How Long to Hear Back From Grad School, by Country

How Long to Hear Back From Grad School, by Country

It depends on the country, so set your date from the official pages, not forum timelines. Sweden publishes one results day for autumn 2027 master's applicants, 1 April. ETH Zurich says decisions normally come 2-3 months after its deadline. Berkeley's arrive between January and April. UK universities such as Edinburgh decide programme by programme.

"No news" means something different in each system. In Sweden, silence before 1 April means nothing, because first-round master's results are all published that day. At a UK university, silence can mean your programme has a later decision deadline than your friend's. At a German university, it can mean the formal check of your documents is still running. This page sets the date from each destination's own calendar, then says when a status email is worth sending and when the portal already answers it. For the US-only version of the email question, see when to email grad admissions after applying.

Every university and agency page quoted below was checked on 31 October 2026. Where a page names the 2027 intake, the table says so; where it states no year, the table says that too. Decision windows move between cycles, so recheck your programme's page.

The calendar: official decision timing in six destinations

Our arithmetic for two rows. ETH's international window closes on 30 November 2026, so "2-3 months" points to about the end of January to the end of February 2027. Sweden's results row gives "1 April" without a year, but it sits between the 15 January 2027 deadline and the August/September start on the autumn 2027 page, so it is 1 April 2027.

Three rows need a note.

• Germany. The TUM row is one programme's page, not a university-wide rule. TUM's general application page says only that "you can view its status any time in your TUMonline account." The same programme page also gives an early route for visa reasons: "for some countries it is then no longer possible to obtain a visa in time for the start of the lecture period". If your application is complete by 15 March, "You will probably receive the information about the admission at the end of April."
• UK. Edinburgh sends "a separate decision for each" programme and warns that "If we have received a higher number of applications than normal, it will take us longer to process your application and respond with a decision." Its degree finder shows whether your programme has a decision deadline. For the order to apply in, see the UK master's deadlines and rolling rounds for 2027.
• Hong Kong. The HKU taught row is one programme. Other HKU programmes set their own windows, and the 2027 master's timeline for the UK, Hong Kong and Singapore covers deadlines across the three systems.

After an interview

Use the date the panel gave you. If it gave none, use the programme's own calendar. Stanford Biosciences is the cleanest example of a published sequence: interviews on 3-6 March 2027, then "Mid-March, 2027 Admission offer letters sent". At HKU's construction management MSc, shortlisted applicants are interviewed and "then the successful applicants will be notified of the result between February and July". At TUM, interview dates for its second stage are set after the first-stage results, "approximately eight weeks after the application deadline."

What to send after an interview, and the follow-up once the date passes, are in the thank-you email after a PhD interview. If your programme does not interview at all, PhD admission without an interview explains what the silence means there.

When a status email is worth sending

Each system has a place where your status already lives. Check it first.

Cambridge also says "We aim to assess documents within 5 working days" for offer conditions, and "You will not be notified if anything changes in your Self-Service account." So after an offer, checking Self-Service is your job, not theirs.

Our view: do not send a status email before the official date for your destination has passed. Sweden needs none at all before 1 April. A UK or Hong Kong status email is worth sending only after your programme's own decision deadline or window has passed. Even then, send one, to the address in your portal or decision email. The basis is the table: every system above has a portal that carries the decision, Cambridge and TUM say in writing what not to send, and Berkeley says to contact the program first.

The countercase: write early when another offer has a deadline before this programme's decision date. That is a real question only the programme can answer. TUM's early route shows that a programme can move faster when visa timing is the reason. For a funded US PhD offer, how to ask for more time to decide has the emails.

Two constructed status emails

Germany and the US have their own pages: emails to uni-assist and German universities has a status message built on a published RWTH window, and the US case is in the email guide linked above. These two cover the UK and Hong Kong.

Constructed example: UK, after the programme's decision deadline

Constructed example, written by us, not a real applicant email. Context (invented): the degree finder lists a decision deadline for the programme, and it passed a week ago. The Applicant Hub still shows no decision.

Subject: Application status, MSc Data Science, Ama Owusu (application 2027-123456)

Dear Admissions team,

I applied for the MSc Data Science for September 2027 entry. The degree finder gives a decision deadline for this programme that passed last week, and my Applicant Hub still shows no decision. Is anything outstanding on my file, or is a decision still to come?

Kind regards, Ama Owusu

That is 63 words with the subject line (our count). It cites the university's own published date, so it reads as a check, not a complaint.

