Ashkelon Academic College is a dynamic independent college of a high academic level which offers a wide variety of programs towards B.A. and B.Sc. degrees in Social Sciences and Exact Sciences such as: Computer Sciences, Economics, Social Work, Politics and Government, Psychology, Criminology, Sociology and Anthropology, Land of Israel Studies, Tourism and Leisure, etc. The college campus, with its impressive modern buildings, is located in the middle of Ashkelon and is considered the educational center of the city.. Ashkelon Academic College was the first academic college in Israel to receive its accreditation from the Israeli Council of Higher Education in the year 2000. Ashkelon College was originally inaugurated in 1965 as a branch of Bar-Ilan University. The management of the College has made quality teaching and promoting research its main goal. According to the Israeli Council of Higher Education, Ashkelon Academic College is ranked first on the official scale of teaching quality among all Colleges in Israel. This remarkable achievement is due to the fact that the academic staff of some 350 lecturers are of the highest reputation; many of whom are renowned professors and doctors in Academia in Israel.