מדיניות מערכת ההשכלה הגבוהה ותפקיד המכללות, מקרה בוחן – סטודנטים חרדים

We suggest a theoretical framework to examine the main changes in higher education systems in Israel and around the world, including the increase in the number of students and institutions, the decline in funding per student, and the changes in the human capital stock over time. Our model considers the heterogeneity of institutions and the funding policy of higher education. Within this framework, we analyze individuals’ education and the effect of their decisions on the economy. In particular, we focus on the implications of expanding the higher education system, student subsidies’ policies and integrating ultra-Orthodox Jews into the student body. We also examine the reasons for diverting funds from universities to colleges and the optimal student subsidy policy based on human-capital considerations. Additionally, we investigate how the enrollment of ultra-Orthodox Jews in higher education institutions has changed, examining their disciplines of study, degrees, and preferred institutions. Our data shows an increase in their enrollment in first degree programs over time,specifically in colleges. Furthermore, they strongly prefer colleges for their first degrees, but a higher percentage of ultra-Orthodox continue their studies and obtain a second degree in universities than they do their first degrees. Only a negligible percentage obtain PhDs.