TL;DR — Fall (September/October) is the biggest intake in the US, Canada and UK. Australia and New Zealand run February and July intakes. Apply 9 to 12 months ahead for competitive programmes; leave at least 3 to 4 months for Nepal-side sponsor documents and the visa application.
Every intake question comes down to two calendars stacked on top of each other: the destination university’s admission cycle, and the Nepal-side compliance timeline. If either one slips, the intake slips. Here is how the pieces fit together.
Main intakes by destination
| Destination | Main intakes | Application typically opens |
|---|---|---|
| United States | Fall (Aug – Sep), Spring (Jan), Summer (May at some programmes) | Fall: 9 – 12 months prior; Spring: 6 months prior |
| United Kingdom | September (main), January (smaller) | Sep intake: 12 months prior; Jan intake: 6 months prior |
| Canada | Fall (Sep), Winter (Jan), Summer (May at colleges and some programmes) | Fall: 9 months prior; Winter: 6 months prior |
| Australia | February (main), July (secondary) | Feb: 6 – 9 months prior; Jul: 5 – 6 months prior |
| New Zealand | February (main), July (secondary) | Feb: 6 – 9 months prior; Jul: 5 – 6 months prior |
The Nepal-side timeline
Once you have an offer / CoE, the following steps have their own timing:
- Sponsor documentation: bank balance certificate, tax clearance, salary certificate, sponsorship affidavit, relationship certificate — usually 1 to 2 weeks to gather cleanly.
- NOC from MoEST: typically 3 to 10 working days once documents are complete and verification is done.
- Visa lodgement: 1 to 2 weeks to prepare and lodge.
- Visa processing: varies by country and stream. Confirm the current processing time on the destination immigration website.
Realistic minimum for the Nepal-side steps combined is 3 to 4 months from offer to visa grant.
Working backwards from an intake date
If your target intake is September, working backwards:
- September: intake begins.
- August: pre-departure, travel booking, health cover activation.
- June – July: visa grant.
- April – June: visa lodgement, NOC processing, sponsor documents finalised.
- January – March: university applications and offers.
- September – December (previous year): research, university shortlisting, English test, SOP and LOR drafting.
For a February Australian intake, shift the same steps roughly 6 months earlier.
Scholarship deadlines by intake
- Chevening (UK, Fall intake): applications open in August and close in November for the following September start.
- Commonwealth Master’s (UK, Fall intake): opens October, closes December.
- GREAT Scholarships (UK, Fall intake): deadlines usually April to May.
- Australia Awards: annual cycle; check current opening on the DFAT website.
What we tell Nepali applicants
- Do not commit to an intake without a plan for the Nepal-side timeline.
- If the visa slot in your target intake month is tight, the fallback is usually the next intake, not a rushed lodgement.
- For competitive scholarships, plan the university applications and English test to be complete before the scholarship opens — the strongest scholarship applications already have offers in hand.
Key takeaways
- Fall (September) is the largest intake globally; Spring (January) is the second.
- Australia and New Zealand run February and July as their main intakes.
- Plan 9 to 12 months ahead for competitive programmes and scholarships.
- Nepal-side sponsor documents and NOC take 3 to 4 months combined.
- Missing the intake is usually cheaper than a rushed lodgement.
Related resources
See our university shortlist framework, our sponsor documentation guide, and our MoEST NOC process. For destination-specific intake variations, see our Australia, UK, Canada, USA, and New Zealand hubs.