Admission to the Master's programme in Computer Science (MCS)

You can apply for enrolment in the Master's programme if you hold or will have obtained one of the following degrees from a recognised Swiss university before the start date of your programme at the University of St.Gallen:

• Bachelor's degree with a major at least partly similar to Computer Science awarded by a Swiss university;
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science from a Swiss university of applied sciences (Fachhochschule). Bachelor's degrees in business informatics are assessed on a case-by-case basis;
• Degree from the University of St.Gallen (transitional provision)

A list of the approved, accredited Swiss universities can be found on swissuniversities.

Depending on how relevant the major of your previous degree is to Computer Science and the type of higher education institution determines whether admission is subject to conditions. We differentiate between Bachelor's degrees with majors similar and partly similar to Business Administration.

Degree with a major similar to Computer Science:
80 ECTS credit points in the core subjects:
Fundamentals of mathematics (at least 16 ECTS)
Basics of computer science (at least 24 ECTS)
Specialised knowledge of computer science (at least 9 ECTS)

Degree with a major partly similar to Computer Science:
80 ECTS credit points in the core subjects:
Fundamentals of mathematics (no minimum)
Basics of computer science (no minimum)
Specialised knowledge of computer science (no minimum)

If you have any questions on degree recognition or equivalence, please do not hesitate to contact the Admissions and Crediting Office for further help.

You do not need to submit proof of language proficiency when you apply. It is your responsibility to ensure that your command of the language of instruction is sufficient to allow you to complete your studies successfully. Recommended level at the start of the study is at least C1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

Applicants with a Swiss university of applied sciences degree in Computer Science (Fachhochschulabschluss in Informatik) or with a Swiss university degree partly similar to Computer Science or a degree from the University of St.Gallen have to pass a written and an oral examination before being admitted.

Test content:
Fundamentals of computer science at Bachelor level including algorithms and data structures, abstractions and methodology of programming, distributed systems, software systems, statistics.

Examination dates:

• written examination: 9 June 2023

• oral examinations: 22 - 23 June 2023

Detailed information on the written and oral examination can be found in the fact sheet "Admission examination for the M.Sc. Programme in Computer Science".

Applicants with a recognised Swiss university degree similar to Computer Science do not need to take the test.

Students who do not have any knowledge of German at the start of their studies must attend a German language course (minimum level A1 (GER)) before graduating. Crediting of internationally recognised language certificates is possible during your Master's studies.

All students must provide evidence of sufficient accounting knowledge to successfully complete their Master's degree programme.

If you have already acquired sufficient knowledge of accounting during your studies, the evidence can be credited during the admission process. If this evidence is missing at the time of admission, the accountancy examination has to be taken at the University of St.Gallen.

Please have the following information and documents ready to upload:

• Digital passport photo
• Signed Enrollment Agreement
• Passport or ID card and, if applicable, a Swiss (permanent) residence permit
• Curriculum vitae – style template
• Higher education entrance qualification (Swiss maturity certificate or foreign upper secondary school leaving certificate)
• Degree documents, if available. Otherwise current official transcripts from each university attended (including exchange programmes and transcripts from unfinished degree programmes). The current transcript must show at least 120 ECTS credit points for courses taken so that we can process your application.

Only one file can be uploaded per bullet point. You can use online tools such as online2pdf.com to create PDF files or to combine several pages into one PDF file. Make sure the files you send to us are legible so that we can process your application without delay.

Swiss citizens need their Swiss social insurance number (AHV number) for the application. If you do not know your national insurance number, please order a duplicate of your insurance certificate from the Swiss Central Compensation Office in good time.

The Admissions and Crediting Office checks your personal data and your electronically submitted documents. You will hear from us no later than six weeks following your completion of the online application.

Please log into your user account regularly to check the status of your application. If we need further information or documents, we will inform you directly via your account’s status overview page. Additionally, you will be requested by email to log into your user account.

You will receive the Letter of Admission or the Letter of Rejection in your electronic mailbox (Compass Mailbox). If the decision is positive, your Admission Letter will inform you regarding your programme-specific additional requirements and where appropriate, on the conditions of admission (written and oral tests).

Please find the link to your Compass Mailbox in the Online-Application user account at the top right of your status page. You can access your mailbox using your Online-Application log-in data.

Mid-July your user account will be created. You will find the instructions for activating your account in your electronic mailbox (Compass mailbox).

From this point on, you will receive all email information to your University of St.Gallen email address.

Mid-July we will upload the semester fee invoice to your Compass Mailbox. Within about two weeks after payment a confirmation of enrolment will be available in your electronic mailbox (Compass Mailbox).

Mid-August we will upload information on the course selection process (Bidding) and the compulsory introductory Kick-off Days in your Compass Mailbox. Please see the Student Guide and Arrival Guide for further helpful information.

Your admission is conditional until you submit all the necessary documents.

Send a certified copy of your degree certificate and final academic transcript to the Admissions- and Crediting Office of the University of St.Gallen by no later than the start of the programme (calendar week 38). A copy is considered to be officially certified if the content of the copy is identical to the original documents and if the home university or an official body confirms this with stamp and signature.
Do not send any original documents in the post!

If any of the documents are not issued in German, French, Italian or English, you must also submit a certified translation of the document in German or English. Please observe our guidelines "Certified documents and translations".

