The quick answer
Public universities in all three countries work on a two-semester year. In Germany that means a winter semester starting in September or October and a summer semester starting in March or April. Spain and Malta start their academic year in September or October, with a smaller second-semester start in February for some courses.
January, May and September starts are mostly a private-university thing. Many of the private universities and colleges we work with run all three, but intake dates are set course by course, so the only answer that counts is the one on the course page itself.
If you're on a UK Graduate visa, start from your visa end date, not from the intake you like the sound of. Work backwards: admission, then funds, then the visa appointment, then travel. Below are the real windows for each country, taken from official university and government pages checked today.
Who this is for
This guide is for people living in the UK, usually on a Graduate visa or finishing a UK degree, who want to study next in Germany, Spain or Malta and need a start date that doesn't leave a gap. If you're still working out whether to stay in the UK at all, read our guide to the Graduate visa change first.
Germany: two public semesters, more private starts
The DAAD, Germany's official academic exchange service, sets out the usual pattern for public universities (DAAD: application process):
| Semester | Starts | Typical application window | Offers usually sent |
|---|---|---|---|
| Winter semester | September or October | Early May to 15 July | August or September |
| Summer semester | March or April | Early December to 15 January | February or March |
Two points matter here. First, these are typical dates, and each university can set its own. The DAAD says outright that private universities may have other deadlines. Second, not every course takes students in the summer semester. Many master's programmes only start in October, so check the course page before you plan around an April start.
The visa side is fixed by the German missions in the UK. A student visa can't be issued more than three months before your planned travel date, and most applications are processed within about two weeks after you give your biometrics (German Missions in the UK: student visa). You apply through the Consular Services Portal. People living in Scotland apply to the Consulate General in Edinburgh, and everyone else in the UK to the Embassy in London.
Put that together and an October start at a public university looks like this: apply between May and mid-July, get an offer in August or September, then rush the visa in a few weeks. That works if your UK visa runs past October. If it doesn't, you either aim for an April start (applications open in early December) or look at a private university with a start that suits you.
Our Germany from the UK page covers costs and work rights, and our Graduate visa to Germany guide explains the blocked account and the full timeline.
Spain: September for most courses, February for some
Spanish public universities admit for official master's degrees in phases, and most courses start in September. The Universitat de València is a typical example. For 2026 entry it ran Phase 1 from 20 March to 21 April, Phase 2 from 25 May to 16 June, and an extraordinary phase in late July and late August into early September. It says master's courses typically start in mid-September (Universitat de València: master's admission).
Some public universities also run a February start for certain master's courses. At the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, applications for the February 2027 intake run from 16 November 2026 to 14 January 2027, with the list of admitted students published on 27 January 2027 and enrolment from 1 to 5 February 2027 (UPM: master's calendar).
Here's the catch nobody mentions. The Spanish consulate in London says study visa applications must be submitted at least two months before your studies begin, and it has one month by law to decide, which can be extended if it asks for an interview or more documents (Consulate General of Spain in London: study visa). If you only find out you're admitted at the end of January, a February start from the UK is very hard to make work. My honest advice: for a public university, treat September as your real target and apply in the first phase. For an earlier start, a private university that decides quickly is usually the only practical option.
Which consulate you use depends on where you live in the UK, and the funds rule is set nationally. Both are covered in our Spain student visa guide and on our Spain from the UK page.
Malta: October and February at the university, more starts privately
The University of Malta's academic year starts every October, and it runs a second, smaller intake in February (University of Malta: dates and deadlines). For 2026/27, the first semester runs from 5 October 2026 to 6 February 2027 and the second from 8 February 2027 to 25 June 2027 (University of Malta academic calendar 2026/27).
The deadline to watch is the one for people who need a visa. For the October 2026 intake, the University of Malta's deadline for non-EU applicants needing a visa was 1 July 2026, well before the general late deadline of 15 September. The 2027 dates aren't published yet. Expect a similar early cut-off and plan for it.
For the visa itself, Identità (Malta's immigration agency) issues a National Long Stay Visa (D-visa) for courses longer than 90 days, and you apply in person at an authorised external service provider (Identità: student visa). The study residence permit is for full-time higher education courses only. Part-time courses don't qualify (Identità: study FAQ).
If you look at a private college for a January, May or September start, check its licence first. Every institution offering further or higher education in or from Malta needs a licence from the Malta Further and Higher Education Authority (MFHEA: provider licensing), and the MFHEA publishes a register of licensed providers and accredited programmes. We only suggest licensed institutions. More detail is on our Malta from the UK page.
The three countries side by side
| Germany | Spain | Malta | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main public start | September or October | September | October |
| Second public start | March or April | February (some courses) | February (smaller intake) |
| Visa timing from the UK | Not more than 3 months before travel; about 2 weeks after biometrics | At least 2 months before studies; 1-month legal decision period | D-visa, in person at an authorised provider |
| Private starts | Often January, May and September | Often January, May and September | Often January, May and September |
The private row reflects what we see across the universities and colleges we work with. It isn't an official rule, and it changes from course to course.
How to pick your start date
- Write down your UK visa end date. Everything else hangs off it. The German and Spanish missions in the UK take applications from people living here, so you need your visa in hand before your UK permission runs out.
- Count back the visa time. For Spain, at least two months before the course. For Germany, the visa can't be issued more than three months before travel, so the timing is about getting the appointment and the documents ready, not applying early.
- Count back the admission time. Public universities decide in fixed rounds. Private ones often decide faster. If the admission decision lands after the point where you'd need to apply for your visa, that intake doesn't work for you, however good the course is.
- Check the course page, not a general list. Search for the intake, the deadline for non-EU applicants and whether the course runs in English. Some courses take students once a year only.
- Leave a margin. Appointments, translations and bank letters all take longer than people expect.
When private makes sense, and when it doesn't
If your UK visa ends in the spring and the next public intake is October, a private university starting in January or May can stop you having to leave the UK and wait. That's the main reason we suggest private options to Graduate visa holders. The trade-off is tuition: private universities charge fees, while most public universities in Germany charge only a semester contribution (see our Germany page). If you have time on your side, a public university is often the better deal, and we'll tell you that.
What to do next
Tell us your UK visa end date, your degree and your budget. We'll check which intakes in Germany, Spain or Malta you can realistically make, using the course pages as they stand on the day, and then prepare the application and visa with you. Check your route in two minutes, or send us your details and we'll come back to you. You can also message us on WhatsApp on +44 7852 878789.