University of ST Gallen Scholarships-Based Admissions Process 2027 for International Students
Your route into the University of St.Gallen in Switzerland could lead to tuition support, a finance fellowship or a scholarship combining fees with living-cost contributions. For 2027, however, the crucial question is when you become eligible: before enrolment, after admission or after proving yourself at HSG.
St.Gallen offers study routes spanning business, economics, international affairs, law and computer science. Its funding follows several different selection systems, rather than one universal “international scholarship” application.
Can you secure funding before committing? Does your nationality close one scholarship door while leaving another open? This guide connects those rules so you can choose a realistic degree-and-funding strategy.
Your St.Gallen funding route
01. Choose funding by degree and nationality
Your degree level and nationality determine which funding route deserves your effort. This comparison separates three opportunities that are easily confused:
| Route | Support | Entry condition |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s Excellence Scholarship | Current bachelor’s tuition fees for six semesters | Outstanding HSG Assessment Year performance; invitation required |
| HSG Best Talents Programme | Tuition coverage, living-cost contributions and personal development | Master’s admission; EU/EFTA nationality or Swiss C permit; separate application |
| Banking and Finance (MBF) fellowship | CHF 8,000 | All admitted MBF students automatically considered; strongest entrants selected |
The practical insight: bachelor’s admission performance and scholarship performance belong to different stages. Passing the international selection procedure gets you through the entrance; excellent results during the Assessment Year create the later scholarship opportunity.
For a non-EU/EFTA master’s applicant without a Swiss C permit, the MBF fellowship illustrates why programme-level funding matters. Best Talents ineligibility does not establish ineligibility for every HSG award.
Back to your HSG funding route
02. Calculate the Money you still Need
A tuition award still leaves a substantial living budget. Published foreign-national semester fees are CHF 3,343.50 for bachelor’s and CHF 3,557.50 for ordinary master’s programmes, effective from autumn 2026.
Here is a useful calculation from HSG’s monthly estimates: accommodation, food and health alone total CHF 1,425 monthly, or CHF 17,100 annually. That excludes transport, clothing, leisure and other expenses. It is an illustrative subtotal, not a visa funds requirement.
I would build your budget around confirmed resources: HSG’s need-based Loan and Scholarship Fund normally begins payments from the second regular semester, so it cannot be assumed to finance your arrival.
Back to your HSG funding route
03. Follow St.Gallen’s admission-to-Scholarship Sequence
Apply for the degree first, then follow that award’s selection mechanism.
- Establish academic fit. Use HSG’s admissions calendar and degree links to reach your programme’s requirements. Bachelor’s applicants need a recognised school certificate; most foreign-certificate international applicants also face an aptitude test and potentially a video interview.
- Prepare programme-specific evidence. Assemble identification, CV, academic records and required translations. Master’s requirements differ. For example, MBF assesses undergraduate grades, GMAT/GRE, documented extracurricular activities and motivation; its standard related-degree route requires at least 180 ECTS with specified subject credits.
- Submit through HSG’s Online Application. Pay the application fee and follow document requests and decisions in your account. I recommend documenting your extracurricular achievements, rather than merely listing them: MBF explicitly requires supporting evidence.
- Activate the correct funding route. Eligible admitted master’s candidates submit an additional Best Talents application. MBF candidates receive automatic fellowship consideration under its published funding rules; bachelor’s candidates need an invitation after Assessment Year results.
Back to your HSG funding route
04. Resolve the questions applicants are asking
Can non-EU students receive an MBF fellowship?
The current MBF page says all admitted students are automatically considered, without stating an EU/EFTA restriction. Consideration does not guarantee an award.
Is IELTS compulsory for St.Gallen admissions?
Not universally. Bachelor’s admission and MBF currently require no language certificate at application, while recommending C1 proficiency; do not extend that rule to every programme.
Can I rely on the Starr scholarship advertised online?
Do not treat older Starr listings as a confirmed 2027 offer. HSG’s current central funding page and MBF funding page do not advertise it; the routes above reflect their current published information.
Back to your HSG funding route
05. University of St.Gallen 2027 application deadlines
The published autumn admission window runs from 1 October to 30 April for bachelor’s entry and many master’s programmes, corresponding to 1 October 2026–30 April 2027 for autumn 2027. Direct applications to MBI, MiMM, MGM, MACFin and MEcon close on 31 March under the current calendar; programme rounds may be earlier.
The HSG Best Talents portal reopens in November 2026 for the 2027 cohort; its final 2027 deadline is not yet published. Bachelor’s excellence awards have no open pre-admission application deadline.