
Kew Gardens, NYprivate nonprofitshaarhatorah.edu/
Admit rate has ranged 70%–92% over the last 5 years — notably volatile. Source: IPEDS via Urban Institute.
Acceptance & SAT from Common Data Set / IPEDS; net price, earnings & graduation from the U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. Figures lag ~1–2 years — verify with the school.
Yeshivath Shaar Hatorah is a deeply traditional Orthodox yeshiva in Kew Gardens, Queens, singularly dedicated to advanced Talmudic scholarship. Its entire academic and communal life revolves around the intensive study of Gemara, Talmudic law, and Aramaic texts, creating a cloistered, all-male environment for those pursuing rabbinic ordination or a life of religious scholarship. With a small, focused student body of around 82 and a curriculum that is exclusively religious, it represents a specific and profound commitment to Jewish textual tradition rather than a conventional liberal arts education.
Test-blind — scores not considered
Source: IPEDS Admissions survey (2022) via Urban Institute. Covers formal factors only — it does not reflect essays, extracurriculars, or other holistic criteria.
More details
Outcomes & value
Earnings = median of students working ~10 years after entry; debt = median of graduates. Value divides 10-yr earnings by one year’s net price — read it as earnings per dollar of annual cost, not a full lifetime ROI; it favors lower-cost schools. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard. Figures lag ~2 years and reflect all students, not your intended major.
Campus & location
On-campus criminal offenses classed as violent (murder/non-negligent manslaughter, rape, robbery, aggravated assault) for the most recent reported year. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education Campus Safety and Security (Clery Act). Counts reflect what’s reported to the school, and urban campuses often report more partly due to non-student incidents nearby — read alongside campus size and setting, not as a standalone safety verdict.
Pleasant days counts days per year with a mean temperature of 55–75°F, a high at or below 90°F, a low at or above 45°F, and little precipitation — a transparent comfort measure, not a weighting we invented. Computed from Open-Meteo ERA5 daily history (2019–2023). Natural-hazard risk is the county’s composite rating from the FEMA National Risk Index.
Admission to Yeshivath Shaar Hatorah is accessible, with an of 72% based on a recent pool of 54 applicants, of which 39 were admitted. The school does not require SAT or ACT scores for admission, making the process . Of those admitted, a high proportion—76.9%—choose to enroll, indicating that those who apply are typically serious about attending. The admissions process appears to be straightforward, with no indication from the provided sources that Early Decision or Early Action programs are offered, and while demonstrated interest is a common factor in college admissions, the school's specific stance on it is not detailed in the available snippets.
The academic program is entirely centered on traditional Jewish scholarship. The curriculum is dedicated to advanced Talmudic studies, including in-depth analysis of Gemara, Talmudic law (Halacha), Aramaic texts, Jewish theology, and philosophy. The yeshiva offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees in Talmudic Studies, with the clear aim of training scholars and preparing students for rabbinic ordination. This is not a dual-curriculum institution; there are no secular majors in business, science, or the arts. The intense focus on religious texts defines every aspect of the academic day.
As a specialized Orthodox yeshiva, student life is inextricably linked to its religious and academic mission. The institution is small, with a total enrollment of approximately 82 students, fostering a tight-knit, communal environment. The campus is located in the residential neighborhood of Kew Gardens in Queens, New York, placing students within a broader Jewish community. The available sources do not detail extracurricular activities, athletics, or Greek life, which suggests that daily life is primarily structured around prayer, study, and religious observance within the yeshiva's framework.
Student persistence and completion rates present a mixed picture. The first-year retention rate is a strong 86%, meaning the vast majority of students who start return for a second year. However, the six-year graduation rate is 53%. This gap suggests that while initial commitment is high, a significant portion of students do not complete their degree programs within the traditional timeframe. The school's specialized nature means post-graduate outcomes are almost certainly oriented toward religious leadership, teaching, or continued advanced study in Jewish law, rather than conventional corporate or graduate school paths.
The published tuition and fees for Yeshivath Shaar Hatorah are $18,700. However, financial aid is widely available, with 66% of students receiving some form of grant aid. The average grant award is reported to be $7,789. After accounting for this aid, the average that students actually pay is significantly lower. The canonical figure provided for the average net price after aid is $8,850. There is no information in the provided sources to indicate the school has a "no-loan" policy or that it commits to meeting 100% of demonstrated financial need without loans.
Yeshivath Shaar Hatorah stands out for its uncompromising, singular focus. It is not a university with a Jewish studies department; it is a Jewish studies department, entirely dedicated to the highest levels of Talmudic scholarship. It serves a specific population: Orthodox Jewish men seeking immersion in Gemara and Halacha, often as a step toward becoming rabbis or educators. Its identity is its rigor and tradition, offering a path deeply rooted in centuries-old methods of study. For the right student, it provides an authentic, intensive yeshiva experience in the heart of New York City, but it makes no pretense of offering a broad, secular education. Its high rate (76.9%) speaks to the intentionality of its applicants, who are not shopping for a typical college experience but are seeking a specific, formative religious journey.