Do you want to study in the US in 2025? US universities offer admissions throughout the year. There are three major intakes.
In this article, we cover the Spring intake in the USA 2025.
Intakes in the US
There are three application intakes in US universities.
| Key Features | Autumn Intake (2025) | Spring Intake (2025) | Summer Intake (2025) |
| Application start time | September 2024 (the year before) | July 2024 | October 2024 |
| Application end time | December 2024 to March 2025 | October to November 2024 | January to February 2025 |
| Acceptance letters | March 2025 | December 2024 to January 2025 | March 2025 |
| Term dates | September 2025 start | January 2025 start | May to June 2025 start |
How is Spring Intake in USA 2025 different from the other intakes?
| Spring Intake | Summer Intake | Fall Intake | |
| Popularity | The second most popular intake. | The least popular intake. | The most popular intake with the highest number of applications. |
| Courses offered | Not all but most of the courses are available. | Very few courses are open to applications. Most students come for short-term programs, diplomas, and summer schools. | Most of the courses are open for applications for this intake. All universities open their flagship courses for admission. |
| Accepting universities | All universities accept applicants during the Spring Intake. Some or the other course should be open. | Not many universities accept applicants during this intake. Only universities that offer a trimester will accept students. | Since this is the primary intake, all universities have applications open. |
| Perks | Students who miss the Fall intake can apply for Spring intake. Consider you missed the Fall intake 2024, instead of missing the entire academic year you can apply for the Spring intake 2025. There is not as much competition as the Fall intake so your chances of getting in increases. | Applying in this intake increases the chances of applicants actually getting in. Because of the low number of applicants, almost anyone who meets the criteria can get in. | If you want to go to the best college in the US, attend the best course and thrive in the competition, Fall intake is your pick. |
Applying for the Spring Intake in USA 2025 instead of the Fall 2024 one will also give you extra time to research options, courses, and university. The extra time can also be used to prepare for relocation, figure out finances, and more.
Types of deadlines for Spring intake universities in the USA
For admission to Spring Intake in USA 2025, there are different types of deadlines. The specifics are as follows:
Deadlines for Early Decision (ED) – Students applying by the Early Decision (ED) deadline are given preference over other applicants. Early admissions start a few months before regular deadlines. Note – In some cases, an ED acceptance is legally obligatory and you must enroll in the university.
Regular Decision (RD) Deadlines – Students may submit applications for regular decision deadlines, which run shortly after the deadlines for early decisions.
Rolling Basis: There isn’t a set deadline for admission at many US schools and universities. They just establish a deadline by which you must finish the admissions process.
Spring intake universities in the USA
Applying to Spring Intake in USA 2025? Here are some of the top Spring intake universities in the USA that you should definitely apply to.
| University | Bachelor’s deadline | Master’s deadline |
| University of Dayton | October-December 2024 | October-December 2024 |
| Auburn University | October-December 2024 | October-December 2024 |
| University of Kansas | October-December 2024 | October-December 2024 |
| University of Utah | October-December 2024 | October-December 2024 |
| University of Massachusetts Boston | October-December 2024 | October-December 2024 |
| Oregon State University | October-December 2024 | October-December 2024 |
| Suffolk University Boston | October-December 2024 | October-December 2024 |
| University of South Florida | October-December 2024 | October-December 2024 |
| University of Illinois, Chicago | October-December 2024 | October-December 2024 |
| Arizona State University | October-December 2024 | October-December 2024 |
Application timeline to meet deadlines for Spring Intake in USA 2025
Here are the steps to help you understand the application timeline for Spring Intake in USA 2025.
Step 1 – shortlisting
You should ideally start preparing 18 months in advance. However, we know that students usually fail to start this early. The main thing to do in this period is to shortlist universities and courses.
If you are starting late, take the help of online platforms. For example, you can sign up on SelectRight. The AI-based platform uses 8 million data points across 15,000+ STEM, CS & MBA programs to give you transparent and unbiased recommendations on best-matched fundable programs as per your requirements. It will help you select the best Spring intake universities in the USA for you.
Clutter or SelectRight? You decide.
Step 2 – admission materials
10-12 months before start gathering the admission materials required while filling out the online form.
- You will need official academic transcripts. If you haven’t graduated, have all the transcripts till your current semester.
- Two to three letters of recommendation (LORs).
- CV or Resume. Some courses might also ask you to submit a portfolio.
- Statement of Purpose and essay.
- Passport-size photographs.
- A valid passport.
At this point, you should also start preparing for GRE or GMAT, whatever your course requires. To get an average score, you need to prepare for a month. However, to score well you should set aside 6 months.
Also, look into the English Proficiency tests and register for them. If your education has been conducted in English, these tests aren’t hard and will require minimal preparation.
Step 3 – taking standardized exams
8-10 months prior to the deadline, you should start registering for the required exams and start booking slots. This gives you enough time to retake the tests if you don’t score well.
GRE cutoff ranges from 150 to 165 in top universities like Harvard, Stanford, MIT, and the University of California – Berkeley.
GRE needs three cutoffs:
GRE verbal (130-170 score scale)
GRE quantitative reasoning (130-170 score scale)
GRE Analytical Writing (0-5 score scale)
These are the scores you need to get admitted into a top university.
However, different colleges and different courses will require different GRE scores.
If you are applying to business school, you should give GMAT.
Pplan enough time to retake the GRE test at least twice.
Step 4 – final arrangements
3 months before January, you should ideally have an offer from a US university.
With that you can start applying for student visas, researching health insurance policies, and making your travel arrangements.
Throughout the entire timeline, we recommend that you look for funding side-by-side.
Finding funding is a crucial step. Without adequate funding, your application will be rejected or the offer can be revoked.
Look into scholarships, education loans, job opportunities while you work there.
Here are some examples of the scholarships you can apply to.
- Inlaks Shivdasani Foundation Scholarship – For students who wish to study in North America.
- Fulbright-Nehru Research Scholarship – You need to have a bachelor’s degree from a recognized university.
- Stanford Reliance Dhirubhai Fellowships for Indian Students – This scholarship covers tuition fees and associated fees for the two-year MBA program at Stanford Graduate Business School.
- The Indian Trust Fellowship – The fellowship program covers the tuition fees of USD 10,000 for students who want to study MBA at Booth School of Business in Chicago
- American University Emerging Global Leader Scholarship – To help students get a bachelor’s degree in the USA.
- Tata Scholarships for Cornell University – If you have been offered admission to Cornell as an undergraduate student, you can be eligible for this scholarship.
- AAUW International Fellowships – 5 international women get funding to pursue full-time graduate courses.
- Rotary Foundation Ambassadorial Scholarship – You can get a scholarship to study in these six areas: water and sanitation, peace and conflict prevention, maternal and child health, basic education and literacy, disease prevention and treatment, and economic and community development.
- Akhtarali H. Tobaccowala Fellowship – This scholarship provides USD 25,000 to 2 selected candidates each year for pursuing a full-time MBA program at Booth School of Business in Chicago.
To get more scholarship opportunities, you should reach out to online mediums. For example, SelectRight. When you create an account at SelectRight, the platform helps you locate exclusive scholarship offers.
SelectRight is a part of GradRight. On SelectRight, you can find exclusive scholarships.
Now that you know what to expect from the Spring intake in USA 20254 and what the Spring intake universities in the USA expect from you, start with your applications.
