Best Time to Email Professors in USA, UK, and Australia

It is essential to know the best time to email professors (or research supervisors) to maximize your chances of getting a response (increased response rate). Students may contact professors for various reasons. In any case, choosing the most effective time to send your email is crucial. You need to be mindful of the timing when contacting supervisors to ensure that your emails are opened and not lost among others. For instance, if you email at 3 am in their local time, they are likely asleep and may miss your message. Similarly, approaching supervisors over the weekend is a common mistake. This article explains the key details to consider, including time zone differences in large countries, e.g., the USA and Australia.

Best Time to Email Professors in US, UK, and Australia

Worst Time to Email Professors

When contacting supervisors, you should do it strategically. You should not contact them during weekends and public holidays, because it sounds unprofessional and your email will likely get buried by the university, department, other applicants, and current students’ correspondence, meaning a reduced response rate. Even during workdays, there are specific time periods that professors might be in meetings, lectures, labs, or occupied with other duties; you should avoid emailing them. Try not to contact them outside of working hours with a 1-hour extension (i.e., 6 pm to 8 am), as many professors start a day early and leave late.

Best Time to Email Professors

The best time to email professors is 8 to 9 am (some professors start early before 9 am), 12 to 2 pm (i.e., lunch time), and 4 to 6 pm (i.e., a usual time after lectures and daily meetings), so they are likely to be in their office during these times, checking emails. You can still approach professors from 9 am to 12 pm and 2 to 4 pm, as some of them may check their emails during these working hours. If a professor replies to your first email and starts a back-and-forth contact, you can optimize the best time to email that specific supervisor (even if it is on weekends or public holidays).

Consider Multiple Time Zones in US and AU

Students should consider their supervisors’ time zones for outreach to achieve better results overall. Unlike most countries in the world, the USA and Australia are among those countries with multiple time zones. The US and Australia have four and three separate time zones. As we move from east to west within these countries, the local time advances. For example, moving west from the US East Coast results in a one-hour time difference; 4 pm Eastern Standard Time (EST) corresponds to 3 pm Central Standard Time (CST), 2 pm Mountain Standard Time (MST), and 1 pm Pacific Standard Time (PST). So, the local time on the US West Coast is 3 hours behind the local time on the US East Coast.

Remember that not all countries with a vast area have more than one time zone. For instance, in a country the size of China, one would expect to find several time zones. However, the whole country observes the same local time. In theory, China could have five time zones, but the country has only one official time zone. India is another example of a vast country with only one time zone. The time zone concept comes from a definition that can differ from one country to another.

Best Time to Email Professors for Students in India

Let’s consider some examples to determine the best time to email professors working at universities in London and Glasgow in the UK, as well as in Seattle and Houston in the US, and in Perth and Melbourne in Australia. In each example, we consider you to be a student located in India, hoping to have the highest response rate from professors.

Best Time to Email Professors in the UK for Students in India

If you are contacting supervisors from universities in London, Glasgow, or any other city in the UK (England, Scotland, and Wales), the best time to email professors for students in India with India Standard Time (GMT+5:30) will be during weekdays at 12:30 to 1:30 pm, 4:30 to 6:30 pm, and 8:30 to 10:30 pm on the same day. In this case, you do not have to worry about multiple time zones for outreach to supervisors.

Best Time to Email Professors in the USA for Students in India

For supervisors in the USA, you must consider different time zones for outreach. For instance, if they are from universities in Seattle (12:30 hours behind India), the best time to email professors for students in India is during weekdays at 8:30 to 9:30 pm on the same day, and 00:30 to 2:30 am and 4:30 to 6:30 am on the next day. If they are from universities in New York City (9:30 hours behind India), students in India should contact them during weekdays at 5:30 to 6:30 pm and 9:30 to 11:30 pm on the same day, and 1:30 to 3:30 am on the next day.

Best Time to Email Professors in Australia for Students in India

When approaching supervisors in Australia, similar to the US, consider the different time zones for outreach to professors. For instance, if they are in a university in Perth (2:30 hours ahead of India), the best time to email professors for students in India is during weekdays at 5:30 to 6:30 am, 9:30 to 11:30 am, and 1:30 to 3:30 pm on the same day. In another scenario, if the supervisors are at the universities in Melbourne (4:30 hours ahead of India), the best time to email professors for students in India is during weekdays at 3:30 to 4:30 am, 7:30 to 9:30 am, and 11:30 am to 1:30 pm on the same day.

Automatic Calculation of Professors’ Local Time by Applyindex

Usually, students check supervisors’ local time using their phone’s clock, searching on Google, or visiting relevant websites. With Applyindex tools, you no longer need to worry about your application process. We not only help you find PhD supervisor (if you are a PhD applicant) with research grants but also automatically track supervisors’ local time for you. Within their profile information, you can see their local time indicated by red, orange, or green lines (see the screenshot below). These colors represent the following:

• Red: It’s out of working hours, don’t contact them.
• Orange: It’s during working hours, and they might be in lectures, meetings, or labs. But it’s still safe to contact them.
• Green: It’s highly possible that they reply to you at this time.

Add Supervisor Manually

Although we provide a comprehensive database of supervisors for applicants, you may want to reach out to specific supervisors based on certain criteria. For example, you might want to only contact those with an h-index above 50, full professors (rather than assistant or associate professors), or any other preference you might have. On the research supervisors page, an “Add Supervisor” option is available to click to add any supervisor you are specifically interested in. After clicking the option, you will see the form in the screenshot below. This detailed form lets you input the supervisor’s name, university, department, research profiles, biography, and research activities. As soon as you import a supervisor, their local time is calculated automatically.

Conclusion

Identifying the best time to email professors can significantly increase your chances of receiving a timely and positive response. Well-timed emails show professionalism and consideration for a professor’s schedule, while poorly timed ones are frequently ignored. It is crucial to take time zones, work schedules, and cultural norms into account, particularly when students in India are corresponding with supervisors in the US, UK, and Australia. By automatically monitoring local times and highlighting the best contact windows, tools such as Applyindex make this process easier. Students can differentiate themselves from the competition and establish solid first relationships with possible research supervisors by fusing strategic timing with a concise, polished message.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)