Maalot was founded in 1984 by Dr. Avraham Schwartzbaum A”H, a pioneer in women’s education. Dr Schwartzbaum and Rabbi Nosson Geisler שיחיה, found a solution for women who were focused on building Torah homes without losing sight of quality academic preparation for their chosen professions. Together with Rabbi Refson, the founder and Dean of Neve Yerushalayim, they established Maalot. This new idea would be a continuation of the Bais Yaakov tradition: providing quality education to support every aspect of the goals of a Bais Yaakov graduate. They examined the many opportunities for education in America and found a way to provide serious education taught by instructors who were highly qualified professionally as well as paradigms of the lives they strive to inspire their students to live.

Over the last four decades Maalot Educational Network developed over 200 courses to provide the education needed for many professions and the advanced Judaic Studies necessary for facing the challenges of the workforce. These courses were originally reviewed by the American Council of Education (ACE) and later, the National College Credit Recommendation Service, (NCCRS) a division of the Board of Regents of New York. Thousands of students used these courses to graduate from regionally accredited colleges and continued to graduate schools and well-paying professions.

Their quality education combined with the depth of Torah study created confident educated students positive of their place as family and community role models. In 2022 Maalot took a bold step and incorporated as a new online entity entitled Maalot College, a division of Maalot Institutes of Torah. Maalot has always stood apart and above. Maalot College
continues this tradition.