UK Intakes: September, January and May

How Many Intakes Are There in the UK?

Most UK universities have one main intake in September and a second intake in January, and some also take students in May.

An intake is simply the time of year when a course starts and new students join. The UK academic year begins in September or early October, so that is when almost every course starts. Many universities run a second start in January for popular master’s courses, and a smaller number add a May start. Nepali students choose from the same intakes as every other international student. New to the whole process? Our guide to study in UK from Nepal takes you from choosing a course to landing in the UK.

Each university sets its own start dates, so the week can differ by a few days. Always read the start date on your offer letter, because your visa, CAS and flight all follow that date. Apart from these three intakes, you may also see these start dates:

Which UK Intake Is Best for Nepali Students?

For most Nepali students the September intake is the best choice, because it has the most courses, scholarships and classmates starting with you.

When you start in September, you join at the beginning of the academic year. Orientation, clubs and student support are all at their busiest, and settling in is easier with thousands of other new students. Most university scholarships for international students are also planned around the September start, as our guide to UK universities for Nepali students shows course by course.

January is a good second choice, not a weaker one. It gives you 4 more months to get your IELTS or PTE score, collect documents and arrange money. May is useful only if your exact course starts then. The best intake for you is the one where your marks, English test and funds are ready on time. Here is a quick way to decide:

Which UK Intake Suits a Master’s or a Bachelor’s?

A bachelor’s almost always starts in September, but a master’s often lets you pick September or January, and sometimes May.

For a bachelor’s, you apply through UCAS, the one website where you apply for UK bachelor’s courses, and nearly every course starts in September. Only a few universities run a January bachelor’s, and most of those are top-up or foundation courses. Our page on bachelor’s degrees in the UK lists popular courses for +2 students.

For a master’s, you usually apply straight to the university, and many popular courses start twice a year. Northumbria University is one example. Its January courses page lists many master’s courses that start in January and last 12, 16 or 24 months, and a few health courses start only in January. You can compare one-year and longer courses in our guide to a master’s in the UK. In short:

When Should You Apply for the September Intake?

Start about 12 months before September, and send your applications between October and January if you can.

For a bachelor’s, the UCAS dates and deadlines page sets the calendar. You can usually start your form in May and send it from early September. Oxford, Cambridge and most medicine courses usually close in mid-October. For most other courses, the “equal consideration date” is usually in mid-January. If you apply by then, your form is judged the same as everyone else’s.

UCAS also says many universities keep taking international students later in the year. Still, good courses fill up, and a late offer leaves little time for the CAS and visa. For a master’s there is no single deadline. Each course sets its own date, and many close once seats are full. A September plan for a student in Nepal usually looks like this:

When Should You Apply for the January and May Intakes?

For a January start, apply by about September or October, and for a May start, apply by about January or February.

Each university sets its own January deadline, and some popular master’s courses close early when seats are full. If you apply by September or October, you still have time for the deposit, CAS and visa. In Nepal, those months are also Dashain and Tihar, when banks and offices close for days.

May is the smallest intake. Coventry University, for example, starts master’s courses in September, November, January, March and May. Its guide to starting a master’s in May says you usually apply by the end of April. It also asks students from abroad to apply much earlier, because the visa takes time. A January plan from Nepal usually looks like this:

How Does the Visa Timeline Work Back from Your Start Date?

Count back from your start date: you can travel up to 1 month before it, and you can apply for the visa up to 6 months before it.

The GOV.UK Student visa page sets these rules for anyone applying from outside the UK. For a course longer than 6 months, you can arrive up to 1 month before it starts, but never before the start date on your visa. You also pay a £558 visa fee and the health surcharge; our UK student visa fee page has the totals.

Before you apply, your money must sit in the bank for at least 28 days in a row. The GOV.UK money page says that 28-day period must end within 31 days of your visa application. For living costs alone, you show £1,203 a month outside London or £1,570 in London, for up to 9 months, under the rates that start on 30 November. That is about Rs 22 lakh to Rs 28 lakh.

Check today’s rate with our GBP to Rs forex converter. A visa decision usually comes within 3 weeks. Working back from the start date, the order is:

How Do +2 Results, Dashain and the Nepali Calendar Fit the UK Intakes?

Nepali +2 results usually come out around July or August, so many +2 students find January or the next September easier than the September straight after their exams.

Most UK universities give you a conditional offer using your Class 11 marks and expected grades. You then send your +2 marksheet when it comes out. For a September start, that leaves only a few weeks for the CAS, the 28-day funds and the visa. Check your grade against the entry rules with our NEB GPA calculator as soon as your results are out.

Festivals matter too. Dashain and Tihar usually fall between late September and November, right when January applications, deposits and CAS requests are due. Your Nepali documents also carry Bikram Sambat dates, while UK deadlines use English dates. Use our Nepali date converter to match them. In Nepali months, the intakes fall like this:

What If You Miss Your UK Intake?

If you miss an intake, you can usually ask the university to move your offer to the next one, or apply for a later start.

Many universities let you defer an offer by one intake or one year, but ask before you pay a deposit, because the rules differ. For a bachelor’s, you can still apply after the January UCAS date, and from early July Clearing lists courses with places left. If your visa is delayed, tell the university at once, because some allow a short late arrival. Do not book flights until your visa is granted.

Total costs also change little between intakes, so pick the intake that fits your documents, not the cheapest month. Our cost to study in the UK page shows tuition by level. Before you start, read how to apply to UK universities from Nepal and the UK student visa requirements. If you want help picking your intake, talk to a Goreto counselor anywhere in Nepal, or visit our branches in Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Chitwan, Itahari and Pokhara.