Upcoming Intakes in USA: Spring, Fall and Summer

Intakes in USA

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Ankita Rakshit Content Curator

Content Curator | Updated On - Sep 30, 2024

Students choose to study in USA for its amazing infrastructure, excellent faculties and great learning experience. USA has over 5,300 universities including the world's best institutions like MIT and Harvard University as per QS World ranking. More than 26 lakh Indian students join the USA universities every year. Unlike India, USA universities and colleges have three major intakes: Fall, Spring and Summer. All these intakes follow different timelines for applications:

  • Fall Intake- Between September to December
  • Spring Intake- Between January to May
  • Summer Intake- Between May to August

Among these intakes, the fall intake is the most popular as it offers you a variety of course options. Spring intake follows next and you can have a lower competition level in this intake. Summer intake has less program availability and limited opportunities.

USA Intake for International Students

As an Indian student, you must start your application process at least 12-18 months before the academic year begins. After the September intake, you will get another chance to apply for January intake in USA. The table below states the application duration for intakes in USA for international students:

Intakes in USA Applications open Duration
Fall Intake (September Intake) November- May September- December
Spring Intake (January Intake) July- December January- April
Summer Intake (May Intake) January- March May-August

Fall Intake in USA

Fall intake can be called September intake in USA and is the most popular intake. You must apply in November to get admission to this intake. This fall intake period ends in December. You can get enough time to prepare for standardized tests (GRE/GMAT, SAT/ACT) and the application process to apply for this intake. Due to excess enrollment, most of the USA universities offer all their courses during this intake.

Benefits of Fall Intake in USA

Students choose to study in fall intake in USA to avail great opportunities. Given below are the benefits of fall intake in USA:

  • Numerous scholarship opportunities like Tata Scholarship and Fulbright-Nehru Fellowships for Indian Students.
  • Universities offer maximum program choices. Most popular programs are MBA, Computer Science, Data Science, Cybersecurity, Robotics and AI.
  • Higher chance of getting admission as the US universities accept more students in this intake.
  • Great opportunities to build networks with faculty, peers and recruiters.
  • Variety of on-campus job scopes and internship opportunities.
  • You can follow the standard academic calendar of the university.

Universities Offering Fall Intake in USA

In USA, most universities offer admission in Fall (September intake). The table below shows the top universities in USA and their deadlines for graduate and undergraduate programs:

QS Rankings 2025 Fall Intake Undergraduate Deadlines Graduate Deadlines
#1 MIT Early Action: November 1, 2024
Regular Decision: January 6, 2025
December/January
#4 Harvard University Early Action: November 1, 2024
Regular Decision: January 1, 2025
Master’s: December 1, 2024
PhD: December 15, 2024
#6 Stanford University Early Action: November 1, 2024
Regular Decision: January 5, 2025
November to March (Varies for each program)
#12 UC Berkeley November 30, 2024 September to March (Varies for each program)
#10 CalTech Early Action: November 1, 2024
Regular Decision: January 3, 2025
November 15 to December 15 (Varies for each program)
#79 Brown University Early Action: November 1, 2024
Regular Decision: January 3, 2025
Varies for each program
#154 Texas A&M December 1, 2024 Varies for each program
#=203 University of Minnesota Early Action I: November 1, 2024
Early Action II: December 1, 2024
Regular Deadline: January 1, 2025
Varies for each program
#311 North Carolina State University Early Action: November 1, 2024
Regular Decision: January 15, 2025
March 1, 2025
#=501 Colorado School of Mines Priority Application Deadline: November 1, 2024
Regular Application Deadline: January 15, 2025
March 1, 2025

Spring Intake in USA

Spring intake is the 2nd most preferred intake and is also recognized as January intake. In this intake, you will get a chance to complete your study in a shorter period. This intake starts in January and ends in April. The number of intakes in spring is less which is an advantage but it also limits the number of courses.