Constructed example: Hong Kong, with another offer's deadline

Constructed example, written by us, not a real applicant email. Context (invented): the programme's page says results come between February and July. The applicant holds another offer that must be accepted by 15 April 2027.

Subject: Decision timing, MSc Construction Project Management, Li Wei (application number 0000000)

Dear Admissions Office,

I applied in the Main Round for 2027-28 entry. I hold an offer from another university that I must accept or decline by 15 April 2027. Your page says results are released between February and July. Could you tell me whether a decision on my application is likely before 15 April?

Thank you, Li Wei

That is 70 words with the subject line (our count). It gives the office a date and a reason, and asks a question it can answer.

Reserve lists and waiting lists in Europe

Sweden publishes how its waiting list works. University Admissions says: "If you were placed on a waiting list, or submitted a late application, the university may review your application after admissions selection and award you a place." If a place opens, you get an email about a Notification of Selection Results, and "In most cases, the university will be in contact with you directly to let you know that there's a place available." On your chances, it is honest: "We simply don't know if you'll be offered a place."

Two moves help while you wait. Decline offers you will not take: "If you don't wish to keep the place, please be sure to decline it so that it can be made available to someone else." And after results, Sweden lets you add one programme: "Applicants initially may apply for up to four master's programmes. After admissions results are published, applicants can apply for an additional programme, bringing the total to five."

ETH is the opposite case: "Applicants who were rejected in the first application round must not re-apply for the same Master’s degree programme in the second application round." For US waitlists, the letter that helps is in letter of continued interest for grad school.

Questions about grad school decision timing

How long does it take to hear back from grad school?

From the official pages above: Berkeley says January to April; ETH 2-3 months after its 30 November 2026 deadline; Sweden 1 April 2027 for first-round master's applicants; HKU research programmes about three to four months after the closing date. UK programmes set their own decision deadlines.

Does no news mean I was rejected?

Not before the official date. None of the pages in our table treats silence before its own stated date as a decision. Sweden publishes every first-round master's result on one day, and Edinburgh says a busy year means a longer wait.

My PhD application has been under review for months. Is that normal?

At HKU's Graduate School, "about three to four months after the closing date" is the published norm. At US programmes that interview, such as Stanford Biosciences, the decision follows the interview session. Check where your programme sits on its own calendar before you write.

When should I email a German university about my status?

After the decision window the university publishes has passed, once, and after checking your portal. The German application emails guide has the templates. When the offer arrives, accepting a PhD offer sets out which step binds you and who to email.

Once a German admission arrives, accept or decline a TUM study place in TUMonline by the enrolment deadline.

Get a free review of your statement of purpose

Use the wait to fix the applications you have not sent yet. Get a free Quick Review of your statement of purpose against GradPilot's general MS statement of purpose rubric, the closest rubric for a page about decision timing. It reads how clearly you state your goals, how well you show knowledge of the programme, and how your preparation supports the degree. You can also start a graduate SOP review and choose the general MS statement of purpose rubric.

More guides for after you apply:

• Grad application incomplete after submitting?: how long scores, letters and WES take to reach your file.
• Can you email grad admissions after applying?: the four reasons that justify an email.
• Letter of continued interest for grad school: what to send once you are waitlisted.
• Graduate school essays hub: every destination and document.

Sources

Retrieved 31 October 2026, except where noted.

• UC Berkeley Graduate Division, Frequently Asked Questions (no year stated): decision timing, official letter, contact rule.
• Stanford Biosciences, Admissions Timeline (2027-2028 admissions): interview and offer dates.
• University of Edinburgh, Receiving our decision (no year stated): per-programme decisions and deadlines, Applicant Hub, contact.
• University of Cambridge, Your offer (Offer Conditions Guide 2027-28): document assessment time, contact rules, Self-Service.
• Technical University of Munich, Application Requirements and Procedure, M.Sc. Quantum Science and Technology (no year stated): application period, first-stage results, admission timing, early route.
• Technical University of Munich, Applying for a Master's Degree Program (no year stated): TUMonline status, documents by email.
• University Admissions in Sweden, Autumn semester dates (autumn 2027; last updated 31 August 2026): first-round dates and results day.
• University Admissions in Sweden, Waiting list and late applications (no year stated): waiting-list offers, declining, a fifth programme.
• ETH Zurich, How do I apply? (no year stated) and Application Dates Autumn Semester 2027: decision timing, deadline, second-round rule.
• The University of Hong Kong, MSc(ConstProjectMan) Programme 2027-28 (2027-28): Main Round deadline, offer release, interview and results window.
• The University of Hong Kong Graduate School, FAQ on Application (no year stated): research programme results timing and online check.