As soon as you have submitted all the necessary documents, your admission is unconditional. We will send you a confirmation email. Should you not be able to submit the necessary degree documents before the degree programme starts (calendar week 38), we will not be able to admit you.

If you have one of the following degrees from a recognised higher education institution or complete one before the degree programme starts, then you can apply for the Master's programme:

• University Bachelor's degree with a major at least partly similar to Computer Science;
• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science from a recognised university of applied sciences (Fachhochschule). Bachelor's degrees in business informatics are assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Your degree programme will be recognised if the following criteria are fulfilled:

• Your final degree certificate was awarded by a institution of higher education which is recognised in the country where you attended the course.
• You have completed at least 80% of your course work at a recognised or accredited institution of higher education.
• You have completed at least half of the course work on site at the institution of higher education awarding the degree.
• You fulfil the minimum requirements for admission to the Master's degree programme at your home institution of higher education.

Detailed information on the recognition of universities, university degrees and country-specific provisions

Depending on how relevant the major of your previous degree is to Computer Science and the type of higher education institution determines whether admission is subject to conditions. We differentiate between Bachelor's degrees with majors similar and partly similar to Business Administration.

Degree with a major similar to Computer Science:
80 ECTS credit points in the core subjects:
Fundamentals of mathematics (at least 16 ECTS)
Basics of computer science (at least 24 ECTS)
Specialised knowledge of computer science (at least 9 ECTS)

Degree with a major partly similar to Computer Science:
80 ECTS credit points in the core subjects:
Fundamentals of mathematics (no minimum)
Basics of computer science (no minimum)
Specialised knowledge of computer science (no minimum)

If you have any questions on degree recognition or equivalence, please do not hesitate to contact the Admissions and Crediting Office for further help.

You do not need to submit proof of language proficiency when you apply. It is your responsibility to ensure that your command of the language of instruction is sufficient to allow you to complete your studies successfully. Recommended level at the start of the study is at least C1 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).

The number of university places for foreign applicants is limited by law. As the number of applications is higher than the number of places available, foreign student applicants are admitted via a selection process. The following criteria will be assessed in the selection process:

• average grade
• study qualification test (optional)
• university and curriculum of the degree programme
• extracurricular activities and intercultural mobility
• letter of motivation

The Admission Committee conducts four admission rounds between October and April. All complete applications that have been submitted on time are assessed and a decision is made on admission or admission to the test (admission condition). 

More information on the selection process can be found in the "Admission of foreign applicants to the Master's Level" fact sheet.

Admission rounds:
First admission round: 1 October–30 November / Decision: by 21 December
Second admission round: 1 December–31 January / Decision: by 22 February
Third admission round: 1 February–31 March / Decision: by 30 April
Fourth admission round: 1 April-30 April / Decision: by 31 May

(Swiss or Liechtenstein citizens, applicants with a Swiss permanent residence permit C and applicants with a Swiss school leaving certificate or a Swiss university degree are excempt from the selection procedure.)

Applicants with a university of applied sciences degree in Computer Science (Fachhochschulabschluss in Informatik) or with a university degree partly similar to Computer Science have to pass a written and an oral examination before being admitted.

Test content:
Fundamentals of computer science at Bachelor level including algorithms and data structures, abstractions and methodology of programming, distributed systems, software systems, statistics.

Examination dates:

• written examination: 9 June 2023

• oral examinations: 22 - 23 June 2023

Detailed information on the written and oral examination can be found in the fact sheet "Admission examination for the M.Sc. Programme in Computer Science".

Applicants with a recognised university degree similar to Computer Science do not need to take the test.

Students who do not have any knowledge of German at the start of their studies must attend a German language course (minimum level A1 (GER)) before graduating. Crediting of internationally recognised language certificates is possible during your Master's studies.

All students must provide evidence of sufficient accounting knowledge to successfully complete their Master's degree programme.

If you have already acquired sufficient knowledge of accounting during your studies, the evidence can be credited during the admission process. If this evidence is missing at the time of admission, the accountancy examination has to be taken at the University of St.Gallen.

Please have the following information and documents ready to upload:

• Digital passport photo
• Signed Enrollment Agreement
  
• Passport or ID card and, if applicable, a Swiss (permanent) residence permit
• Curriculum vitae – style template
• Supporting documents for extracurricular activities
• Letter of motivation (foreign applicants only) - style template
• GMAT, GRE or LSAT test, optional (foreign applicants only)
• Higher education entrance qualification (Swiss maturity exam, foreign upper secondary school leaving certificate)
• Degree documents, if available. Otherwise current official transcripts from each university attended (including exchange programmes and transcripts from unfinished degree programmes). The current transcript must show at least 120 ECTS credit points for courses taken so that we can process your application. In the case of double degree programmes or "joint degrees", transcripts from each attended university including explanatory notes on the course programme must be submitted.

If any of the documents are not issued in German, French, Italian or English, you must also submit a certified translation of the document in German or English. Please observe our guidelines "Certified documents and translations".

Only one file can be uploaded per bullet point. You can use online tools such as online2pdf.com to create PDF files or to combine several pages into one PDF file. Make sure the files you send to us are legible so that we can process your application without delay.

Swiss citizens need their Swiss social insurance number (AHV number) for the application. If you do not know your national insurance number, please order a duplicate of your insurance certificate from the Swiss Central Compensation Office in good time.