Students at the Lev Academic Center in Jerusalem reported that the college charges them thousands of shekels a year in addition to the approved university tuition, for "sacred studies.".
According to a report by Lior Wroclawsky on Channel 13, complaints received in recent weeks by the Council for Higher Education indicate that the payment is being collected as a requirement that is a condition for receiving the degree, which allegedly violates the Council's guidelines and accumulates to a sum of millions of shekels per year.
Additionally, students report that the grade in religious studies is weighted in the overall grade point average of the degree, which they say affects their chances of admission to advanced degrees.
From the investigation, it appears that the issue has been discussed in the Council of Ministers several times in recent years.
In response to Channel 13's inquiry, the MLG stated that so far each inquiry has been handled individually, and that in the past month, handling of the matter has resumed.
The Lev Academic Center responded: "A student who chooses to study at an academic institution whose character is based on a combination of Torah and science is required to take part in them, except in exceptional cases. This is how the Lev Academic Center has operated for decades, and this is how it will continue to operate.".
