Touro students hail from all over the world, from all walks of life, in the pursuit of a common goal: To get the best possible education, to find a promising professional career, and to do so in an environment that respects and supports their backgrounds and beliefs.
What sets Touro apart is not merely our top-notch programs, engaged faculty members, or experiential learning opportunities. It is our culture and curriculum that respects your commitments – to your community, your values, and your future.
Established in 1970 to focus on higher education for the Jewish community, we have grown to serve a widely diverse population of over 19,000 students across 30 schools in 4 countries. We are uniquely attuned to the importance of an education that accommodates students from all backgrounds and circumstances.
From liberal arts to law, health sciences to technology, business, Jewish studies, education—and everything in between—Touro provides educational opportunities and career paths to not only the most talented and motivated students but also those who have been overlooked and underserved, who have the drive and potential to succeed.
Touro College was established in 1970 to educate, serve, perpetuate, and enrich the historic Jewish tradition of tolerance and dignity. Created as an independent institution that would support and strengthen the Jewish community, Touro has remained steadfast in its commitment to Jewish continuity and, more broadly, to humankind.
Since its inception, Touro has served and supported diverse communities, making world-class educational opportunities accessible to all members of society, across all races, nations, and creeds. Our core values are drawn from our Jewish heritage and the Jewish intellectual tradition, focusing simultaneously on individual development and the greater good.
Touro provides men and women an environment that nurtures personal growth and intellectual inquiry in superior academic programs. They also offer neighborhood-based programs that serve, and encourage service to, under-resourced communities.
Our students, in turn, become accomplished, thoughtful citizens. The latter share and perpetuate our belief in equal access to quality education, the treatment of all human beings with integrity and respect, personal and professional ethics, and the building of a compassionate and responsible society.
Touro College is America's largest private institution of higher and professional education under Jewish auspices. Every year, thousands of students from all countries and walks of life turn to us to pursue degrees in medicine, education, Jewish Studies, technology—and everything.
Touro undergraduates choose from a wide range of disciplines—from the classic liberal arts and sciences to highly focused pre-professional programs. Our graduate programs are intensive and career-oriented. We give you the tools and support you need to thrive in the workforce and the world.
In 1790, George Washington visited the Touro Synagogue in Newport, Rhode Island, and spoke eloquently of democracy, ethics, equal opportunity, and the American ideal. Little did he know how far his words would carry.
Washington's vision inspired Isaac and Judah Touro, leaders in colonial America, to pioneer their family's efforts to enrich all people's lives, regardless of creed or color, through educational opportunities, spiritual outreach, and vocational enterprise. The Touro family began providing significant endowments for universities, the first free library in North America, independent health facilities across the United States, and communities in Israel.
In 1970, in the tradition established by the early Jewish-American leaders for whom it is named, Dr. Bernard Lander founded Touro College to strengthen the Judaic tradition and serve the broader community with compassion and dignity. Chartered by the Board of Regents of the State of New York, the College welcomed its first 35 students in the Liberal Arts and Sciences in 1971.
From humble beginnings, Dr. Lander built a flourishing institution that reaches across the country and the world—now enrolling over 19,000 students a year in a broad range of disciplines, including business, law, social work, Jewish Studies, and technology. Each decade has ushered in a wave of new academic and professional programs designed to give students an increasingly competitive world.
The Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center and the School for Lifelong Education opened, as well as a college for recent immigrants. The latter would eventually evolve into the New York School of Career and Applied Studies (NASCAR). Touro University California and the School of Health Sciences were established, introducing colleges of osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, and health sciences. Touro expanded its undergraduate offerings with new campuses in Brooklyn and Manhattan.
Since 2000, the Touro network has grown to include international sites in Paris and Berlin and coastal campuses in Los Angeles and Miami. In 2004-5, the new Touro University Nevada launched programs in osteopathic medicine, nursing, occupational and physical therapy, and education. From 1998 to 2007, Touro operated an online division of Touro University, Touro University International. Between 2007-2009 the College of Osteopathic Medicine and the College of Pharmacy opened in Harlem. Touro University Worldwide was formed to offer professional degree programs online, and in 2011, New York Medical College, in Valhalla, NY, became part of the Touro family.
In 2010, when Dr. Alan Kadish took over as president of Touro following Dr. Lander's esteemed tenure, he renewed our commitment to ensure that even as we grow, each campus, every program, and all of our students are held to the standard set for us over 220 years ago.
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