Study Abroad Calendar - Intakes, scholarships, tests

Study abroad calendar - Most universities abroad have more than one admission intake in a year and academic study abroad calendars vary with the country. Popular destinations such as Australia, Canada, Germany, USA, the UK, and other European countries have multiple admission intakes. Most have two main intakes - fall and spring. The fall intake usually starts in September and the spring one in January. The ideal time to start preparing is twelve to eighteen months before the target intake. Start taking the tests as many candidates end up retaking them to improve their scores. Application documents such as transcripts, essays and other documents should be ready at least a month before the application deadline. As soon as the acceptance letter arrives, start exploring scholarships. Keep scholarship documents ready at least a month before the visa interview is scheduled. The application process for overseas education requires far more planning than the process for Indian universities; plus, it must be completed while writing exams and attending classes following the Indian academic calendar.

Here, we’ve included the intakes for various popular study destinations along with the best study abroad scholarships and their deadlines for applications. Where dates have not been announced, the months when they generally fall have been given.

Study abroad calendar - Canada Intake

Winter: January - May

Spring/Summer: May - August

Fall: September - December

Study abroad calendar - USA Intake

Spring: January - April

Summer: May - August

Fall: August - December

Study abroad calendar - New Zealand Intake

Intake 1: February - June

Intake 2: July - November

Study abroad calendar - UK Intake

Winter: January - April

Summer: April - June

Fall: September - December

Best countries to study abroad:

Study abroad calendar - Ireland Intake

Spring: January - May

Autumn: September - December

Study abroad calendar - Europe Intake

Spring: January - May

Fall: August - December

List of scholarships to study abroad by country:

Study abroad calendar - Qualifying exams

Students hoping to study abroad are required to complete a number of exams. These typically include a standardised exam and a language test. The first assesses your suitability for a specific programme; the language test gauges the candidate’s command over English. Here is a list of the crucial tests a candidate must pass in order to study abroad, along with their dates.

IELTS: The International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is for testing English language proficiency of students whose first language is not English. It is conducted by IDP Education in India.

GRE: The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is taken by candidates for postgraduate programmes in overseas universities. GRE scores are accepted by colleges and institutions in over 160 countries. It is conducted by the Educational Testing Service (ETS).

GMAT: Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) is conducted by the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) for MBA admissions in many countries.

TOEFL: The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is an English language proficiency test conducted by the Educational Testing Service (ETS). The TOEFL score is accepted in 150 countries.

PTE: The Pearson Test of English (PTE) Academic, an English language proficiency test, is conducted by the PTE Academic TM.

SAT: The Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) assesses college readiness for a programme, especially in the US.

ACT: American College Testing (ACT) is similar to the SAT and serves the same purpose.

MCAT: The Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) is accepted for medical college admission in the United States, Canada, Australia, and the Caribbean. Conducted by the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) for
MD admissions.

DET: The Duolingo English Test (DET) has become popular as an English language proficiency test in recent times.

CAEL: The Canadian Academic English Language (CAEL) Assessment is for international students who wish to study in Canadian universities.

C1 Advanced: The C1 Advanced, formerly known as Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) serves as a transitional test for the English language between the B2 First and C2 Proficiency test levels. The exam tests the language abilities of candidates who seek admission to colleges abroad.

CPE: The Cambridge English Proficiency exam, earlier known as the CPE, is the highest-level of English proficiency exam conducted by the Cambridge English exam suite.

ECCE: The Examination for the Certificate of Competency in English (ECCE) is awarded by the University
of Michigan.

AP: The advanced placement (AP) exams are conducted by the College Board which also conducts the SAT. The AP exam is written by students who wish to pursue courses at the university level.

USMLE: The United State Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) is a series of examinations for obtaining a residency or PG in the USA, followed by a medical licence to practise in the respective American state.

LSAT: The Law School Admission Test (LSAT) is conducted by the Law School Admission Council (LSAC) for assessing readiness for law school.

As the study abroad calendar shows, the exam bodies allow a wide range of date alternatives for English language proficiency exams. However, the general rule is to pick a date that will allow you to receive the test results early enough to include them in your applications.