You are successfully registered
Thanks for telling us about yourself, ! Now we know who we're talking to, and can create content you'll love
We use cookies for three reasons: to give you the best experience on PGS, to make sure the PGS ads you see on other sites are relevant , and to measure website usage. Some of these cookies are necessary to help the site work properly and can’t be switched off. Cookies also support us to provide our services for free, and by click on “Accept” below, you are agreeing to our use of cookies.You can manage your preferences now or at any time.
We use cookies, which are small text files placed on your computer, to allow the site to work for you, improve your user experience, to provide us with information about how our site is used, and to deliver personalised ads which help fund our work and deliver our service to you for free.
The information does not usually directly identify you, but it can give you a more personalised web experience.
You can accept all, or else manage cookies individually. However, blocking some types of cookies may affect your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer.
You can change your cookies preference at any time by visiting our Cookies Notice page. Please remember to clear your browsing data and cookies when you change your cookies preferences. This will remove all cookies previously placed on your browser.
For more detailed information about the cookies we use, or how to clear your browser cookies data see our Cookies Notice
Strictly necessary cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems.
They are essential for you to browse the website and use its features.
You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work. We can’t identify you from these cookies.
Functional cookies
These help us personalise our sites for you by remembering your preferences and settings. They may be set by us or by third party providers, whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies, then these services may not function properly.
Performance cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and see where our traffic comes from, so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are popular and see how visitors move around the site. The cookies cannot directly identify any individual users.
If you do not allow these cookies we will not know when you have visited our site and will not be able to improve its performance for you.
Marketing cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by social media services or our advertising partners. Social media cookies enable you to share our content with your friends and networks. They can track your browser across other sites and build up a profile of your interests. If you do not allow these cookies you may not be able to see or use the content sharing tools.
Advertising cookies may be used to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but work by uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will still see ads, but they won’t be tailored to your interests.
While many postgraduate courses will follow the traditional academic year structure and begin in September, more and more universities are offering the option of beginning a course in January as well. This is known as January Intake (you may also see it referred to as Winter Intake). For the most part, January Intake and September Intake are similar, but there are a few important distinctions between the two. It is wise to consider these alternatives when it comes to choosing when to start your postgraduate course, as they could make the world of difference to your application timeline and open up new opportunities.
January Intake is, as the name suggests, when a university course begins in January as opposed to the more common September start. There should be no difference between what you learn on the course whether you start in January or September, though each intake will likely be studying different subjects at separate points of the year.
Finishing your undergraduate degree in August and going straight into starting your postgraduate course in September can leave very little time to catch your breath after three busy years. Starting your postgraduate degree in January can you give some additional time to recover and prepare for your next higher education experience.
If you miss the September application deadline, discover you didn’t get accepted to any September courses you applied for, or you start a course but find you want to transfer to a different university, January Intakes can be an avenue for you to explore. While not every course offers January Intake, you may find an option that allows you to start your degree without having to wait until the following September.
It’s not just the intake which can occur at a different time but starting in January will mean you’ll also leave university at a different time to students who started in September. Many employers will receive an influx of job applications from June to September from the September starters as they leave university. January starters may find their application could stand out more, as they will arrive in the New Year with less competition from other students.
Mature students looking to return to university for a master’s degree or an MBA may find that the traditional academic year doesn’t fit well with taking the time away from work. Being able to take a calendar year to study instead with January Intake could prove much easier when it comes to organising your time with your employer.
Institutions across the UK have courses available with January Intake for postgraduate students, including all the universities on the list below. This is not a comprehensive inventory of every university that has January Intake – please use our course search to confirm if there are universities with January Intake for the course you are interested in...
Next: Find a university course
Not sure where to start when it comes to writing a PhD personal statement? We have...
CONTENTS Do background research Find out about interview format Review...
CONTENTS Why do postgraduate students report higher levels of poor mental...