Accumulated inflation: Cantonal Council approves increase in tuition fees at HSG

At the end of October, the Cantonal Council of the canton of St.Gallen approved the increase of tuition fees at the University of St.Gallen (HSG) by around seven per cent. This includes all tuition fees; in addition to semester fees, it also incorporates application for admission and matriculation fees, examination fees, course fees, etc. The tuition fees per semester for regularly enrolled Bachelor's students from Switzerland and the Principality of Liechtenstein will thus increase from CHF 1,229 to CHF 1,310.50 and from CHF 3,129 to CHF 3,343.50 for foreign students. Master's students from Switzerland will now pay CHF 1,524.50 (instead of CHF 1,429), while fees at the Master's degree level (Master level) for foreign students will now be CHF 3,557.50 (instead of CHF 3,329). The new fees will be applicable starting on 1 August 2026 (for the autumn semester 2026). Due to the collaboration with the University of Zurich, the course fees for the Joint Medical Master are exempt from this change.

Measure as part of the relief package 

The moderate increase in tuition fees that has been decided upon is also part of the 2026 relief package. As the St.Gallen Cantonal Council announced on 25 September 2025, it plans to save up to CHF 209 million annually over the next few years with a total of 87 measures. The education sector is heavily affected by this, and so is HSG. For this reason, numerous cost-cutting measures have already been implemented, and further measures are still being examined or are in preparation. In recent years, the cantonal finance commission and the Cantonal Council have expressed their expectation that HSG will continue to achieve a high level of self-financing in addition to its basic funding by means of public funds. To this end, measures on the income side are also to be examined. In view of rising costs for services, materials, energy, IT, maintenance, etc. in recent years, the HSG’s President's Board concluded that after more than ten years, it was necessary to adjust tuition fees. The Board of Governors and now the St.Gallen Cantonal Council have also followed this assessment.