Benefits of Spring Intake in USA

The benefits for spring intake in USA are as follows:

  • You can attain a smooth admission process in this intake.
  • The competition rate is lower in the spring intake USA.
  • You can complete a degree in less time.
  • You can do part-time jobs and internships during summer breaks.
  • You can get accommodation easily.
  • You can make good relations with faculty due to having smaller class sizes.

Universities Offering Spring Intake in USA

The table below states the top January intake universities in USA along with their deadlines for graduate and undergraduate course study:

QS Ranking 2025 University Undergraduate Deadlines Graduate Deadlines
#116 University of Wisconsin - Madison October 1, 2025 May 10, 2025
#=141 Rice University January 4, 2025 October 1, 2025-October 15, 2025
#=215 University of Florida Early Action: November 1, 2024
Regular Decision: January 15, 2025
Varies for each program
#248 Vanderbilt University Early Decision: November 1, 2024
Early Decision II: January 1, 2025
Regular Decision: January 1, 2025
Varies for each program
#=574 Florida International University October 1, 2025 October 1, 2025
#651-660 University of Houston October 1, 2024 November 1, 2024
#1001-1200 George Mason University October 1, 2025 Varies for each program
#851-900 Oklahoma State University November 1, 2025 October 1, 2025

Summer Intake in USA

Summer Intake in USA also known as the May Intake begins in May and ends in August. This intake offers mainly vocational courses. It is preferred less as it lasts only two months. Only a few universities offer summer semesters and it has limited program availability.

Benefits of Summer Intake in USA

The benefits for applying for summer intake in USA are as follows:

  • The competition rate is the lowest in this intake.
  • The admission process goes fast in this intake.
  • You will get a quicker graduation in a shorter period.
  • You can get summer internship opportunities.
  • In this intake, you can start early to hunt for jobs.

Universities Offering Summer Intake in USA

A limited number of universities offer summer intake in USA. Some of the well-known summer intake universities in USA are tabulated below:

QS Ranking 2025 University Undergraduate Deadlines Graduate Deadlines
#6 Stanford University Yet to be announced November to March
#801-850 University of Oregon March 1, 2025 Varies for each program
- Bridgewater State University - March 1, 2025
- University of Michigan-Dearborn April 1, 2025 January 1, 2025
- University of Central Missouri March 1, 2025 Varies for each program

Documents Required for USA

You must provide certain documents to get admission to US universities. The documents required to study in USA are as follows:

  • Transcripts of the previous qualifying examination
  • Official Marksheet of class 10th and 12th
  • GRE or GMAT scores
  • Admission Essay
  • SOP
  • Resume/CV
  • 2-3 LORs
  • Valid Passport
  • English language proficiency scores
  • Passport size photographs
  • Certificates of extracurricular activities, internships (if any)

Interested candidates can apply to US universities during the fall, spring, or summer intake. Fall intake is highly recommended to get the best benefits of job opportunities and to apply for multiple course options. You can apply for spring intake in case you miss the fall intake admission. Spring intake is less competitive than fall intake and thereby your chances of getting admission will increase. As an Indian student, you must apply early to secure admission possibilities in US universities.

FAQs

Ques: How many intakes for the USA?

Ans: USA has three intakes: Fall, Spring and Summer. The Fall Intake is from September to December. The Spring intake is from January to April and Summer Intake is from May to August.

Ques: Which intake is better for the USA?

Ans: Fall intake is the best intake in USA. In this intake, you can get options for multiple courses. You will get more job and internship opportunities in this intake.

Ques: Which month is fall intake in the USA?

Ans: Fall Intake starts in September and ends in December. The application for this intake is open from November to May.

Ques: Is January intake good in the USA?

Ans: January Intake is the Spring Intake in USA. This intake is less competitive so it will be easy to get admission. You can get good job opportunities in this intake.

Ques: Is January intake less competitive?

Ans: Yes, January intake is less competitive. Most of the students apply for fall intake. Only a few applicants get admission in the spring intake. The chances of getting admission to spring intake are higher than fall intake.

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