Marom vs the Students Authority vs VATAT — who qualifies for what, and what can be combined

The difference that decides everything: how many years you have been in Israel

Before any comparison of amounts — the two main government tracks divide the population along a single line, and nearly every other difference follows from it:

• In Israel more than 15 years, or born here to parents born in Ethiopia → Marom
• Within 15 years of receiving oleh status → the Students Authority

This is not accidental. The CHE page states explicitly that parallel scholarships for Ethiopian-Israelis who have been here less than 15 years are granted by the Authority. They divided the field between them.

And from this follows the most important rule on this page: the Authority's page repeats twice that "a tuition scholarship cannot be granted to students receiving a scholarship from another government body". CHE is a government body. These are not two sources that stack — it is a question of which one is yours.

The comparison

Sources: Marom — CHE · Extended eligibility conditions — gov.il · Online application — gov.il · VATAT doctoral excellence scholarships · all read in full 15.9.2026.

What the table does not show: the Authority is broader, and not only in money

Anyone with a choice — that is, anyone within 15 years — usually gets more from the Authority, and not only because of the subsistence stipend:

• Funding for a master's on top of a bachelor's, explicitly, on the extended track. On the general track this is "no, save for exceptions"
• Funded professional guidance in choosing a field of study
• Funding for English and Hebrew courses required by the degree
• The "Ma'atefet" support array — tutoring, social workers and personal guides

Marom, by contrast, is a scholarship: an amount, and nothing else. That is not a defect — it is a difference in kind.

But note the Authority's hidden cost: an average of 60 or above as a continuation condition, compulsory Sha'ak volunteering, no funding for a repeated year "whether the student failed or changed track", and a fresh application every year. Marom asks less of you after you receive it — and from 2026-27 it has dropped its volunteering requirement too.

What can be combined

The rule is simple: government + government — no. Government + non-government — yes.

The CHE page says it almost in those words. It explains that Marom's volunteering requirement was abolished from 2026-27 "in order to make it easy to hold the scholarship together with other scholarships requiring volunteering, such as the Perach scholarship", and also points to Mil-GO. That is, Marom was designed to stack on NGO scholarships.

Combinations the sources support:

• Marom + Perach — and from 2026-27 the same tutoring hours serve both, instead of forcing a choice. It is the largest financial benefit in this year's change of terms
• The Authority + Perach — Perach is an NGO, not a government body
• Marom or the Authority + institutional scholarships from the dean of students

Perach's page noted, in the previous cycle's conditions, a combined-scholarship ceiling of ₪30,000 a year including Marom. Perach has announced that the 2026-27 conditions are changing and will be republished, so do not build on that number for next year — but know that such a ceiling exists as a mechanism.

Doctoral students: this track works completely differently

Two points that catch people out:

1. The dedicated Ethiopian track was abolished. The VATAT decision of 20.3.2024 merged the separate programmes — for Arab society, for Haredi society, for Ethiopian-Israelis — into a single programme for "the diversity populations and the socio-economic periphery". Ethiopian-Israelis are now one of several eligible groups within it. University pages still describing a separate dedicated track are stale copies.

2. You do not apply. The scholarship page: "Method of application: through the institutions only." The published deadline — 1.6.2026 — is the date by which the institution submits to CHE. The date relevant to you is internal and earlier, and it is not published anywhere central.

The practical conclusion: if you are a doctoral student or approaching a post-doctorate, the action is to contact your graduate-studies authority or rector's office today and ask when they collect nominations. Anyone waiting for a form on the CHE site misses an entire cycle.

How to choose, in three steps

1. Count the years from receiving status — not from the year of aliyah, and not including military or national service, which does not count. Over 15 → Marom. Under → the Authority
2. Check your age at the start of studies if you are on the Authority track. 28 for a bachelor's, 40 for a master's, on the extended track
3. If you have a choice — the Authority gives more (subsistence stipend, master's, support array) but demands more (average 60, Sha'ak, annual application). Marom gives an amount and demands little, and from 2026-27 stacks easily on the Perach scholarship

And either way: as of today, only one of the two tracks is open at all.

See also

• How to apply — the full process
• Which documents you need
• Why applications are refused