We often receive a lot of questions about how to time the US admission process. So let’s discuss questions of when to apply to American universities here.

As far as the timing of US admission process is concerned, there are several misconceptions prospective students have. Here are a few of the examples –

• The process can be completed quickly
• Students can apply whenever they want
• Secondary school/Final year exams must be finished before you can apply. 
• Application time is always the same for every US University 
• The admission calendar doesn’t have an end. 

In the context of these misconceptions, let us make it very clear that the US admission process takes time, months even years especially for international students. The admission calendar and actual calendar overlap in some interesting ways. By 1^st May every year, the long process is finished. Knowing the timeline and understanding the admission calendar is very important to your success.

For now, let’s discuss the timing of the complete admission process.

All US universities offer admission for the main intake which is the fall academic session. Keep in mind that here everything is discussed from the perspective of applying for the Fall semester. We will discuss the Spring intake later in the article.

The Fall term typically begins in September, which is the month when the weather transitions from summer to fall. Now let’s work backward from September. To begin your studies in September, you have to apply many months earlier. Fall application deadlines can be set as early as November of the previous year. So for example, if you are aiming at attending the Fall 2021 session, the application deadlines will typically end in November 2020. That’s full nine months before you actually begin your session. Not all application deadlines end this early, but most fall between December and February, which is still several months before you can start your studies.

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This leads us to the question “But I’ll still be in school/college at that point! How will I submit all of my information like final exam scores to the university?”

The answer is quite straightforward – most students apply to US universities when they are still finishing the final year of college or 12^th grade. This means that universities don’t have all of your final scores when they review your application. For example, if you are currently enrolled for a degree that lasts for four years, your application will include academic information of three or three a half years. Similarly, if your course duration is three years, your application will have academic information of two to two and a half years.

Indian educational system requires a final leaving exam, similar to the British and French systems. American universities are well aware of this, so you will submit your application before you take your final exams. At most, you might be asked to submit predicted or provisional exam scores when you apply.

Realize that the timing of admission means that universities evaluate you on the basis of most, but not all your academic information. This fact can make some of you nervous; what if you perform really badly on your final exams? But there is no need to feel that way. Remember, admission counselors know how to evaluate an application on the basis of the information provided.

So to move forward, let’s say you apply in January to begin your studies in September. What happens in between? Universities release their admission decisions at different times. Depending on the university and on when you apply, you might get the admission results as early as February, or as late as April. It can be a long and frustrating wait to receive your decision. Most of the students we have helped have reported that waiting is actually the most difficult part of the whole process.

Generally speaking, 1^st May is referred to as the candidate’s reply date and it is the deadline for accepted students to choose the university they will attend. So to start your session in September, you choose a university in May that you apply for many months before.

Depending on your situation, applying for the fall intake might not work for you. In such a case, you can consider applying for the next session that begins in January. This intake session goes by different names. Some universities refer to this as the Spring semester, while others call it the Winter term. What you should remember when applying for January intake is that this option is not offered at all universities in the US. Some universities which offer January admission don’t offer it for all majors. If you are leaning towards January admission, make sure you do your research about long before applying. You will have fewer options than the fall intake, but you will have some good options and it is just a matter of identifying them.

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If you have already graduated, don’t worry you are not at any disadvantage. However, universities will definitely want to know what you have done since graduation. The reason behind your academic break can be important in your evaluation. The university expects that you have improved yourself since finishing college. If they compare your profile today to your profile from before, your application should be stronger.

There is no right or wrong way to make your application stronger. Some use the time after graduation to improve their English skills, others volunteer and do community service, some others work. The possibilities are endless. The crucial part is explaining how your time out of college has helped you grow as an individual.

In conclusion, preparing for and applying to US universities takes time, possibly a lot of time. Understanding this timeline and timing is really important.

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