Almost every deadline on this page lives on its own separate page elsewhere on this site, or on a different scholarship's own portal. Nobody puts them all on one calendar, which is exactly why students routinely discover a deadline three weeks after it closed. This is that calendar, for a typical September intake.
Read this as a planning guide, not a fixed date sheet. Several of these windows shift year to year, and Georgia, Russia, and Azerbaijan in particular have no single fixed national deadline at all, since each university sets its own. Confirm exact current dates directly with HEC or your specific target university close to when you act.
October to December (The Year Before)
- If you are targeting China's CSC scholarship or any MOE-listed university for a September intake, this is when to start preparing for CSCA. The exam's rollout has pushed real preparation into this window rather than the following spring, since sittings and registration for an early-year deadline now happen here. See our full CSCA guide for registration specifics.
- Start collecting your FSc and Matric documents for IBCC attestation now. The full IBCC-to-MOFA attestation chain realistically takes four to six weeks once you start, so beginning here rather than in the spring gives you real breathing room.
January
- China's CSC scholarship application through HEC's portal commonly closes in the first week of January for that year's cycle.
- Stipendium Hungaricum's application, submitted through both the Hungarian portal and HEC's own portal together, has closed around mid-January in recent cycles.
- Türkiye Bursları applications typically open in this window, generally running from early-to-mid January through mid-to-late February.
- University-direct applications to individual Chinese universities (as opposed to the CSC scholarship route) often run on their own separate timeline into February or later, so check your specific shortlisted university directly rather than assuming the CSC deadline applies to it too.
February
- Türkiye Bursları applications typically close in this window.
- This is a realistic point to begin serious USAT preparation if you have not already, since HEC ties USAT sittings to specific scholarship cycles rather than a single fixed annual date. See our full USAT guide for what to expect.
March to May
- Türkiye Bursları evaluation runs through this period, with interviews typically following in June and July.
- This is a reasonable window to begin university applications for Russia, the CIS countries, and Azerbaijan, since these generally open earlier and run longer than the scholarship-specific deadlines above. Azerbaijani university windows have been reported opening as early as April.
- If you are self-funding rather than pursuing a scholarship, this is also when to start firming up your budget. See our self-funded cost comparison if you have not already.
June to July
- Georgia and most CIS university applications for a September intake are typically submitted in this window, though as noted, individual universities do not share one fixed national deadline.
- Türkiye Bursları interviews typically happen in this period, with results reported as arriving anywhere from around this time through August depending on the year, a detail worth confirming directly rather than assuming either timeline.
- If you have not started attestation by now, this is genuinely late. Push it forward immediately rather than waiting for an offer letter first.
August to September
- Visa processing happens in this window once an offer letter is in hand. Realistic processing times vary meaningfully by country: commonly a few working days to a couple of weeks for China, potentially several weeks for Georgia, two to five weeks for Russia, and a notably faster e-visa option for Azerbaijan.
- Azerbaijani university application windows have been reported closing as late as early-to-mid September, making Azerbaijan one of the more realistic options if you are starting later than you should have.
- Travel and arrival for a September intake happens here. Confirm your specific university's actual welcome-week or orientation date, since this varies by institution even within the same country.
The Single Biggest Timing Mistake
Treating attestation as something to handle after you have an offer letter, rather than in parallel with your applications. IBCC and MOFA attestation do not depend on having an admission offer first, and starting them early is the single easiest way to avoid a self-inflicted delay in the final months before travel.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if I am reading this after most of these windows have already closed for the year?
Azerbaijan's later application window and rolling admissions at several CIS universities remain realistic options later in the cycle than China's CSC or the major scholarship programs. Otherwise, use the time to prepare thoroughly for next year's cycle rather than rushing a weaker application into a closing window.
Do all of these dates apply to every intake, or just September?
This calendar is built around the standard September intake most of these programs use. Some universities and countries also run smaller intakes at other points in the year; confirm directly if your target program has one.
Not sure where you stand against this calendar right now? Titans Abroad will map your specific timeline against the countries and scholarships you are actually considering. Contact us on WhatsApp for a free consultation.