Australia Intakes for Nepali Students: February, July and November

How Many Intakes Are There in Australia?

Australia has three intakes for most courses: February or March, July, and November, and the first two are the major intakes.

An intake is simply the time of year when a university or college takes in new students and the course begins. In Nepali, you can think of it as the admission (भर्ना) season. The meaning is the same for every international student, so Nepali students choose from exactly the same intakes in Australia as students from any other country.

Australia’s academic year starts in February or March and ends in November. Most universities split it into two semesters, so Semester 1 starts in February or March and Semester 2 starts in July. Study Australia’s guide to mid-year entry explains this pattern, and it adds that some providers use trimesters or terms instead. Those providers give you a third start in November, and a few give you even more. Just starting out? Our guide to study in Australia from Nepal walks you through the whole path, from course to flight.

So when people ask how many intakes there are in Australia, the short answer is two major intakes and one smaller one. February and July are the major intakes, and November is the extra intake that some universities offer. Keep in mind that each university sets its own dates, so always check the calendar of the university you apply to.

Do Universities Use Semesters, Trimesters or Terms?

Most Australian universities use two semesters, some use three trimesters, and colleges such as TAFE often use four terms with more start dates.

This is why one university says “March intake” while another says “February intake”. The table below shows how three real providers set their dates, taken from their own official calendars. UNSW in Sydney is also changing its system. That is why you should always read the calendar for the year you plan to start.

You can read the dates for yourself on the UNSW academic calendar and the TAFE NSW calendar for international students. Our profiles of UNSW Sydney and TAFE NSW explain their courses for Nepali students. Outside the three main intakes, some providers also take new students at other times of the year:

These smaller intakes are real, but they are not open for every course. If an agent offers you a September intake in Australia, ask which exact course it is for and check the start date on the provider’s own website. The colleges in Australia for international students list is a good place to start if you are looking at diplomas with April or September starts.

Which Intake Is Best for Nepali Students?

For most Nepali students the February intake is best, because it has the most courses, and the July intake is the best second choice.

February gives you the widest choice of universities and courses, and you start with everyone else at the beginning of the academic year. But the best intake for you is the one where your documents are ready on time. A student with a strong file in July is in a better position than a student who rushes a weak file for February.

Think about your own results first. In Nepal, +2 results usually come out around July or August. So a student who has just passed +2 often finds February the natural fit, with time to take IELTS or PTE and gather documents. Bachelor’s students sometimes wait months for their final results and transcripts, and for them the July intake can work better. Also remember Dashain and Tihar. Many offices, banks and colleges in Nepal slow down or close in that season, so documents you need for a February start can take longer than you expect.

Your grades matter too, because they decide which courses accept you in each intake. Our guide to the requirements to study in Australia from Nepal explains the GPA, gap and English rules. Before you pick an intake, ask yourself these questions:

What Are the Australia Intakes for Master’s Students?

Most master’s courses in Australia start in February or March and again in July, and some trimester universities also start them in November.

In short, the Australia intake for masters is mostly February or July. Popular master’s courses for Nepali students, such as IT, business analytics, accounting, engineering and public health, usually run in both major intakes. A few courses take students only once a year, often in February. That is common for courses with work placements, such as teaching, social work and some health courses. Their placements are planned for the whole year.

So if you have finished your bachelor’s in Nepal, check the course page of each university before you choose your month. Our guide to master’s degrees in Australia lists the common courses and what they need. Research degrees are different: a research master’s or a PhD can often start at several points in the year once a supervisor agrees. Deakin, for example, has four research intake dates each year, which you can read about on its application dates page. Our guide to a PhD in Australia explains how to find a supervisor from Nepal.

Which Intake Is Available for Each Type of Course?

February is available for almost every course, July for most bachelor’s and master’s courses, and the smaller intakes mainly for diplomas, pathway courses and some postgraduate courses.

The table below gives the usual pattern. It is a guide, not a promise, because each university decides which courses start in which intake.

Have you just passed +2 with a lower GPA? Then a diploma or pathway course gives you more start dates and a route into a bachelor’s degree later. Our guide to diploma courses in Australia for international students explains how that works. To check where your grades stand, use our NEB GPA calculator. Students who choose the wrong intake often make one of these common mistakes:

Here is how that timeline looks for the two major intakes. The months are a guide for planning, and your own university’s deadline always comes first.

Notice that a February start means most of the work happens around Dashain and Tihar, so plan your documents before the festivals. If your documents use Nepali dates, our Nepali date converter helps you match them to English dates. Our step-by-step guide on how to apply for an Australia student visa explains each of these steps in detail.

How Long Before Your Intake Should You Apply for the Visa?

Apply for your visa as soon as you have your CoE, usually two to three months before your course starts, as there is no fixed processing time.

The Home Affairs student visa page asks you to apply with enough time before your course starts. It does not promise a number of weeks. Instead, its visa processing times guide shows how long recent applications took, and that changes from month to month. You need a valid Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) to apply, and you also need to show money for your tuition, living costs and travel. Our page on Australia student visa requirements lists every document.

Two more dates matter for your intake. If Home Affairs asks for biometrics, you have 14 days to give them, and in Nepal that means an appointment in Kathmandu. Read our guide to biometrics locations in Nepal before you apply. Then, your Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) must start on the day you arrive. Home Affairs says students generally arrive between one week and one month before the course starts, so match your health cover and your flight to that plan.

What Happens If You Miss Your Intake?

If you miss your intake, you can usually move to the next one, which is often only four or five months later.

Missing an intake is common, and it is not the end of your plan. If your visa comes late, ask your university to defer your start to the next intake, and it will send you a new CoE with the new dates. If the visa is still being processed, tell Home Affairs about the new CoE through your ImmiAccount. If you have not applied yet, simply plan for the next intake and use the extra time to improve your English score or your documents.

The extra months do add to your study gap. So keep proof of what you do in that time, such as a job, a short course or a language class. Our guide on the study gap accepted in Australia explains how much gap is fine. Our Genuine Student (GS) guide shows how to explain it in your visa answers. If you decide to change your course or university instead, read our guide on how to change course or college on an Australia student visa first.

Does Your Intake Affect Scholarships and Costs?

Yes, a little: many university scholarships have their own deadlines, which often fall several months before the February and July intakes.

Most university scholarships for international students are given with the offer, so if you apply early for your intake, you are considered on time. Some scholarships open only once a year, so check the deadline when you pick your intake. Our guide to scholarships in Australia for Nepali students covers the main awards and how to apply for them.

Your intake does not change the tuition fee for the year, but it does change when you pay. The deposit is due about 4 to 5 months before you start, and the rest of the money for the visa must be ready at the same time. Our page on the total cost to study in Australia from Nepal shows how much to plan for.

Not sure which intake suits your results, course and documents? You can get advice from a Goreto counselor from any town in Nepal, even Dhangadhi. Visit one of our branches in Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Chitwan, Itahari or Pokhara, or reach us through our contact page.