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The Rabbinical School
The Jewish Theological Seminary
Application for Admission
Office of Admissions
The Rabbinical School
The Jewish Theological Seminary
3080 Broadway, Box 133
New York, NY 10027-4649
Phone: (212) 678-8817
Fax: (212) 678-8947
Email: rabschool@jtsa.edu
www.jtsa.edu/rabbinical/admissions

Application for Admission
The Rabbinical School
The Jewish Theological
Seminary
Admission to The Rabbinical School is
open to members of the Jewish faith as
understood by the Conservative
Movement. The mitzvot should guide the
lives of all candidates for The Rabbinical
School; these include, for both men and
women, traditional observance of Shabbat
and festivals, regular daily prayer with
tallit and tefillin, observance of kashrut,
study of Torah, and performance of acts of
gemilut hasadim. Rabbinical students are
expected to refrain from romantic relationships
with non-Jews. For guidance on
these matters, see “JTS Rabbinical School
Religious Identity and Observance” or
speak with one of the deans or the
director of Admissions.
Questions?
Email or call the JTS Office of Admissions.
Email: rabschool@jtsa.edu
Phone: (212) 678-8817
Please visit our website at
www.jtsa.edu/rabbinical/admissions
Important Dates
Applications from Israel must be postmarked
by December 4.
All other applications must be postmarked
by December 31.
Preliminary discussions must be
completed by December 5.
Financial aid applications must be
postmarked by March 1.
Housing applications must be postmarked
by March 31.
Applicant’s Checklist
__Application for admission:
original and seven copies
__Application fee of $65
__Preliminary interviews completed
__Admissions essays: eight copies
__Three letters of recommendation
__Official transcripts sent by all
academic institutions
__GRE scores sent
(Rabbinical School Code 2347)
__Writing samples
Application Instructions
Preliminary Discussions
All applicants are required to have a
preliminary discussion with the director
of Admissions of The Rabbinical School.
This should be scheduled as early as
possible in the application process.
Application
Eight copies of the completed applications
and admissions essays should be submitted
to the Office of Admissions together
with a $65 application fee. The check or
money order should be made payable to
The Jewish Theological Seminary.
Letters of Recommendation
Please submit three letters of recommendation
(with one accompanying reference
form for each letter) on your behalf. It is
desirable, if possible, to submit at least
one academic and one rabbinic reference.
You can submit up to four letters for your
file.
One copy of the reference form is
enclosed. You can obtain additional recommendation
forms by photocopying the
enclosed form or downloading the form
from the JTS website at www.jtsa.edu/rabbinical/admissions/RSrecommendation.pdf.
Official Transcripts
Request that all academic institutions you
have attended send your transcripts to the
Office of Admissions at The Rabbinical
School. Applicants who are currently in a
degree program must arrange for midyear
and final transcripts to be sent.
Transcripts from foreign universities must
be accompanied by a translation and key
to the grading system.
Graduate Record Examination (GRE)
Applicants are required to take the GRE.
If you have not taken the GRE, please
schedule your test date by calling
1 (800) GRE-CALL (1 (800) 473-2255) or
visiting their website at www.gre.org. The
Rabbinical School’s GRE code is 2347. You
should submit your scores by the application
deadline (see below). GRE scores are
acceptable within five years of application.
(LSAT, TOEFL, and GMAT scores may be
accepted in place of GRE scores only with
approval of the dean.)
Writing Sample
Submit one copy of a research paper, a
chapter of a paper, or other writing sample
(no more than fifteen pages) written no
earlier than your undergraduate career
that reflects your expository writing ability
and academic competency.
Interviews
Upon review of the completed application
and documents, candidates will be
assigned an interview date with the
Admissions Committee and will be notified
of that date by the Office of Admissions.
Prior to the interview, applicants are
required to take a Hebrew Placement
Exam. Candidates may also be asked to
meet with a mental health professional as
part of their admissions processs.
All documents must be submitted in
English or an official English translation
must be provided. Please submit original
foreign language documents along with
the translation.
All application documents
should be sent to:
Office of Admissions
The Rabbinical School
The Jewish Theological Seminary
3080 Broadway, Box 133
New York, NY 10027-4649
Students Applying from Israel:
Preliminary discussions for interested
candidates in Israel may be conducted
either by telephone or in person with the
dean or director of Admissions during
their autumn visits to Jerusalem.
Applicants intending to interview in Israel
are required to send all admissions documents
to The Rabbinical School in New
York (preferably by registered or overnight
mail for tracking purposes). Upon review
of the applications, the Office of
Admissions will inform applicants in
Israel about their candidacy for the
admissions interview.
To Students Currently or Previously
Enrolled in Any JTS Program
Applicants who are/were enrolled in
other JTS programs are required to
submit the $65 application fee and a
letter of reference from the dean of the
school in which they are/were enrolled.
In addition, students must request that
interoffice copies of any JTS transcripts
be sent by the registrar to The
Rabbinical School Office of Admissions.

