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MS in US Spring 2020 Deadlines are the last dates of submitting MS applications for spring intake. Studying in one of the world’s leading countries in economy, business, technology, science, politics, and arts is the dream and ambition of thousands of Indian students. One such country, as is evident from history, is the United States of America. A student looking for opportunities to study in the United States (USA) must be well aware of the timelines by which the courses in various universities begin.

The course schedules are different abroad. Unlike the Indian university timelines, where we have admissions happening only once in a year, the case is different in the universities abroad, especially in the US. US universities follow a semester or quarter system. So, beginning with the timelines available for students looking for the education in the USA, this article would guide you through the deadlines to look out for application to Universities, especially for students who are eagerly waiting for the next earliest admission season starting in 2020. That is the Spring season of admissions.

MS in US Spring 2020 Deadlines

MS in US Spring 2020 Deadlines- Top 10 Universities

MS in US Spring 2020 Deadlines- Other Universities

MS in US Spring 2020 Deadlines  – Undergraduate courses

A lot depends upon the university that the candidate considers for admission in Spring-intake. Basically, since some of the US universities follow the semester system and others follow a quarter system, even the course structure must be taken into account.

In the case of Semester system, some of the top universities which fall under the A+, A grades had their deadlines by March-April 2019. The next set of universities which fall under the A-, B+, B and C+ had deadlines around July-August and that of some C- and D grade universities have deadlines till October-November 2019.

The timeline ranging from April to June is called the Spring-Quarter. The university study programs in this category begin by April and last up to June of the same year. For this type of study program, the candidate is required to complete the application process by the month of January for that year. Even this varies to some extent based on the university recognition and status. Thus if the student wants to have an assured chance, it is better to go ahead by January 2020 for a course starting in the Spring-quarter of 2020.

MS in US Spring 2020 Deadlines – Requirements and Advantages

One of the key prerequisites for graduate courses such as the MS (Master of Science, which is equivalent to the ME/ M.Tech. programs) is that the student must possess a Bachelor’s Degree certificate from a recognized university in the field of Science or Engineering. Along with this, there are other mandatory documents required, such as theletters of recommendation, competitive exam test scores like GRE/GMAT/SAT, the test-scores in important English-language tests such as TOEFL, IELTS, etc. Apart from these, it is also required to produce a statement of purpose, explaining the candidate’s suitability for the course and key purpose for which the candidate wishes to take up the course.

A great advantage of applying for the Spring-admission intake for MS programs in the US is that the number of applicants are comparatively lesser than the fall season and hence the competition level is beneficial. As is the case with the undergraduate programs, the deadlines vary from one university to another. But generally, the deadlines for the January semester ends by September, 2019 for the 2020 spring intake. But still, certain universities, of course not the top ones, provide deadlines till the end of October, 2018. Another exciting fact is that if the candidate wishes to graduate by June, 2021, he or she can still make that happen by joining the Spring-intake season. Also, the students who join the spring admission session are at the advantage of utilizing their summer period for completing courses or taking up internships, which might be available lesser to those students who join in the Fall, 2020. Thus the students joining in Spring-intake would be put ahead of the others.

Opportunity for Re-applicants

The candidates who missed an opportunity of joining their dream school in the fall season of the previous year can apply again to their school of choice in the spring season. This is regardless of the fact whether the candidate joined and started the course in any other university or not. If the student has started the course, he can apply to the other institution and get all his previous course credits transferred to the new university and continue the course from there on. In the case of candidates who hadn’t joined any institution post application to the previous fall, can reconsider their application.

The candidates must be careful enough to analyse and evaluate their applications regarding the reasons for rejection and then work further on developing the same. Certain aspects such as academic background, test scores, experience, research capability, etc. are vital.

MS in US Spring 2020 Deadlines- Important Timelines for Application

The University education system in the US provides for three time periods for course enrolment in a year starting with the Spring, Summer and the Fall. Out of the three, Summer-period is offered only for specific programs in select universities.Some universities also offer Winter admissions, but are mostly relevant for short term courses such as certification and diploma courses.

