Masters in Europe Deadlines 2027: Letter Due Dates

Masters in Europe Deadlines 2027: Letter Due Dates

For autumn 2027 entry, the first European master's deadline in this calendar is ETH Zurich: Monday 30 November 2026 at 11:59 AM CET, which is noon, not midnight. Sweden's national round, TU Delft's selective programmes, DTU, Copenhagen and Aarhus close on 15 January for non-EU applicants. Later Dutch and Belgian deadlines run to 1 April and 1 May.

Our view: the binding window for a non-EU applicant is 30 November to 15 January, not the April and May dates at the end of the Dutch calendar. Inside it, at least four deadlines close in the morning or early afternoon, several pages print only a day and month, and two systems take your letter later than your application. This page sorts those dates and shows which letter to write first. Germany has its own calendar: see the Germany master's application calendar for 2027.

Every university page quoted below was checked on 31 October 2026. Where a page prints no year, the table says so: treat that date as the coming intake's only after you confirm it on the page. If you are drafting now, start with the letter for your earliest deadline and check it against the one-page European motivation letter rubric.

Contents

• 30 November to 15 January
• After 15 January
• When the letter is due
• Scholarship deadlines
• Rules that change the calendar
• A worked calendar

The six weeks that matter: 30 November to 15 January

These are non-EU deadlines for programmes starting in autumn 2027, in date order. "Letter due" says whether your motivation letter has to be in by that deadline or can follow.

Helsinki's international master's window, "5 to 19 January 2027", starts inside this period and closes just after it (University of Helsinki).

Two rounds in this calendar have already closed. École Polytechnique's MScT Round 1 ended on 12 October 2026, and Bocconi's Round I ended on 29 October 2026.

Full calendar for autumn 2027 entry, after 15 January

KU Leuven publishes no single date. Its application window tool asks for the academic year, your nationality and the programme, and gives the deadline that applies to you. Run it for each programme you are considering; the page notes that "The academic year 2027-2028 starts on 22 September 2027."

When the letter is due: with the application, or later

At most universities in these tables, the letter is an upload inside the application, so the application deadline is the letter deadline. Two systems separate the two dates, and EPFL separates the referees' letters:

• Sweden. You apply by 15 January 2027, and the "Supporting documentation deadline" is 1 February. KTH puts it as "Submit your application by 15 January" then "Submit your required documents by 1 February". Chalmers has one exception: "for programmes requiring a portfolio, the submission deadline is 15 January 2027."
• Aalto. The application form closes on 5 January 2027 at 3 pm (UTC+2), and documents are due by 12 January 2027 at 3 pm. "If an obligatory application document is missing from your application after the deadline, your application will be rejected as incomplete."
• EPFL referees. Your own statement goes in with the application, but "The deadline for receiving the letters is one week after the application deadline."

Our view: do not use the gap. A letter written in the last two weeks of January, during Swedish document week, competes with every other deadline in this table. Treat the application deadline as the letter deadline everywhere.

The countercase: if your Swedish programmes are your only applications, the 1 February date is real and you can use the extra two weeks. Your ranking of programmes is still locked on 15 January: University Admissions calls it the "Application deadline + last day to rank your courses".

Scholarship deadlines come first

If you want university funding, your real deadline is usually earlier than the admission deadline.

TU Delft's van Effen rule moves the most work forward. The scholarship page says "You have submitted a complete MSc application before the scholarship deadline", then lists the steps due by 1 December 2026: complete the MSc application, upload the Scholarship Application Form, one reference letter and the English language certificate. Bocconi says that "the majority of scholarships are more likely to be allocated in the earlier rounds." Utrecht adds that "If you submit your application between 27 January and 1 February, any incomplete or incorrect information cannot be updated or supplemented."

Rules that change the calendar

These rules decide how many applications you can make and when you can try again. They are why a missed deadline at some schools means waiting a year.

• One programme per year. TU Delft: "You may apply for one MSc programme only. You may submit one application per academic year." EPFL: "you may only submit one application and apply for one program per academic year."
• Once per year. Sciences Po: "You may only apply for Sciences Po programmes once per academic year." École Polytechnique: "you can only apply for each program once per year."
• One round at a time. Bocconi: "You cannot apply to two rounds at the same time", and "A new application within the same academic year is allowed only if you were not admitted in the previous round." You can list "up to 5 programs within a single application".
• Two choices per semester. Politecnico di Milano: "You can apply once per semester for up to two Master of Science programmes at the same time".
• Four ranked choices. KTH: "You can select up to four programmes and rank them in your order of priority."
• No spring start. ETH: "Entry in the Spring Semester is not possible." École Polytechnique: "we do not offer spring term admission."
• Visa timing. EPFL: "People who need a visa are strongly advised to apply by the December deadline". Its December applicants hear in late March; March applicants hear in mid-June.

Working back from your first deadline

Constructed example: three letters in deadline order

Constructed example, written by us, not a real applicant's plan. Context (invented): Priya Nair, a final-year computer science student outside the EU, applies to ETH Zurich (MSc Computer Science), TU Delft (MSc Computer Science) and KTH (MSc Computer Science) for autumn 2027.

Two decisions drive the plan. The ETH letter comes first because ETH closes first, and at about one A4 page it is a good place to fix the facts you will reuse in the other two. And the van Effen choice moves the longest letter, TU Delft's, from January into November. If Priya wants that scholarship, she writes two letters in November instead of one. The TU Delft motivation letter guide covers that essay, the Sweden master's application ranking guide covers the KTH ranking choice, and the computer science motivation letter guide for Europe compares what the three CS letters must contain.

