America's oldest Jewish seminary, training rabbis, cantors, and Jewish leaders since 1875.
Hebrew Union College operates multiple schools and programs: the Rabbinical School (offering ordination and M.A., including a new Virtual Pathway), the Debbie Friedman School of Sacred Music (cantorial ordination and Master of Sacred Music), the Zelikow School of Jewish Nonprofit Management, the Joan and Phillip Pines School of Graduate Studies, and the School of Education. Additional offerings include pastoral care programs, biblical archaeology, and an Israeli rabbinical program. The Los Angeles campus partners with USC on many programs, including the Center for Muslim-Jewish Engagement. All programs emphasize Jewish text, pedagogy, and community building with a low faculty-to-student ratio.
The college maintains four distinct campuses: the historic Cincinnati location (established 1875), the New York campus (merged 1950, relocated to Greenwich Village 1979, acquiring First Battery Armory in 2025), Los Angeles (added 1954, partnering with USC), and Jerusalem (added 1963, the only Reform seminary in Israel). The library system holds one of the world's most extensive Jewish collections, with Klau Library in Cincinnati containing 700,000 volumes—the second-largest collection of printed Jewish material globally. Each campus offers its own library, museum exhibitions, and community engagement opportunities.
The college welcomes students of diverse backgrounds, including non-Jews in eligible programs. Admission pathways include traditional residential programs and the new Virtual Pathway for second-career students nationwide. Financial aid is substantial: 99% of students in eligible programs receive scholarship support. The college emphasizes accessibility and has implemented holistic admissions practices aligned with its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Hebrew Union College reports 100% placement of graduates in rewarding careers within 6 months of graduation. Alumni (approximately 4,000 active) lead over 1,000 North American Reform congregations and Progressive synagogues worldwide, serve in national Jewish organizations, Israel advocacy, philanthropic foundations, Hillels, and military chaplaincies. The college's graduates strengthen the largest Jewish denomination in North America and growing Reform communities globally.