The Spring-admission intakes begins in the month of January and ends by May of the particular year the course is intended to begin. The semester generally extends between 14 to 16 weeks. The admission process starts around the same time as that of the Fall season, that is around August-September of the previous year. The batch orientation programs are usually conducted during January of the year the course begins.

The next admission session is the Summer and it begins by the month of June. Being the shortest of all three semesters, the Summer session lasts for about two months. Not all universities in the US provide courses in the Summer season. But one can find specific courses depending upon the university that offers the program.

The third season of admission is the Fall. The Fall admission season is the most preferred by Indian students, especially because the timeline coincides with the Indian degree system. This admission season starts by August or September of the year and ends by December or January. The application forms start rolling out by August or September of the previous year. Also, more financial assistance can be availed for the Fall season generally.

There are multiple reasons for the universities providing such three different timelines for application. One is because, it is a means of providing an opportunity for students who missed one of the previous intake-seasons due to various reasons. Another is sensibly because of the difficulty in accommodating the vast number of foreign students to a program.

Choosing the Admission Season – Important criteria to be considered

When it comes to choosing between whether to join with the spring or fall season of admission, there are numerous criteria to be considered.

One of them is the course that you wish to take up. Generally the fall season includes many courses compared to the Spring-season. But having said this, it does not mean that the scope or opportunities to get into a course of the candidate’s choice is meagre. One must search and collect in-depth details regarding the admission timelines and guidelines for the course that one wishes to study. Another important criteria to be considered is the University. As mentioned earlier, not all universities offer all courses in every season of admission. Apart from this, the knowledge about the class size and allocated quota for foreign students in the study program becomes necessary.  Hence it is better advised to be well aware of the university offerings.

Next important aspect is the availability of financial support and arranging the source formeeting the expenses of doing the course. There could be part-time and full time courses and most courses abroad even provide opportunities to work while studying. In addition to this, many countries and universities offer scholarships and other forms of financial aid to students.

These apart, Visa processes, course duration, job prospects, opportunities, etc. are vital aspects to be studied before narrowing down to begin the application process.

Spring-Intake in the US Universities

When the schedule dates and application deadlines of universities are considered, each university has its own specific deadline for application which can be obtained directly from the university’s official website or other genuine updated websites. Generally for various courses beginning in 2020(January), majority of the institutions provided deadlines around August, September or October, 2018. But a major factor also depends on the reputation recognition of the university.

Types of Deadlines

There are important types of deadlines provided by universities and it is easy for one to get confused as regarding what exactly each one means. Some types of deadlines are priority deadlines, regular deadlines, scholarship consideration deadlines, rolling-admission deadlines, late application and final deadline.Priority deadline is the deadline considered by some top universities by which one can expect an admission earlier than expected.Regular deadlinesare the common or general deadlines before which the candidate is expected to complete the application. Scholarship consideration deadlines are important for students to be eligible for scholarships, especially when many foreign universities provide financial assistance to international candidates.Rolling admission is the deadline by which the admission has begun and the seats get filled on a regular basis. One loses the chance of studying in the university if all seats are filled by the mentioned rolling admission date. Next is the Late Admission date which is as common as even in the Indian universities, which might incur an additional late-fee payment as well. Final deadline refers to the last call for admission to the students by the university. Beyond the final deadline, no admission takes place.

To keep in mind!

There are certain common mistakes that candidates make because of which their application gets rejected.One is that, the candidate fails to make a proper list of course programs and the priority list of universities they wish to secure a seat in. This is very important as the student must have a proper guidance as to what should be the next step in case of rejection in the process of application. Another major error would be the lack of good Letters of Recommendation (LOR) and Statement of Purpose (SOP). Simply applying with the same LORs and SOPsthat were once rejected, would not work through for re-application.

We thus see a big ocean of opportunities for candidates who wish to seek admission to the Spring-season intake, provided the candidate acts with care, confidence and awareness of the programs and universities he or she aims to join.