GlobalStudentGuide.com

Education - When to Apply?

Generally, in the US, each college / university sets its own admission policy, including application deadlines. In most cases, the college / universities will NOT accept your application if it is submitted after the set deadline. In that case, they will consider you for the next semester.

It is always better to submit your application long before the deadline, especially if you are applying for a scholarship / assistantship, because most colleges / universities would start considering you for scholarships / applications on first come first serve basis unless they have specified a particular cut off date for scholarship considerations.

Remember to give enough time for your TOEFL and GRE/GMAT/SAT scores to reach the college / university. Some colleges / universities would still accept your TOEFL and GRE/GMAT/SAT scores even if the scores reach the admission office after the application deadline, as long as they already receive your application form before the deadline. However, that is not always the case, please contact the admission office if this problem occur to you.

In the US, most colleges / universities have 3 semesters in an academic year. The application dealines are different for each University.

Fall semester:

The period from mid August to December is called as the Fall semester. This is the main semester of the year. Most of the students are admitted in the Fall semester. Likewise, most of the scholarships are also offered in the Fall semester. The Fall semester consists of 15 to 16 weeks.

If you plan to apply for the Fall semester, you should send your completed application packet to the Admissions Office of the University by the end of March of that year. Some Universities even have April or May or even June deadlines. However, we advise you that in any case send your application package by the end of March. This will make sure that you are one of the early applicants and your application for admission as well as scholarship will be considered before others.

Spring semester:

The period from January to mid May is called as the Spring semester. The Spring semester consists of 15 to 16 weeks.

If you plan to apply for the Spring semester, you should send your completed application packet to the Admissions Office of the University by the end of August of the year before. Some Universities have September or October deadlines. Again, if you want to get a headstart for admission and scholarship consideration, you should send your application packet by the end of August.

Summer semester:

The period from mid May to mid August is called as the Summer semester. Normally, Summer semester is divided into sessions, such as Summer session I, Summer session II, etc. Each session is made up of 5 to 6 weeks.

Most Universities do NOT give admission for the Summer semester. However, you are advised to check with individual Universities as admission policies are different for each University.

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