Application for Admission Part I
The Rabbinical School of The Jewish Theological Seminary
Personal
Information
I am applying for fall of (year):
Name (Print name in full as you want it to appear on all official records)
Last Name First Name Middle Name
Full Hebrew name when called to the Torah (Please write in Hebrew)
Phone Number Cell Phone Number Email Address •Male
( ) ( )
Social Security Number
•Female
Present Mailing Address Number and Street
City State County (NY State residents only) Zip Code Valid until Date
Permanent Address Number and Street
City State Zip Code
Preferred method of contact is
Phone Email
Date of Birth Month / Day / Year •Phone
•Cell
Place of Birth City
•
State •Mail
Country
Citizenship
Native language, if other than English
Parent One Last Name First Name Middle Name Occupation
Parent One’s Address Number and Street
City State Zip Code Phone Number
( )
Parent Two Last Name First Name Middle Occupation
Parent Two’s Address Number and Street
City State Zip Code Phone Number
( )
Name of your rabbi and congregation
Email Address
Address Number and Street
City State Zip Code Phone Number
( )
Application
Information
To what other graduate institutions are you applying?
Have you applied for a fellowship from any other source?
If Yes, please indicate the type of fellowship for which you •Yes
have applied. •No
How did you hear about The Rabbinical School?
List any members of the JTS faculty, student body, or alumni who are acquainted with you to whom we can
turn for evaluation of your candidacy.
List names of individuals you have asked for recommendations.
1.
2.
3.
Application for Admission The Rabbinical School of The Jewish Theological Seminary PAGE 1 OF 5

General
Education
College Attended
Location
Major Dates Attended Degree Awarded
Other
Cumulative College Grade Point Average
GRE Scores Verbal Quantitative Analytical/Writing
Date you took (or intend to take) GRE
Other Scores LSAT GMAT TOEFL
Jewish
Education
Elementary School
Secondary Level
High School
College
Adult Education
Summer Camp and Youth Group
Other (Use additional sheets if necessary)
Applicants to The Rabbinical School are expected to have taken two years of college-level Hebrew or the equivalent.
All applicants will be contacted to take a Hebrew proficiency exam.
List institutions and dates associated with your study of Hebrew.
Please rate your Hebrew proficiency.
Activities/
Employment
List extracurricular activities including any positions of leadership, communal activities, and previous
employment experience.
A resume may
be submitted.
PAGE 2 OF 5
Application for Admission
The Rabbinical School of The Jewish Theological Seminary

Honors and
Publications
List academic honors, community service, awards, and publications and briefly describe if necessary.
A resume may
be submitted.
Other
Signature
Have you ever been dismissed, suspended from, asked, or advised to withdraw or chosen to withdraw
from any academic institution?
Do you have any issues you would like to bring to our attention that may impact your ability to •Yes
•No
complete the intensive courses required in The Rabbinical School?
•Yes
•No
Have you ever been terminated from employment or resigned under pressure from an employer?
•Yes
•No
Have you ever been hospitalized, been in a residential treatment program, or received medical treatment
for psychological, mental, or emotional issues?
If you answer yes, please provide a description on a separate sheet of paper. In addition, please provide a
•Yes
•No
report from the treating physician that addresses whether your condition pertains to your ability to participate
fully in The Rabbinical School program and to serve as a rabbi for a religious community.
Have you ever been convicted of, or pled guilty to, any crime (including a felony or misdemeanor)?
•Yes
•No
If you answered any of the previous questions affirmatively, explain fully on a separate sheet of paper.
An affirmative answer on any of these questions is not an automatic bar to admission to The Rabbinical School.
I certify that the information and answers given by me on this application and on all supplementary pages are
complete and accurate. I understand that if it is determined that any of my responses are inaccurate, incomplete,
misleading, or contain omissions or partial responses, I may be denied admission, or it may be grounds for
withdrawal of an offer of admission and/or subsequent dismissal from the program.
Signature
Date
An application fee of $65 payable
to The Jewish Theological Seminary
must accompany this application.
All application documents should
be sent to:
Office of Admissions
The Rabbinical School
The Jewish Theological Seminary
3080 Broadway, Box 133
New York, NY 10027-4649
Financial Aid
The Office of Financial Aid of
The Jewish Theological Seminary
makes every effort to assist students
in achieving their educational
goals. We encourage all applicants
to complete the financial aid forms
to ensure that they receive needand
merit-based aid if they qualify.
You may request a financial aid
application packet by contacting
the Financial Aid Office. All forms
with instructions will be sent to you
in December and should be completed
by March 1. You should not
wait for your acceptance to apply
for financial aid.
Email: financialaid@jtsa.edu
Phone: (212) 678-8007
Application for Admission
The Rabbinical School of The Jewish Theological Seminary
PAGE 3 OF 5

