Prospective students must meet the following requirements prior to entering our program:
- A bachelor of arts or sciences from an accredited institution of higher education or equivalent education and work experience
- The equivalent mastery of two years of Tanakh and Jewish history
- A working understanding of Talmud/Halacha as it pertains to daily life, lifecycle, and holidays
- Knowledge of the structure and practice of the siddur and machzor
- Some knowledge, even if limited, of Jewish philosophy, thinkers, and mysticism
- Five or more years’ experience professionally or as a volunteer in Jewish communal life such as synagogues, JCC, Federation, Jewish non-profits, etc.
- Completion of the application
- Completion of the Hebrew Self-Assessment
- Three professional and/or academic recommendations (in .pdf form)
Hebrew Skills
We have three levels of Hebrew: beginner, intermediate, and advanced. Students self-select their level based on the Hebrew Self-Assessment and conversation with the director. We accept students at all levels, with the understanding that we will help them achieve the level of skills they need from wherever they may be beginning skills-wise. Students who need beginner Hebrew will take an introductory, first-year Hebrew intensive, then join a cohort for the second and third years.
Questions of Jewish Identity
We accept students who are Jewish by either mother, father, or through conversion. We also accept LGBTQ+ students as well as students who are in interfaith relationships. We do not accept non-Jews or people involved with Jews For Jesus, Messianic Judaism or similar.
Admissions Application, Vetting, Interview, and Testing Process
Students can learn about the PRS application process on our application process page.
Important Considerations For Prospective Students
Our rabbinical program is focused on helping create future Jewish leaders for future Jewish communities and organizations. While there are PRS alumni serving as pulpit rabbis, we would encourage students seeking more traditional careers to attend more traditional rabbinical schools.
Our program is only successful if students are actively engaged. Students who fail to participate fully in their courses will be excused from the program with no refund. While we have designed our program with working students in mind, please give serious thought to your ability to participate in our program prior to applying.