Fees & Total Cost

University of St. Gallen MiM Fees 2026

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

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

This is the lowest tuition at the top of the FT table, and the reason is structural rather than promotional. St. Gallen is a Swiss public university, so SIM-HSG is billed at the regulated international Master rate of CHF 3,557.50 a semester across three billable semesters — CHF 10,673 for the whole 18-month degree, after the Cantonal Council's roughly 7% increase took effect in August 2026, its first since 2014. Swiss and Liechtenstein students, and anyone who completed their prior education in Switzerland, pay materially less again. The figure that actually decides affordability is the other one: HSG estimates CHF 24,000–30,000 a year of living costs, so total cost of attendance over 18 months lands around CHF 45,000–55,000 — competitive with European peers rather than cheap in absolute terms. See where the tuition alone places it on our cheapest MiM and best-value shortlists.

Tuition for the University of St. Gallen Master in Management is CHF 10,673 (full program) for the 18 months program.

Total tuitionCHF 10,673 (full program)
Tuition (numeric)CHF 10,673
Program length18 months

Tuition figures are the published rate for the 2026–27 cycle and exclude living costs, travel, and optional exchange fees. Scholarships and need-based aid can materially reduce the net cost — see the FAQs below.

Frequently asked questions

How can St. Gallen tuition be so low?
The University of St. Gallen is a Swiss public university, so SIM-HSG students pay regulated public-university tuition rather than market-rate fees. The full 18-month program costs about CHF 10,673 for international students — three billable semesters at the international rate of CHF 3,557.50, which HSG raised roughly 7% (its first increase since 2014) from the autumn 2026 semester — still roughly a tenth of peer private programs. Living costs in Switzerland are high (CHF 24,000–30,000 per year is typical), so the total cost of attendance is competitive rather than cheap in absolute terms, but the tuition itself is unusual.
What does the FT number-one ranking actually measure?
The Financial Times Masters in Management ranking weights three-year-post-graduation salary, career progression, international experience, faculty research, and a battery of school-reported metrics. St. Gallen has placed 1st in 14 of the last 15 rankings — the most consistent top finish of any school globally. The combination of small cohort size, strong careers outcomes, and high international exposure drives the score.
Where do SIM-HSG graduates work?
Consulting accounts for roughly 42% of placements (McKinsey, BCG, Bain, Accenture, Roland Berger), financial services for 22% (UBS, the major Swiss private banks, European investment banks), and technology for 12% (Amazon, Microsoft, regional tech firms). Geographic placement is concentrated in the German-speaking economies — Switzerland, Germany, and Austria — with material flow into London, the Nordics, and the United States.

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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