Admissions Essays Application Part II
Admissions
Essays
Your decision to become a rabbi requires introspection and the definition of goals. We respect this process
greatly, and appreciate that standardized test scores and transcripts provide only limited perspectives of a
candidate's qualifications for the rabbinate. For this reason we have prepared a series of questions that will
allow us to get to know you better and to understand your journey. We ask that you address all facets of these
questions, though you may focus on some subjects more fully than others. Your responses should reflect your
distinctive experiences and beliefs rather than attempt to conform to an assumed ideal. Finally, we would like
to learn through the essays how the books on The Rabbinical School's Reading List have enriched your
thinking.
Please respond with essays of approximately 750–1000 words each, a total maximum of twenty pages. Please
include your name at the top of each page and number the pages. Please submit eight collated and stapled
copies to the Office of Admissions along with your application by December 31.
Essay Questions for Applicants to The Rabbinical School
1.
Biography: Please reflect on your spiritual autobiography from childhood until this point. What people, schools,
and experiences have had the greatest impact on your Jewish identity? Which Jewish communities and ideologies
have you explored? What is your experience of Israel and what roles do the Land of Israel and the Jewish
State play in your life? What is the role of culture (i.e., art, music, literature, dance, etc.) in your Jewish and
spiritual expression? What books, both on and off our reading list, have stimulated your intellectual and
spiritual growth?
2.
Practice: Please describe your current experience of the mitzvot, including study (Talmud Torah), ethics (e.g.,
gemilut hasadim) and the realms of ritual (e.g., kashrut, Shabbat, tefillah). Does a specific mitzvah have
particular significance in your life? Which and why? Are there other spiritual or ethical disciplines that you
follow? Give an example of a prayer or practice with which you struggle, and how you would counsel someone
in a similar situation.
3.
Faith: How do you experience the Divine? What do you believe about the nature of Torah as revealed in word
and deed, and how does this affect your religious action? How do you relate to the concepts of obligation
(chiyuv) and choseness ('am segulah)? How do the destruction of European Jewry and the birth of Israel affect
your religious landscape? What would a redeemed world look like?
4.
Covenant: What do you consider to be the primary religious challenges facing ’Am Yisrael in the coming years?
Describe an initiative that you think would allow us to address these challenges.
5.
Rabbinate: Who are your rabbinic role models and mentors? What have you learned from them? Why have you
chosen to apply to rabbinical school, and what makes JTS the best fit for you? What makes for a good rabbi?
Please include a text from Torah or tefillah that has shaped your vision.
PAGE 4 OF 5
Application for Admission
The Rabbinical School of The Jewish Theological Seminary

The Rabbinical School Letter of Recommendation Application Part III
To Be
Completed
by Applicant
A.
Letters of recommendation should either be sent directly to
the Office of Admissions or they may be submitted with your
application in a separate envelope with the signature of the
person writing the recommendation across the sealed flap.
Please copy for additional references.
Applicant Name
Reference Name
Reference Address
Please return this form to:
Office of Admissions
The Rabbinical School
The Jewish Theological Seminary
3080 Broadway, Box 133
New York, NY 10027-4649
Phone
Title
Phone
Email Address
Under the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (Buckley Amendment), which gives students the
right to inspect and review their educational records, students may waive their right to see specific confidential
statements and letters of evaluation. I hereby (please check one):
I waive do not waive my rights of access to this document should I matriculate at JTS.
Signature
Date
To Be
Completed
by Reference
B.
Please write a candid and concise letter with your appraisal of the applicant's character, leadership potential,
and intellectual motivation. Does the rabbinate seem like an appropriate choice for his/her character, personality,
interests, and commitment to Jewish life and practice? Please note that a description of strengths and
weaknesses will be more helpful to the Admissions Committee than a uniformly positive assessment.
Recommendation
I strongly recommend with no reservation.
I recommend with minor reservation. (Please explain.)
•
I recommend with substantial reservation. (Please explain.)
I do not recommend this candidate for admission. (Please explain.)
Signature Date Name of Applicant
Application for Admission
The Rabbinical School of The Jewish Theological Seminary
PAGE 5 OF 5

Office of Admissions
The Rabbinical School
The Jewish Theological Seminary
3080 Broadway, Box 133
New York, NY 10027-4649
Phone: (212) 678-8817
Fax: (212) 678-8947
Email: rabschool@jtsa.edu
www.jtsa.edu/rabbinical/admissions