Every year Brandeis University admits part of its first-year class as “midyears”: students who are admitted in the regular cycle but begin at Brandeis in January instead of September. This guide explains how the midyear program works, what midyear students do in the fall, and what international applicants should consider, based on Brandeis sources as of November 2026.
How the midyear program works
- Size. Brandeis enrolls about 100–120 midyear students each January; roughly 10% of admitted students are placed in the midyear class (Brandeis Admissions: The Midyear Program).
- Start date. Midyear students must begin at Brandeis in January. Brandeis admission offers can be deferred only for a full year, so a midyear place cannot simply be switched to the following September (Brandeis: FAQ for Midyears).
- Housing. All midyear students are guaranteed university housing for their first three consecutive semesters.
- Same degree. After arriving, midyears follow the same semester structure as other students and earn the same Brandeis degree.
What midyears do in the fall
Brandeis describes several typical uses of the fall semester before arrival (Brandeis Admissions):
- Midyear study abroad. Brandeis offers fall programs for midyears; past groups have studied in Florence, London and Washington, D.C. The Florence program is run with CET Academic Programs, a study abroad provider.
- Jobs or internships.
- Classes elsewhere. Midyears may take courses as non-degree students at another accredited college; Brandeis’s registrar can advise whether the credit will transfer.
- Travel, service or other projects.
What international applicants should consider
- Visa timing. If you are placed in the midyear class, your Form I-20 will carry a January program start date. New F-1 students may enter the U.S. no more than 30 days before the program start date (Study in the States), so you cannot use that I-20 to live in the U.S. during the fall.
- Your fall plan depends on where you are. Staying at home to work, intern or take courses is the simplest option. If you want to join a Brandeis midyear study abroad program, ask Brandeis how it works for your citizenship, including the visa needed for the host country.
- Credits. If you take courses at home or abroad in the fall, confirm in advance whether Brandeis will accept the credit.
- Financial aid. International students are not eligible for the Brandeis Commitment — full tuition for U.S. families earning $75,000 or less and half tuition for those earning $75,001–$200,000, starting with students entering in fall 2025 — but Brandeis says it meets 100% of demonstrated need for international undergraduates who apply for aid during the admission process (Brandeis Student Financial Services: The Brandeis Commitment).
- Ask early. Brandeis’s admissions office and international students and scholars office can confirm current midyear arrangements for international students.
Campus housing: a new residence hall
Midyears and other students will benefit from Brandeis’s largest housing project in years. In April 2025 the university announced a five-story, 631-bed residence hall designed to Passive House standards, with all-electric systems and triple-glazed windows, as the first of three phases of a housing plan that combines new construction, renovation and the removal of aging buildings (Brandeis, April 2025). Construction began in June 2025, the building was topped off in June 2026, and completion is planned for spring 2027 (Brandeis, June 2026).
Brandeis at a glance
Brandeis ranks No. 59 among National Universities in the 2027 U.S. News ranking, up from No. 69 the year before. For fall 2025 it received 10,462 first-year applications and admitted 4,237 (40.5%); 735 enrolled. Middle 50% SAT ranges were 690–750 in reading and writing and 700–770 in math. Brandeis enrolled 5,205 students in fall 2025, including 1,280 international students (700 undergraduates and 580 graduate students) (IPEDS). See our Brandeis University school page and the 2027 US Colleges Ranking.
References
- The Midyear Program and Frequently Asked Questions for Midyears (Brandeis Undergraduate Admissions)
- The Brandeis Commitment (Brandeis Student Financial Services)
- Brandeis announces new 631-bed residence hall as part of major campus investment (Brandeis University, April 2025)
- Residence hall project at Brandeis reaches new heights (Brandeis University, June 2026)
- Students and the Form I-20 (Study in the States, DHS)
- Brandeis University (Forward Pathway school page; IPEDS admissions and enrollment data)