Application Deadlines

University of St. Gallen MiM Application Deadlines

Master in Strategy and International Management · St. Gallen, Switzerland · FT #1

Verified against official sources · last checked September 2026 · see sources

Two HSG pages publish dates for this programme and only one of them is the SIM calendar. The SIM admission page runs four rounds for autumn 2027 entry and publishes both halves of each — the day your file is due and the day you hear back — describing a selection process for all applicants, with no separate EU, Swiss or non-EU deadline anywhere on it. HSG's university-wide application-deadlines table is a different instrument: it lists application windows rather than rounds, gives SIM 1 October – 30 April, and closes five other HSG master's on 31 March, so planning a SIM application against it means reading another programme's calendar. One mechanic shapes round choice as much as the dates do — apply before 31 January and you may name an alternative HSG master's that your file is re-checked against if SIM rejects you; apply after and the option is gone. The application fee is CHF 250; compare the rounds against the rest of your list on our deadline tracker.

University of St. Gallen runs 4 application rounds . Earlier rounds generally carry higher acceptance odds and earlier scholarship visibility.

RoundDeadline
R1 4 November 2026
R2 31 January 2027
R3 31 March 2027
R4 30 April 2027

Dates are confirmed against the school's official admissions page.

What we checked, and when. Autumn 2027 entry · the four rounds HSG publishes on the SIM admission page, with decisions by 8 Dec 2026, 28 Feb, 30 Apr and 31 May 2027. They are the same for every applicant — HSG states no separate EU/non-EU deadline. Its university-wide deadlines table carries no rounds at all: it gives SIM a single 1 Oct – 30 Apr window, and closes five other HSG master's on 31 Mar.

Frequently asked questions

Does the SIM-HSG application include an interview?
Yes — and it is the heaviest-weighted part of the file, which is the opposite of what this profile said before 3 September 2026. HSG publishes the SIM selection weighting: GMAT or GRE 20%, undergraduate grade average 20%, extracurriculars and work experience 25%, and the SIM video interview 35%. The interview is pre-recorded rather than live: within five days of submitting your online application the SIM Management Unit emails you a link, you record answers to a set of questions at your own computer, and HSG states your application is only processed once the recording has been received. Separately, the two referees you name on your CV may be emailed at the committee's discretion to arrange a 10–15 minute phone call, so the referee check can become a conversation too.
When are the SIM-HSG application deadlines, and are they different for non-EU applicants?
For autumn 2027 entry the SIM Admission Committee runs four rounds, and HSG publishes both the submission and the decision date for each: apply by 4 November 2026 (decision by 8 December), 31 January 2027 (28 February), 31 March 2027 (30 April) or 30 April 2027 (31 May). They are the same for every applicant — HSG's SIM admission page describes a "selection process for all applicants" and publishes no EU/EEA, Swiss or non-EU variant. Two cautions. HSG's university-wide application-deadlines table is a different thing: it lists application windows rather than rounds, gives SIM 1 October – 30 April, and closes five other HSG master's programmes on 31 March, so it is the wrong page to plan a SIM application against. And if you want the option of naming an alternative HSG programme (MiMM, MGM or MACFin) you must apply before 31 January.
How small is the SIM-HSG cohort?
SIM-HSG enrols around 52 students per intake — one of the smallest top-ten MiM cohorts in the world. The small class is intentional. SIM is a selective signature programme within HSG's broader masters portfolio, and the school protects intimacy in seminars and group work. Most modules cap at 25–30 students and faculty access is materially closer than at larger programs.
Is St. Gallen a CEMS school?
Yes — St. Gallen is one of the founding members of the CEMS Global Alliance (1988). SIM-HSG students can apply to the joint CEMS Master in International Management, which adds an exchange semester at one of more than 30 CEMS partner schools and a business project for a corporate client. Roughly a third of SIM-HSG students pursue the CEMS route alongside their HSG degree.
Which double-degree partners does SIM-HSG offer?
SIM-HSG has formal double-degree partnerships with Nanyang Business School in Singapore, INCAE in Costa Rica, ESADE in Barcelona, RSM Erasmus in Rotterdam, HEC Paris, and FGV-EAESP in São Paulo. Students apply for these partnerships during their first SIM term and typically spend an additional 6–12 months at the partner school, graduating with two master's degrees.

Sources

  • University of St. Gallen — SIM-HSG program overview ↗ — University of St. Gallen
  • St. Gallen SIM — Admission. Re-read 2026-09-03 (browser user agent): the SIM Admission Committee runs four admission rounds between October and April — applications by 4 Nov 2026 / 31 Jan / 31 Mar / 30 Apr 2027, decisions by 8 Dec 2026 / 28 Feb / 30 Apr / 31 May 2027 — described as a "selection process for all applicants", with NO nationality-specific deadline anywhere on the page (the strings "non-EU", "EU/EEA" and "nationality" do not appear). Selection weighting published: GMAT or GRE 20%, undergraduate average 20%, extracurriculars and work experience 25%, SIM video interview 35%. The video interview is compulsory ("your application will only be processed once we have received your video interview"). Application fee CHF 250; application period 1 Oct – 30 Apr; alternative programme (MiMM, MGM, MACFin) may be named only if you apply before 31 January. The word "essay" does not appear on this page ↗ — University of St. Gallen
  • St. Gallen — university-wide application deadlines. Re-read 2026-09-03: this page publishes NO rounds. It is a per-programme table of application WINDOWS, in which SIM reads "1 Oct - 30 Apr" for the autumn semester while MBI, MiMM, MGM, MACFin and MEcon read "1 Oct - 31 Mar". The four dated SIM rounds come from the SIM admission page above, not from here — this profile's earlier label attributed them to this page ↗ — University of St. Gallen
  • St. Gallen — Registration & tuition fees (international Master rate CHF 3,557.50/semester from autumn 2026; CHF 10,673 over three billable semesters) ↗ — University of St. Gallen
  • St. Gallen — Cantonal Council ~7% tuition increase (first since 2014); IN FORCE since 1 Aug 2026 — foreign Master rate CHF 3,557.50/semester, up from CHF 3,329 ↗ — University of St. Gallen
  • swissuniversities — Tuition fees at universities (HSG foreign Master CHF 3,100 tuition + CHF 229 fees per semester, pre-increase basis) ↗ — swissuniversities
  • St. Gallen — SIM double degrees ↗ — University of St. Gallen
  • CEMS — University of St. Gallen (founding member) ↗ — CEMS
  • Financial Times — Masters in Management 2025 ↗ — Financial Times
  • St. Gallen — SIM Essay Question and Guidelines (PDF, 2 pages, sha256:cb98017143d6150a, read 2026-09-03). The most recent edition HSG publishes is headed "September 2025 Intake": an original essay is required as part of the application documents, 600–800 words in English excluding cover page and bibliography, mandatory separate cover page, Word or PDF only, numbered pages; all essays are checked by plagiarism software and "use of artificial intelligence" without indication of source counts as plagiarism and leads to rejection of the application ↗ — University of St. Gallen

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