Frequently Asked Questions About Our New Virtual Pathway


The virtual pathway is designed for second-career students who cannot attend our campus-based rabbinical program in Los Angeles or New York due geographic constraints or extenuating circumstances.

The Office of Recruitment and Admissions will help applicants determine which pathway offers the right fit for them.

A “second-career student” is generally defined as someone who changes their career after 10 years training for and working in a given profession. The virtual pathway is designed for professionals who seek a career pivot into the rabbinate, as well as for Jewish professionals who seek to expand their service in the Jewish community in a new capacity as a rabbi.

Students in the virtual pathway need to maintain a nine-credit course load each semester of this year-round program (Fall, Spring, and Summer terms). Some students may elect to continue working in a capacity that allows sufficient time for all components of the program. Virtual pathway students should expect to spend an estimated 15-20 hours per week between class time, assignments, and other commitments (time will vary from student to student). Students will need to set aside time for synchronous classes on Mondays and Thursdays; weekly asynchronous classes and hevruta scheduled at each student’s convenience; reading and assignments; plus, fieldwork, tefilah, clergy formation mentoring, and other components that take place at different junctures in the program.

Strong Hebrew skills are a priority for clergy students at HUC-JIR. Admitted applicants must demonstrate a minimum Hebrew level roughly equivalent to ulpan level Bet on the Hebrew Capacity Evaluation taken within one week of the admissions interview. (See the Hebrew Study Preparation and Study section of our website for more information about the Hebrew Capacity Evaluation and the online Seminary Hebrew courses we offer prospective students.)

The length of the program is individualized, based on a student’s prior education and experience. Students with relevant graduate course credits from an accredited institution can request a transcript review, and applicable credits will be applied toward rabbinical school requirements. Students can also complete a portfolio for a Prior Learning Assessment to identify eligibility for advanced standing or credit based on demonstrated mastery of program requirements gained through professional and life experiences.

Students with advanced standing should anticipate approximately three years of study before ordination; students entering without prior credits should be able to complete the program in five years.

Each fall and spring semester will begin with a four-day in-person intensive designed to allow virtual pathway students to deepen relationships with classmates and faculty, pray together and practice worship leading skills, and engage in beit midrash, and seminar style learning.

The first virtual pathway intensives will take place on our historic Cincinnati campus; at later points in the program, students will have the opportunity to join their peers in Los Angeles and New York for intensives offered as part of our campus-based curriculum.

Second-career students bring unique professional experiences to their clergy formation journeys. Virtual pathway students will have the opportunity to serve as student rabbis in pulpits and internships that take advantage of our expansive Reform Movement network and provide opportunities for hands-on learning and mentorship, supervised reflection, and practical instruction from experts in the field. HUC-JIR rabbinical students also complete a unit of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) or an equivalent supervised pastoral care experience.

For students who are already working in a Jewish organization, their workplace may afford additional opportunities for mentorship and hands-on learning and, where appropriate, may be considered as one of their fieldwork placements.

Virtual pathway students will study with HUC-JIR’s world-renowned faculty, made up of field-leading scholars, expert practitioners, and adjunct faculty who are committed to the craft of teaching and invested in nurturing their students’ holistic growth as part of the process of rabbinical formation.

Study in and about Israel is central to HUC-JIR’s rabbinical program. As part of the admissions process, applicants will complete an Israel Experience Survey that will enable the administration to assess a student’s prior Israel experiences and, in conversation with applicants, determine how each student might satisfy our Israel requirement.

  • Virtual pathway students have the option of beginning their studies with the  Year-In-Israel program on our Taube Family Campus in Jerusalem.
  • Alternatively, virtual pathway students will need to complete the equivalent of an academic year (two semesters) living and learning in Israel at another time before ordination. The virtual pathway immersive summer semester in Israel (offered every other summer) counts as one semester. The other semester may be fulfilled through prior Israel experiences that add up to the equivalent of a semester (as evidenced in the Israel Experience Survey) or additional time in Israel while in rabbinical school.
  • Students with limited Israel experience (less than the equivalent of one semester) who are unable to join the Year-In-Israel should expect to spend additional time in Israel prior to or after the virtual pathway summer semester in Israel.

