campuses all over the US along with an uptick in antisemitic incidents. According to Hillel International, there have been nearly 1,500 antisemitic incidents on college campuses since the Oct. 7 massacre, a 700% increase from the same period last year.
In an interview with Fox Business, YU President Ari Berman explained the university’s decision.
“It’s not that we want Jewish students to transfer, it’s that we’re being asked by Jewish students to transfer,” Berman said, adding that YU’s transfer rate is up 53% this year. “We have students who’ve regularly chosen Yeshiva University over universities like Columbia. Now, we’re seeing it more than ever. We are packed. Our enrollment is full. We don’t even yet have the ability to fit everyone who wants, who is qualified, who can come to Yeshiva University. We have the longest waitlist we’ve ever had.”
Berman added that despite the large number of applicants, “We will not leave behind any Jewish student who is threatened … if Jewish students are unsafe on their campuses, we are morally bound to create a portal to give them a place.”
“We are committed to providing every prospective student with an opportunity to join the YU community,” YU Director of Admissions Marc Zharnest told The Commentator. “Our decision to extend the deadline reflects our dedication to supporting Jewish students during this difficult time and accommodating the increased interest in admissions at the flagship Jewish university.”
When asked how YU would be able to accommodate such a large amount of transfer students Zharnest told The Commentator that, “YU will make efforts to accommodate as many applicants as possible, working within our current capacity as an institution, resources available, and the qualifications of the applicants.”
Zharnest did not share with The Commentator the exact number of transfer students YU admitted in Fall 2023 and Spring 2024 and how the numbers compare to previous years, saying that specific numbers “are not final.”
YU isn’t the only university extending their transfer deadline. Brandeis University’s President Ron Liebowitz announced on April 22 that they will be keeping their portal open for transfer students up until May 31, promising to notify students of their acceptance by July 1.
“Freedom of speech is extremely important on any college campus, but it should not be at the cost of the safety of students on campus,” Shoshana Braverman (SCW ‘26), who transferred from University of Michigan to YU this spring, told YUNews. “YU is very prominent in emphasizing that anti-Zionism is antisemitism when other universities are trying to separate the two, which is apparent through their actions.”
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Photo Caption: Yeshiva University will be extending its transfer application deadline through the end of May for undergraduate students.
Photo Credit: Yeshiva University
