Two main intake seasons of US universities
An academic year at American universities usually has two intakes, namely Fall and Spring. Unlike India, American universities follow a bi-semester system where an academic year is divided into two semesters. However, apart from the Spring and Fall intakes in USA, there is another intake month in USA i.e. Summer. Most of the courses begin in the Fall semester. There are some exceptions and a few courses accept applications for the Spring semester as well.
Most of the time, the semester available is not a choice as most of the popular and important courses commence only with the Fall semester. The Fall semester is so popular because the scholarships and financial aid are aimed at this semester.
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Duration of Intakes in USA
- Fall semester: The fall intake in USA is the most opted one by Indian students. The fall months in USA are from September to December
- Spring semester: The spring semester starts in January and ends in May
- Summer semester: This intake is for limited programs and courses and usually starts in May
Which Intake Season to Choose: Fall or Spring?
- If you are aiming at the Fall semester, you should start your research in April. Then around June, you should be over with the exams required for admission. For the rest of the months, you can devote time to writing essays, SoP, LoR, CV, etc.
- However, if you are planning to apply for the Spring semester, then research should be done around April, and the exam should be dealt with by June-July.
- The fall season is the popular choice for study abroad aspirants as the choice of universities are wide as mostly all the universities open their admission for Fall.
- Another reason for Fall being popular is that students who go in spring intake do not get the chance to undertake an internship in the immediate summer break i.e. in May as they need to complete at least 9 months in full-time academics. Students going in the spring season join the programme in January, whereas, the students going in Fall join in September, so, they are eligible to undergo an internship programme.
Given below are some of the factors that students must consider before choosing the intake in the universities of USA.
| Factors |
Fall |
Spring |
| Scholarships |
During the fall intake in USA, students can get scholarship opportunities. This semester also has an upper hand when it comes to networking with other students |
In this intake, there are lesser scholarship opportunities available for students. This is because most of the funding is availed at the start of an academic year |
| Courses Options |
Universities offer a wide range of course options in the fall intake |
Comparatively, a limited number of courses are available in the Spring intake |
| Internship Opportunities |
Students during the fall intake can apply for internships. This is because, during the fall intake, students meet the 9 months full-time academic criteria before applying |
Students in the Spring semester in the US somehow face the eligibility problem of meeting the 9-month eligibility criteria before working as an intern |
| Post-study work opportunities |
Many job options are available for students who are enrolled in the fall semester as the placement drive generally starts during this time |
Few job options are available during the Spring semester because most of the positions have been filled by students from the fall semester |
Related articles on September Intakes
- Study in the US: Timeline for September 2020 intake
- Study in Canada: Timeline for September 2020 intake
- Study in the UK: Timeline for September 2020 intake
Two main intake seasons of US Universities FAQs
Q. How many intakes are there in USA?
Q. Which intake is best for the universities in the U.S.?
Q. What are the months for fall and spring intake in the USA?
Q. Is fall intake better than Spring in the U.S.?
Q. Is the summer semester considered good in USA?
Q. What is January intake known in USA?
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Comments
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N
a year ago
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Hi. i am nida ahmad. I want to apply for a college in usa and germany 2022 but i have doubts to when to apply and how to apply .could you please help me here .
Thank you in advance
Reply to Nida Ahmad
A
3 years ago
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Hi,I've done my B.Tech in Civil Engg. but I am planning to change my major to MIS.
1. Will the transition be a big concern for MIS considering the fact that I have workex in an IT MNC?
2. Considering I start preparing from 1st January 2020,Should I apply for fall or Spring Intake?
Thanks in advance.
Reply to Anil Sharma
3 years ago
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Hi Anil,To answer your queries:1. Based on your work experience in IT MNC, you should not have any troubles in transition.2. For Spring 2020, you should have started the preparations in Mid-2019. However, if you have your GRE and IELTS scores handy (or are planning to appear for them in March), y...Hi Anil,
To answer your queries:
1. Based on your work experience in IT MNC, you should not have any troubles in transition.
2. For Spring 2020, you should have started the preparations in Mid-2019. However, if you have your GRE and IELTS scores handy (or are planning to appear for them in March), you can still try applying in the Fall 2020 intake (given that the universities you choose to apply have their deadlines open).
If you want to go easy on the application, which is a rigorous and time-consuming process, you should try for Spring 2021. It is recommended that you seek help from the counselling experts https://studyabroad.shiksha.com/apply.
All the best!
S
3 years ago
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timeline for spring intake for us please?
Reply to Sreeja Poduri
U
3 years ago
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Hi.I am utsav bajaj..I have 5.5 bands in IELTS. I want to do pgdm MBA...for 2020 Jan intake.. can I get..?
Reply to Utsav Bajaj
3 years ago
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Hi Utsav,The deadlines for January 2020 intake would have closed by last month. You may, however, try your luck in Fall 2020 Intake. Check out the step-by-step process for USA Fall 2020 Intake here https://studyabroad.shiksha.com/study-in-the-us-timeline-for-september-2020-intake-guidepage-416. A...Hi Utsav,
The deadlines for January 2020 intake would have closed by last month. You may, however, try your luck in Fall 2020 Intake. Check out the step-by-step process for USA Fall 2020 Intake here https://studyabroad.shiksha.com/study-in-the-us-timeline-for-september-2020-intake-guidepage-416. All the best!
G
3 years ago
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Hai this is krishnaveni .iam in my graduatin final year & would like to take ms in us and iam planning for fall 2020 can u please guide me
Reply to Godugu Krishnaveni
3 years ago
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Hi Krishnaveni, you may refer to this timeline to prepare step-by-step for the Fall Intake in USA https://studyabroad.shiksha.com/study-in-the-us-timeline-for-september-2020-intake-guidepage-416.