Fall or Spring Intake : Masters in US

Not all schools have a Spring intake and hence, the choices of programs to apply to are fewer than in Fall.
Although it remains inconclusive whether starting graduate school in Spring adversely affects the admission chances, here are few things you should know about applying for Spring semester :

1. Getting a summer Internship Fall vs Spring
You can get a CPT only after 9 months of your arrival into USA. For this reason, Spring students cannot get a CPT to intern off-campus during their first summer.
If a summer internship is critical for you, then consider applying for a course beginning in Fall so that you do not face such restrictions.

2. Getting Financial Aid
While some people argue that chances of scholarships are low in Spring than Fall, there is no evidence to support this. It all depends on the availability of funding with the university and the Professors.

3. Availability of Courses in Fall vs Spring
Some courses are offered in Fall typically and some in Spring. More popular courses might be offered preferably in Fall since that is the most common intake period and number of students enrolling for the courses are higher in Fall. However, it is better to take a look at the curriculum before assuming that you will not find enough good courses in Spring.

4. Accommodation, Weather and Networking
It might also be very difficult to get accommodation when you join during spring as most leases start fall and end in summer. You also miss the big university wide orientations that happen during fall. January weather on the east coast is pretty bad too and entirely favorable to start with.

You can make a decision according to the points above and determine what's best for you!

All the best! :)