Academic Year in USA

Many universities in USA follow either quarter calendar system or semester calendar system.

Quarter calendar system is the whole academic year that is divided into three sessions known as quarters. Each quarter is of 12 weeks. Usually, there is an additional quarter in the summer season, in which registration is optional. International students are not required to attend the summer courses to maintain the status.

Semester calendar system is the whole academic year that is divided into two semesters or sessions: the fall and the spring semester. Usually, students take 16 credits for each semester which makes 32 credits in a year. Each course has 3 credits on an average which depends on the number of hours of study in a week. Like Quarter based calendar system, this system also has session during summer which is optional.

There are two main semesters offered by USA Universities:

Fall Semester which starts from September/October:
Fall Semester is known as main intake in which almost all programs are offered to the students. USA Universities and educational institutions offer more financial aid in the Fall Semester. Even the funds are to be paid for the entire year in this semester.

Spring Semester which starts from January/February:
Spring Semester is known as Mid-year intake in which there is only limited financial aid provided by the most of the USA universities. The funds are to be paid to projects in the Fall semester. Many universities also provide Summer intake that starts from July.