Most universities offer students 2 opportunities to enrol in their courses through their 2 entrance intakes. And, every year, thousands of international students from all over the world face a major dilemma- whether to opt for Fall Intake or Spring Intake. They are often confused about the difference between the both and how it would affect the course of their upcoming academic year. When a student chooses a certain intake for the upcoming academic year, they are not just making a choice of when to start their course. They are making choices of job opportunities, assistantships, extracurricular activities, financial assistance, and much more. Therefore, it is crucial to be sure of what to choose. And this article is here to settle the dilemma for once and all.
Fall Intake
The Fall intake semester generally begins in late August or early September and ends in December. It is perceived as one of the most popular intakes as a majority of international students prefer this intake, especially in top study destinations like USA. It is known as the primary intake of the academic year. It is also considered the intake that offers the maximum number of courses. And hence, most international students take admission through Fall intake.
Spring Intake
The Spring intake semester begins in early January and ends in late May, depending on the country the candidate wishes to take admission in. This intake has a relatively lower number of courses when compared with the Fall intake. This makes it less popular among international students. However, the majority of universities offer this intake.
Fall vs Spring Intake: Comparison
Acceptance Rate
When it comes to Fall intake, the class sizes are relatively larger than in the Spring intake. This implies that there are more intakes in the Fall intake. So, you might have a higher chance of getting in with the Fall intake. In order to get in through Spring intake, you might want to have an above-average academic profile.
Check out: Acceptance Rate for colleges in USA
Universities
Most top universities do not offer Spring intake. That is why it is important that you do extensive research on your preferred universities and whether or not they offer Spring intake. You need to make a firm decision from early on, way before you start preparing for IELTS, GMAT, or TOEFL. If you make an early decision, it will help you get insights into the time left for you to study for these exams. Also see:
Assistantship
Technically, an academic year starts with the start of the Fall intake. And hence, the students from the Fall intake are more likely to find on-campus jobs and internships, especially for research-based courses. It is because the professors start their projects and research at the start of an academic year. Therefore, Fall intake students take advantage of it here.
Job Opportunities
The campus recruitments and job fairs are generally organised during the fourth semester of college. And since Fall intakes begin classes earlier, the students in Fall intake have an upper hand over the Spring intake students. It is because the Fall intake students have had an extra semester to build their academic CV and indulge in more projects. This automatically gives the Fall intake students an edge over the Spring intake students in terms of job opportunities.
Financial Aid
The Fall intake students enjoy another major advantage. They gain the benefit of financial aid and assistance. It is because, during the start of the academic year, more opportunities for grants and scholarships are available for international students.
Courses Offered
As mentioned above, Fall intake offers a wide variety of courses as it is technically the start of the academic year. So, if you plan on going for a relatively unusual course, you might want to opt for the Fall intake due to fierce competition.
Extracurricular Activities
If you wish to be a part of academic groups & clubs and take up leadership roles, then, there is no fall vs spring intake. Opt for the Fall intake. It is because clubs have already been formed, and workshops have already been organised. Henceforth, it is difficult to do that in Spring intake.
Readiness
For Indian students, their undergrad program ends in May/June. And since the Fall intake starts in august, students have less time to prepare for their admission in Fall intake. But if students need some time to settle down and process everything, you should opt for Spring intake.
Visa
There are rumours swirling around about how students applying for Fall intake admissions are more likely to have their VISA requests accepted. However, the truth is, your VISA application does not depend on what course or intake you choose. It only depends on your overall profile and your documentation.
Therefore, in this case, VISA is not a factor in the fall vs spring intake debate. To conclude, it is safe to say that it depends on you and what your non-negotiables are. You need to be clear on what you seek from the course and what you wish to gain in the future. Some advantages & disadvantages come with your choice, you just need to prioritise and make a choice.
FAQs
Ques. What is the difference between Fall Intake and Spring Intake?
Ans. Fall intake is the primary intake of the academic year offered by foreign universities which starts in September and goes on until December. This intake is technically considered the start of a new academic year. Spring intake refers to the courses offered by foreign universities which begin in January and end around May.
Ques. Which intake is the best for international students?
Ans. Which intake to opt for is totally your decision as it depends on what program you wish to apply for and what is non-negotiable for you in this course. Since Fall intake is the primary intake, it is quite popular among students. It comes with better on-campus as well as off-campus opportunities. But if you wish to take some time off, you have the option to apply for Spring as well as summer intake.
Ques. What is a Summer Intake?
Ans. The summer intake generally starts around May to August and although it is called summer intake in the US, it is known as Spring intake in Canada. This intake mostly includes language courses and diploma programs.
Ques. Is it easier to get admission in spring intake?
Ans. In the Spring intake, fewer students apply for the courses, and hence, it has less competition implying a higher acceptance rate. Therefore, it is easier to get admission in spring intake.
Ques. What are the disadvantages of choosing spring intake in USA?
Ans. When students choose spring intake, they may miss out on a few opportunities such as on-campus job opportunities, and extracurricular activities and they may have relatively fewer choices of courses.
Ques. Is GRE waived off for admissions in fall 2023?
Ans. The GRE/Gmat has been waived off for admissions in all master's programs in fall and spring intake 2023.
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