Schools / 2026 entry
University of St. GallenSupplemental Essays
All 1 required prompt, taken apart one by one: what each is really asking, plus annotated example essays, so you can see how to do it well.
- HSG online application plus a two-stage selection procedure (international applicants only)
- Application route
- None. There is no application essay or written personal statement
- Written statement
- 70-minute online aptitude test (reasoning, not knowledge), taken at home
- Aptitude test
- Recorded video interview, 4 to 6 prerecorded questions, about 10 minutes, on motivation and interests
- Interview
Deadlines Application window (Bachelor) 1 October to 30 April for the following autumn intake · February round (apply early) Submit complete application by 10 January, register by 31 January. Aptitude test Tue 10 Feb 2026; video interview Thu 12 Feb 2026 (CET) · June round (later applicants) Aptitude test Tue 2 June 2026; video interview Thu 4 June 2026 (CET). Only this round is available if you apply after the January cutoff · Verify on unisg.ch Exact dates and the registration cutoff shift slightly each cycle. Confirm on the official application-deadlines page before you plan. Admit rate Mid-20s percent (estimated; HSG does not publish an official figure). International places are capped at 25% by Swiss law. Prompts verified from St. Gallen’s official requirements ↗
If you are applying to the University of St. Gallen (HSG) from the United States or anywhere outside Switzerland, the most important thing to know up front is that there is no application essay and no written personal statement. This is not the Common App. You will not write a 650-word story about a formative moment. Because the number of places for international applicants is capped at 25% by Swiss law, foreign students are admitted through a two-stage selection procedure: a 70-minute online aptitude test taken at home, and a recorded video interview.
That video interview is the closest thing HSG has to a personal statement, and it catches American applicants off guard. It is 4 to 6 prerecorded questions, about 10 minutes total, answered into your own webcam, with no live interviewer and limited time to respond. What HSG is reading is your motivation, your interest, and your ability to think and speak clearly under mild pressure. This page treats that interview as the writing task it really is: you script and rehearse spoken answers the way you would draft and edit an essay, then deliver them on camera.
HSG explicitly assesses your motivation and your interest in the field. Vague enthusiasm reads as empty on camera. The students who land it can name exactly why business, economics, or international affairs at HSG, and they back it with something concrete: a book, a problem they cannot stop thinking about, a project they ran. Treat 'why HSG, why this subject' as the spine of every answer.
The aptitude test measures reasoning, creativity, and problem-solving, not knowledge you crammed. The interview rewards the same thing: an answer with a beginning, a point, and a finish, delivered in the seconds you are given. HSG calls this reflective and expressive skill. A rambling answer hurts you more than a short, well-shaped one.
There is no human on the other end to nod you along. You speak to a lens after short prep time. Calm pacing, eye contact with the camera, and finishing your thought before the timer all signal maturity. Panic, filler, and trailing off signal the opposite. This is a learnable skill, and rehearsal is the whole game.
HSG is a business and economics powerhouse with a German-Swiss academic culture and an Assessment Year that can be taken fully in English. Answers that show you understand what you are signing up for (rigour, self-direction, an international cohort) beat answers that could have been pointed at any university anywhere.
The single most useful insight: prepare the video interview like a speech, not a chat. You will get a small set of questions about your motivation and interests, short preparation time per question, and a fixed window to record each answer. Before you ever sit down, write and rehearse out loud a tight 60 to 90 second answer for the predictable themes: why this subject, why HSG specifically, a strength and how you have used it, a challenge you handled, and what you want to do after. Practising aloud (and recording yourself on your phone) is the difference between sounding prepared and sounding ambushed.
Do not over-script to the point of sounding robotic. Memorise the one concrete example at the heart of each answer (the internship, the model UN resolution you drafted, the data project), and let the wording flex around it. And remember the test comes first: the aptitude test is a reasoning test, so practise with timed logic and numerical-reasoning sets, sleep well, and treat it as the gate you must pass before the interview even matters.
A recorded video interview of 4 to 6 prerecorded questions, about 10 minutes total, answered into your webcam after short preparation time. Questions probe your motivation and interests; HSG assesses motivation, interest, and your reflective and expressive skills.
HSG is asking, in spoken form: why do you want to study this subject at St. Gallen, what drives you, and can you think and express yourself clearly under time pressure? Because there is no written essay, these answers carry the personal, motivational weight that a US personal statement normally would.
The interview exists because international places are capped and demand is high, so HSG needs a fast, comparable way to judge motivation and communication beyond grades and the aptitude test. They want students who chose HSG deliberately and can hold a clear line of thought on camera, which mirrors how you will perform in seminars and case discussions.
Pick a concrete anchor for each likely question (an internship, a competition, a book that changed how you see the field) so you are recalling something true, not inventing on the spot. Real detail is what makes spoken motivation believable.
Use one sentence of claim, one specific example, and one sentence on what it means for studying at HSG. Then rehearse it aloud until it fits the time window naturally, so the structure carries you when nerves hit.