Students can anticipate an enriching and integrated educational experience. Each term, students will take a mix of online courses, for example:

  • Synchronous text-based courses: e.g., Bible, Talmud
  • Asynchronous Judaica courses: e.g., Jewish Thought, History
  • Practical Rabbinics courses: e.g., Tefilah Lab, Homiletics
  • Clergy Formation Mentoring: Regular meetings with a supervised mentor to support students in their reflection on and integration of academic, spiritual, leadership, fieldwork, and academic life. Mentors also help students assess their growth against rubrics for religious practice and commitments, personal theology, and clergy identity formation.

As students move from the core curriculum to electives, virtual pathway students will study with campus-based students in online electives and take asynchronous virtual pathway courses.

  • Knowledge of Hebrew sufficient to begin studying Jewish texts in their original language.
  • Prior experience in formal Jewish text study.
  • Active engagement in Jewish living, and an eagerness to deepen religious commitments and practices.
  • Passion for becoming a rabbi and commitment to meeting the demands of rabbinical school.

  • Passion for lifelong learning and comfort being a novice in new arenas.
  • Curious mindset and a spirit of openness.
  • Ability to adapt to change and capacity to pivot.
  • Self-motivation and ability to navigate learning independently.

Students with advanced standing who are ready to start rabbinical school in January 2025 are invited to apply to be part of the Virtual Pathway Inaugural Class. Students in this pilot cohort (minimum six students required) will help us shape the program through their participation in and feedback on the first spring and summer terms of this exciting new option for rabbinical education at HUC-JIR.

The second class of the virtual pathway will begin in August 2025. The Office of Admissions and Recruitment team is eager to meet with prospective students to help them discern which rabbinical school pathway is right for them and when they will be best prepared to begin rabbinical school.

Students in the Inaugural Class will need to meet special advanced criteria that are unique to this cohort (in addition to qualifying as a second-career student):

  • An M.A. or other advanced degree in a field related to Jewish studies
  • Intermediate-level Hebrew proficiency

In the fall of 2024 (starting the week of October 28), Inaugural Class applicants will take a four-week pre-course entitled “The World of the Rabbis and the Rabbis of the World” taught by Dr. AJ Berkovitz. The course will expose students to the experience of synchronous and asynchronous online graduate level learning.

The Inaugural Class of the virtual pathway will commence with an intensive in Cincinnati January 13-16, 2025. Spring semester courses will begin on January 21 and feature a synchronous text study course taught by Dr. Alyssa Gray on “Tzedakah from the Bible to the Bavli” and an asynchronous course taught by Dr. Michael Marmur on “American Jewish Theology,” along with a Practical Rabbinics class and Clergy Formation Mentoring.

The second class of the Virtual Pathway will begin in August 2025.

Applicants will need to qualify as second-career students and meet the standard rabbinical school admissions requirements.

Applications for the second class are open now. Please visit the Rabbinical Ordination section of the Admissions page for a full schedule of application rounds and interview dates.

A required pre-course will be offered in the spring of 2025 (mid-February to the end of March) to expose students to the experience of synchronous and asynchronous online graduate level learning: “The World of the Rabbis and the Rabbis of the World” taught by Dr. AJ Berkovitz.

To strengthen their Hebrew skills and prepare for the Hebrew Capacity Exam, applicants are encouraged to enroll in Seminary Hebrew.

For the Inaugural Class, the tuition rate is consistent with the tuition for the residential program over the Fall and Spring semesters ($14,250 per semester).

The tuition rate for the summer term required of virtual students is $10,000. All other fees will remain consistent with other program related fees.

For the in-person intensives, students should expect to pay their own travel and housing costs.

Virtual pathway students are eligible to apply for federal financial aid and need-based scholarships.

HUC-JIR Rabbinical School applications open on July 16 for all prospective students (campus-based and virtual).

Applications schedule for candidates for the Virtual Pathway Inaugural Class (starting January 2025):

  • September 13: Applications due for Virtual Pathway Admissions Round 1
  • October 8-9: Virtual Pathway Inaugural Class Interviews Round 1
  • November 1: Applications due for Virtual Pathway Admissions Round 2
  • November 17-19: Virtual Pathway Inaugural Class Interviews Round 2

HUC-JIR recently announced that students in relationships with non-Jewish partners are now eligible to apply for its seminary programs. This change allows us to foster an even more inclusive and dynamic learning community while responding to the realities of Jewish communities. Read more.