University of St. Gallen Admission 2027

Admission at a glance

The University of St. Gallen (HSG) specialises in business administration, economics, law, and international affairs, and admits foreign bachelor applicants only through a legally capped number of places. Unlike most other Swiss universities researched for this file, HSG requires every applicant with a recognised foreign upper-secondary school-leaving certificate, regardless of nationality, to complete a university-wide selection procedure, an online aptitude test followed by a video interview, rather than admitting them directly on the strength of their school results; Swiss and Liechtenstein citizens and holders of a Swiss settlement permit are exempt if their qualification is otherwise recognised. HSG also accepts a strong SAT score, commonly cited around 1360 or higher, as a direct pathway for some international applicants. The Assessment Year, HSG's first-year bachelor programme, runs entirely in German for Law and Computer Science and can be taken entirely in English or German for Business Administration, Economics, International Affairs and Law and Economics; the general bachelor application period runs from 1 October to 30 April.

Master's admission requires a bachelor's degree, or equivalent diploma, carrying at least 180 ECTS credits from a recognised university, and HSG teaches a substantial number of master's courses in English alongside German. Programmes such as Strategy and International Management run several sequential application rounds through the admission year, each with its own submission deadline and decision date, so an applicant should check their specific programme's round dates rather than assume one HSG-wide deadline. HSG's own costs page states tuition of CHF 1,229 a semester for Swiss nationals against CHF 3,129 a semester for students from outside Switzerland, well above most other Swiss universities researched for this file, alongside a CHF 250 application fee, also higher than most peers.

Requirements

Bachelor

• A recognised foreign upper-secondary school-leaving certificate; unless the applicant is a Swiss or Liechtenstein citizen or holds a Swiss settlement (C) permit, admission requires passing HSG's own selection procedure (online aptitude test, then video interview), since the number of places for foreign applicants is legally capped.
• A qualifying SAT score, commonly cited around 1360 or higher, as an alternative direct pathway for some international applicants.
• English or German proficiency depending on the Assessment Year track chosen; Law and Computer Science run only in German.
• Application within the general period, 1 October to 30 April.

Master

• A bachelor's degree, or equivalent diploma, of at least 180 ECTS credits from a recognised university.
• English proficiency for English-taught courses; HSG's published example (PhD in Economics and Econometrics, used as the representative figure) sets C1: IELTS Academic 7.0 or TOEFL iBT 100.
• Application within the specific programme's own round dates; several master's programmes, Strategy and International Management among them, run multiple sequential rounds through the admission year rather than one fixed dea...

Full requirements and documents