The University of St.Gallen (HSG) was founded as a Business Academy in 1898 in the heyday of St.Gallen embroidery and offered its first lectures in 1899. We continue to pursue the goal of providing our more than 9,500 students with a practice-oriented education, guided by an integrative view of Management, Economics, Law, Social Sciences, International Affairs and Computer Science.
As one of Europe’s leading business universities in Switzerland, we offer degrees and executive education at the highest international level. A practical approach and an integrative view characterise our education and support the HSG’s unique concept.
At the HSG, we conduct basic and applied research at a high level in a wide range of areas. It is conducted in five schools: the School of Management, the School of Finance, the School of Economics and Political Science, the Law School and the School of Humanities and Social Sciences.
For the most part, this research takes place in the approx. 40 institutes and research institutes, as well as in about 80 chairs. The HSG's institute model differs greatly from other universities in Switzerland. This federal concept reflects the exceptional academic nature of the HSG and its research.The Career & Corporate Services (CSC) of the University of St.Gallen is the central contact point for our students with regard to their entry into professional life. The CSC team consists of coaches and career advisers who have extensive know-how from various industries and fields.
Their aim is to support students in their career planning and in the realisation of their career steps according to their requirements. For this purpose, they offer individual consultations and workshops about various topics, such as the professional drafting of application documents, interview training, preparation for interviews and personal stock-taking and decision-making.
We offer a large variety of services and activities to our students. Which includes a Language Center, Unisport, Mensa (on-campus restaurant), Fresher's Week, Kick-Off Days, Career and Corporate Services, HSG Shop, Student Mobility (double degrees, approx. 200 exchange partner universities around the world), Study Funding, Counselling and Psychological Services, Special Needs, Crèche and Pastoral Care.
Our Student Union is the official student representative body at the HSG and the umbrella organisation of all the associations and initiatives. Its representatives and the students work towards the realisation of their ideas and contribute to the development of the University.We do not offer on-campus housing. Generally, students share an apartment or rent a small one. If students share an apartment, they can obtain a single bedroom from CHF 500 upwards per month. Rents for small private studios range from CHF 650 upwards per month.
The HSG's Student Mobility offers a limited number of rooms in a student residence against a brokerage fee. Interested students should contact us as early as possible.
The Student Union provides more information on the housing market on its website.Our open-access library contains more than 600,000 books, volumes of journals and non-books (DVDs, audiobooks, CDs), more than 130,000 e-books as well as 1,000 printed journals and provides access to over 30,000 electronic journals.
The campus of the University of St.Gallen presents itself as a clearly structured, compact development with a modern infrastructure. The campus is also a place of culture and art: works by artists such as Arp, Miró, Braque, Cucchi, Giacometti and Richter are engaged in a unique dialogue with the buildings designed by the architects Walter M. Förderer and Bruno Gerosa.
[ad]hoc is the Student Union's campus bar. In a relaxed atmosphere, our students serve coffee and muffins, beers and, on Fridays, Weisswürste (veal sausages).To keep body and mind in balance, the University provides a gym, weights rooms, football pitch, tennis, basketball and beach volleyball courts. The University's attractive location between Lake Constance and the Alps makes St.Gallen an ideal setting for all kinds of leisure activities, such as rock-climbing and sailing.
The so-called Three Ponds are only a few minutes walk from the city centre: the three small lakes on a hill on the outskirts of the city serve as public swimming pools in the summer and as ice rinks in cold winters. The Peter and Paul Wildlife Park is situated near the University and is popular with students who want to go jogging and walking.About 120 student associations and initiatives contribute to a rich and diverse university life. These associations range from international ones such as the Scandinavian Society, Asia Club and the Club Latino to sports associations like the St.Gallen Lacrosse Club, St.Gallen Sailing and the UniSGolf Club. But cultural associations like ProArte, an orchestra and the HSG Big Band also contribute towards the wide variety of leisure opportunities.
The University of St.Gallen's students also organise events of international significance:The University of St.Gallen is committed to maintaining its high standard of education, which is internationally recognised, as well as its excellent quality of service on campus. Thus the HSG has earned the EQUIS, AACSB and AMBA accreditations and consequently has obtained the two most demanding international seals of approval for business schools.
Studyportals ranking look at the scores of the most used ranking systems and present you with one number of how well this University performs.
By U.S. News & World Report
Dropped 12 places compared to 2026
Best Global Universities Rankings by U.S. News & World Report presents all the top universities from the U.S. and 60 other countries around the world. They measure the rate of students going to their second year of studies, as well as the rate of students who graduate. It also asks university representatives on the performance of universities, and evaluates university resources, teacher salaries, graduation rates, student academic achievements and satisfaction. After calculating and comparing these criteria, U.S. News ranks the top international universities accordingly.
| 2025 | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| 1106 | 1018 | 1030 |
We don’t have enough recent ranking data to show a 3-year trend for this university.
By Times Higher Education
This university doesn’t have a ranking for 2027 yet. Rankings are updated yearly, so check back later for the latest info.
World University Rankings is a vital resource that provides the definitive list of the world's best universities. They look at how often they're producing new ideas, what their reputation is around the world, and how much they're contributing to science and academic fields. After calculating and comparing these criteria, THE ranks the universities accordingly.
| 2025 | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| 351 | 351 | - |
We don’t have enough recent ranking data to show a 3-year trend for this university.
Based on 11 reviews
I really love studying at the University of St. Gallen. It gave me the opportunity to learn many new things and to have a great student life. The teachers are great and I could choose between a variety of different study areas. The city is also full of international students which allowed me to have a lot of fun.
Would recommend studying in the university, especially for German-speaking students and especially if you would like to study business. The only downside that I see is the fact that you cannot repeat an exam if you fail one.
absolutely superb program for a MBA for a philosopher
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