Bar Ilan University opened on August 7, 1955, with an opening ceremony. The symbol of the institution was designed as a combination of a Torah scroll and a microscope.
Bar Ilan was conceived in a meeting of the American Mizrahi organization in Atlanta, founded by Professor Pinkhos Churgin. He aimed to structure the university based on the American college model. He was president until 1957.
The school was named for Rabbi Meir Bar-Ilan who served as the leader of the Mizrachi movement in the United States and Mandatory Palestine.
The school year began a month after its founding on September 20, with students studying in temporary buildings. The permanent buildings were finished in the spring.
At the end of the second year, 173 students were enrolled at the university.
Bar Ilan is currently Israel's second-largest academic institution, with roughly 18,000 students.