Film yourself on your phone answering common prompts, watch it back once, and fix the two worst habits (filler words, looking away, running long). Repeat until you sound calm and finish on time. Self-review is the fastest improvement you can make.
“Ever since I was a child, I have been passionate about business and have always dreamed of studying at a prestigious university like St. Gallen.”
“Last summer I helped a family friend's bakery move its orders online, and watching a spreadsheet change how many loaves they baked is why I want to study business at HSG.”
- 1Opens with a specific, defensible reason and signals real understanding of what the BIA major is, instead of generic prestige-chasing.
- 2A single concrete anchor. It is verifiable, personal, and shows the motivation is lived, not claimed.
- 3Names a real, distinctive HSG feature (the English-track Assessment Year) and ties it back to the applicant's own goal, which is exactly the 'why here' specificity HSG wants.
- 4Closes with a clear, forward-looking aim in plain language, finishing the thought cleanly within the time window.
- 1Picks a real, specific challenge with stakes, not a humble-brag. It sets up a genuine difficulty.
- 2Shows initiative and a concrete action rather than vague 'I worked hard', which is what reflective skill looks like on camera.
- 3Reframes success around impact on others, signalling maturity without sounding boastful.
- 4Lands a short reflection that connects directly to thriving in HSG's rigorous Assessment Year, finishing within time.
- What is the one concrete thing (a project, job, competition, or book) that best explains why I want this subject, and can I tell it in 60 seconds?
- If an admissions officer asked 'why HSG and not any other business school', what specific feature would I name, and is it actually true of HSG?
- When I watch a recording of myself answering, what are the two habits that make me look least prepared, and how do I fix them?
- I have rehearsed each core answer out loud and timed it to fit roughly 60 to 90 seconds.
- Every answer names something specific (a real example and a real HSG feature), not generic praise.
- I have done at least one full practice recording on my webcam and watched it back.
Mistakes that sink St. Gallen essays
There is nowhere to submit one. Pouring weeks into a Common-App-style narrative about overcoming adversity is wasted effort for HSG. Redirect that energy into rehearsing spoken answers and drilling the aptitude test. The story still matters, but you tell it in 60 seconds to a camera, not in 650 words on a page.
The recorded format with short prep time is unforgiving for the unprepared. Applicants who think they will improvise freeze, ramble, or run out of time mid-sentence. Script and rehearse your core answers out loud, record practice runs, and watch them back. Preparation reads as confidence; improvisation usually reads as panic.
Saying HSG is prestigious or highly ranked tells them nothing. Name the specific programme (for example the Assessment Year leading into Business Administration or the Major in International Affairs), a feature you actually want, and how it connects to what you have already done. Specificity is the whole signal.
The video interview only happens if your aptitude-test result earns the invitation. Some applicants obsess over interview answers and walk into the timed reasoning test cold. Practise timed logical and numerical reasoning for weeks beforehand. The test is the first gate, not a formality.
St. Gallen essay FAQ
Does the University of St. Gallen require an application essay or personal statement?
No. There is no written application essay or personal statement for HSG. International applicants go through a selection procedure made up of a 70-minute online aptitude test and a recorded video interview. The video interview is effectively your spoken personal statement, since that is where you explain your motivation.
What is the St. Gallen video interview and what does it ask?
It is a recorded interview of 4 to 6 prerecorded questions lasting about 10 minutes total. You answer into your own webcam, not to a live person. The questions focus on your motivation and interests, and HSG assesses your motivation, interest, and your reflective and expressive skills. You get short preparation time before recording each answer.
Do American and other international students apply to St. Gallen through the Common App or UCAS?
No. HSG uses its own online application on unisg.ch, not the Common App or UCAS. After applying, international applicants with a recognised foreign school-leaving certificate must complete the HSG selection procedure (aptitude test plus video interview) because international places are capped at 25% by Swiss law.
What are the application deadlines for St. Gallen Bachelor 2026 entry?
The Bachelor application window runs 1 October to 30 April. If you submit a complete application by 10 January and register by 31 January, you can take the February selection round (aptitude test 10 Feb 2026, video interview 12 Feb 2026). Later applicants are limited to the June round (test 2 June 2026, interview 4 June 2026). Confirm exact dates on unisg.ch.
Can I study at St. Gallen in English?
Yes. The Assessment Year (first year) with an economics specialisation can be taken fully in English, which then leads into Bachelor majors such as Business Administration or International Affairs (BIA). You complete the selection procedure in your chosen language of instruction, so if you apply for the English track you interview in English.
How hard is it to get into St. Gallen as an international student?
It is competitive. International places are limited by a 25% legal cap, and third-party estimates put the acceptance rate in the mid-20s percent (HSG does not publish an official figure). The aptitude test is the first gate, so you must perform there before the video interview even counts.
Prompts and facts verified against HSG selection procedure (official), Admission to a Bachelor's programme (official), Application deadlines (official), Video interview instructions (official PDF) and Major International Affairs (BIA), English-taught (University of St. Gallen, 2026 entry cycle). Supplements change yearly, re-verify each cycle.
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