Questions about European master's deadlines for 2027

Is the ETH deadline midnight on 30 November?

No. ETH's page says "Monday, 30 November 2026 11:59AM Central European Time (CET)". That is just before noon in Zurich.

Can I apply to ETH in spring if I miss November?

Not with a bachelor's degree from outside Switzerland. The April window "is only for students with a Swiss Bachelor's degree", and "Entry in the Spring Semester is not possible."

Should I apply to EPFL in December or March?

December if you need a visa. EPFL strongly advises visa applicants to use the December deadline, and the page says the visa procedure "can take up to 3 months".

Are Dutch deadlines always 1 April or 1 May?

No. TU Delft's selective programmes close on 15 January for non-EU applicants, UvA's Social Sciences research master on 15 February 2027, and Wageningen's documents are due 1 May. Each Dutch university sets its own dates, and several pages print no year.

When does the motivation letter for Sweden have to be uploaded?

By 1 February 2027, the supporting documentation deadline. The application itself closes on 15 January 2027. At Chalmers the letter is due with your documents on 1 February 2027, not on 15 January; see the Chalmers motivation letter guide.

DTU, UCPH and Aarhus close on 15 January for non-EU applicants, and none asks for a general letter; see the Denmark master's motivation letter guide.

Applying to Polimi? The Politecnico di Milano motivation letter guide explains why the optional letter must be uploaded before you pay the fee.

Bocconi runs four rounds that close at 3 p.m. Italian time; the Bocconi MSc motivation letter guide lines them up against the reapplication rules.

Polytechnique's MSc&T rounds close at 11.59 in the morning, CET; see Polytechnique's 11.59 AM deadline.

Paris-Saclay posts dates per course on Inception; see French university motivation letters for what the dossier contains.

Get a free review of your motivation letter

Get a free Quick Review of your motivation letter against GradPilot's one-page European motivation letter rubric. It reads whether the letter names its programme and your reason for choosing it, answers what that programme asked for, ties your preparation to the programme's demands, and fits the space it is given. For a longer letter, such as TU Delft's essay, use the master's motivation letter and personal statement rubric.

More guides for European master's letters:

• How long a motivation letter should be: every published limit at 22 European universities.
• ETH Zurich motivation letter: the one-A4 letter due on 30 November.
• EPFL master's statement of purpose: the 1,000-word statement and the December or March choice.
• Graduate school essay guides: every master's and PhD guide by destination.

Sources

Retrieved 31 October 2026, except where noted. Rows marked "No" under "Year printed?" come from pages that give a day and month only.

• ETH Zurich, Application dates, autumn semester 2027: 1–30 November 2026, closing 11:59AM CET; Swiss window; no spring entry. ETH Zurich, Excellence Scholarship & Opportunity Programme: 1–30 November 2026 window; thesis pre-proposal; about 60 scholarships for 2027/28.
• NTNU, How to apply, international master's: 1 November to 1 December 2026; documents by 1 December.
• Politecnico di Milano, Deadlines: September 2027 intake calls and times. Politecnico di Milano, Application: two programmes per semester.
• EPFL, Master's admission criteria and application (no year printed): 15 December and 31 March windows; decision dates; visa advice. EPFL, Online application: one programme per year; referee letters one week after the deadline.
• Aalto University, Apply to master's programmes: 7 December 2026 to 5 January 2027; documents 12 January 2027.
• École Polytechnique, MScT application deadlines and procedure: four rounds for 2027; scholarships rounds 1–2; one application per programme per year.
• University Admissions in Sweden, Autumn semester key dates: 16 October 2026 to 15 January 2027; 1 February documents; 1 April results. KTH, How to apply: four ranked programmes. Chalmers, Key dates: portfolio deadline; scholarship period.
• TU Delft, Dates and deadlines (no year printed): 15 January and 1 April. TU Delft, Application procedure: one programme per year. TU Delft, Required documents: GRE for Computer Science; essay length. TU Delft, Scholarships: van Effen, 1 December 2026.
• ETH Zurich, Computer Science MSc application: two recommendation letters; one A4 letter. KTH, Computer Science entry requirements: two letters of recommendation; letter under 500 words.
• DTU, Important dates, autumn (no year printed). University of Copenhagen, Master's dates and deadlines (no year printed). Aarhus University, Deadlines and important dates (updated 30 October 2026).
• University of Helsinki, Apply to bachelor's and master's programmes: 5 to 19 January 2027.
• Bocconi University, MSc and MA admissions: four rounds for 2027/28, 3 p.m. Italian time.
• Trinity College Dublin, MSc Computer Science (Data Science): 31 January 2027.
• University of Amsterdam, MSc Economics, application and admission: 15 January 2027 and 1 April 2027. University of Amsterdam, Social Sciences research master: 5 and 15 February 2027. University of Amsterdam, Information Studies: Data Science (no year printed): 30 April.
• Sciences Po, International admissions deadlines: 21 February 2027; journalism 3 January 2027. Sciences Po, International admissions: once per academic year.
• Utrecht University, Applied Data Science, non-Dutch degree (no year printed). Utrecht University, NL Scholarship: 1 September 2027 start; 1 February.
• Erasmus School of Economics, Application procedure: 2027–2028; 1 April 2027.
• Ghent University, Deadlines (no year printed).
• TU Eindhoven, Data Science and AI, applicants from India (no year printed): 1 May; scholarship 1 January.
• University of Twente, Master's deadlines (no year printed).
• Wageningen University, Apply for a master's programme (no year printed).
• University of Galway, Key dates: rolling admission.
• KU Leuven, Application window tool: deadline by year, nationality and programme.