Rabbinical College Telshe

Private · Moderately Selective · OH

School data & stats

TypePrivate

LocationOH · Midwest

SettingSuburban

Undergrads50

Student:faculty13:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate52.6%

6-yr grad rate52.6%

Drop-out rate17.7%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$18k

Out-of-state tuition$18k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity0%

Gender diversity0%

International0%

IdentityJewish

Overview

Rabbinical College Telshe, in Wickliffe, Ohio just outside Cleveland, is one of the storied yeshivas of the Lithuanian (Litvish) Torah tradition, transplanted to the United States after the destruction of the original yeshiva in Telšiai, Lithuania during the Holocaust. It carries forward that lineage's rigorous, analytic approach to Talmudic study, training men for rabbinic ordination and religious leadership within a tightly structured, all-consuming daily learning schedule.

Academics

The curriculum centers on in-depth Talmud study using the analytic method associated with the great Lithuanian yeshivas, supplemented by Jewish law and homiletics as students progress toward semicha (ordination). Learning happens primarily in chavrusa pairs and shiur lectures rather than a lecture-and-exam format, and the pace of study is set by where each student stands on the ordination track rather than by a fixed-credit degree structure.

Worth knowing

The yeshiva's postwar refounding in Cleveland is central to its identity — one of the notable stories of the Lithuanian yeshiva world's transplantation to America — and its alumni network remains influential within that world's rabbinate. It is a demanding, immersive environment meant for men committed to a full-time path toward the rabbinate rather than a broader liberal-arts education.

independentrabbinicalcolleges.org ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate83.3%

Enrolled mid-50%—

Test policynot used

Rec letters—

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

Applying