General Admissions Requirements
General Admissions Requirements and Instructions
This page outlines the general admissions requirements for HUC's programs as well as general admissions instructions. Applicants should note that additional, program-specific admissions requirements may also be listed on HUC's How to Apply webpage. For questions, applicants should contact admissions@huc.edu.
Schedule a Consultation with an Admissions Counselor
As part of the application process to HUC, we invite you to speak with a professional in the Office of Recruitment and Admissions. This preliminary consultation is a way for us to get to know each other better and make sure you have your questions answered before applying. We want to make sure you are applying to the right program and taking the right steps in preparation, helping you determine the right time for you to apply.
Enroll in a Pre or Intro Course
HUC offers online courses designed to support current and future applicants to our graduate programs develop their skills, language, expand their Jewish knowledge, and prepare to enter their program of interest. Some of these courses are required and others are strongly encouraged.
Online Application Inclusive of a Personal Statement, Short Essays and Resume
Prompts to essays and personal statements will be found within the online application and will be a requirement within your online submission.
Letters of Recommendation
We require references from the following categories: Academic Reference, Jewish Life Reference, and Professional/Supervisor Reference.
Request Official Transcripts
Please request transcripts at least four weeks before the application deadline to allow time for them to be sent to HUC. Transcripts need to be received in order to schedule an interview and determine possible transfer credits. Please provide us with one copy of an official transcript from all of the following:
- The college from which you graduated, showing your conferred degree, as well as any other colleges you attended.
- Any college at which you took graduate-level courses; this coursework will be reviewed for potential transfer credit.
- Any “Year Abroad” programs or other foreign studies. If grades from international programs are recorded on one of the above transcripts, you do not need to submit a separate transcript for foreign studies.
Have your schools mail the transcripts directly to:
Office of Recruitment and Admissions
Hebrew Union College
3101 Clifton Avenue
Cincinnati, OH 45220
Official electronic transcripts can be sent via email to mwaldron@huc.edu.
Instructions for applicants with degrees from non-English schools or programs
Year-by-year records from colleges and universities attended are required. The record must indicate the number of hours per week devoted to each course, grades received for each course, and degrees awarded, with dates the degrees were conferred. This information must be provided in English. If this information is not available in English, it is the applicant’s responsibility to have it professionally translated and certified before it is sent to HUC. If grades are not determined on a 4.0 scale system, please include guidelines in English from the school that explain the grading system.
Submit TOEFL Scores
(Only required for international applicants for whom English is not their first language.)
International applicants for whom English is not their first language must take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). The TOEFL is administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS) in approximately 100 centers outside the United States. See the information available at: www.ets.org/toefl. The TOEFL school code for HUC is 1291.
Candidates who feel they have acquired proficiency in English language may contact admissions to request a waiver of this requirement. Criteria that may merit an exemption from the TOEFL requirement includes (but is not limited to) the following:
- Previous assessment of English capacity resulting in evidence of a candidate’s ability to understand and communicate in English.
- Completion of an undergraduate or graduate degree in English (i.e. BA in English).
- A candidate who has studied or worked and/or is currently working with an organization while utilizing English as the primary language.
Please contact admissions@huc.edu to submit your waiver request and/or with questions.