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

Programme organised by the School of Computer Science, taught in English: selection process for foreign applicants.

Requirements

You can apply for this 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.

The relevance of your previous major to the subject of Computer Science and the type of your previous higher education institution determine whether your admission is subject to conditions. We differentiate between bachelor's degrees with majors similar and partly similar to the subject of Computer Science.

Degree with a major similar to Computer Science:
80 ECTS credit points in the core subjects:
Fundamentals of athematics (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.

When you apply, you do not need to prove your knowledge of the language in which the programme is taught. It is your responsibility to ensure that you are suffeciently fluent in the required language to allow you to complete your studies successfully. Recommended level for you to begin your studies 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 will include:
Fundamentals of computer science at bachelor's level including algorithms and data structures, abstractions and methodology of programming, distributed systems, software systems, statistics.

Examination dates:

  • written examination: 6 June 2025
  • oral examinations: 12 - 13 June 2025

For detailed information on the written and oral examination, refer to Admission examination for the M.Sc. Programme in Computer Science.

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

Programme-specific additional requirements

Upon admission, additional requirements may be imposed. These must be fulfilled before graduation. 

Students who do not have any knowledge of German at the start of their studies must complete a German language course (minimum level A1 (GER)) before graduating. During your studies you will be able to have your internationally recognised language certificates credited towards fulfilling this condition. Please find a list of recognised language certificates in the Directives of the Dean of Studies, Annex I, page 46.

All students must provide evidence of sufficient knowledge of accounting to successfully complete their master's degree. Knowledge of accounting acquired during previous studies may be recognised and credited towards fulfilling this condition during the admission process. If you cannot provide proof of sufficiant knowledge of accounting at the time of admission, you will have to take the accountancy exam at the University of St.Gallen.

Application

The degree programme starts in the autumn semester. Please apply online. The application fee is CHF 250.

Application period: 1 October - 30 April

To the Online Application

Please have the following information and documents ready to upload:

  • Digital passport photo
  • Signed Enrolment Agreement
  • Passport or ID card and, if applicable, a Swiss (permanent) residence permit
  • Curriculum vitae – style template / MLaw, MLE style template
  • Higher education entrance qualification (Swiss Matura certificate or foreign upper secondary school leaving certificate)
  • Degree documents (degree certificate, final academic transcript, diploma supplement), 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 AHV number for the application. If you do not know your insurance number, please order a duplicate of your insurance certificate from the Swiss Central Compensation Office in good time.

What happens after you have applied online?

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 SWITCH edu-ID log-in data.

Your admission is conditional until you submit all the necessary documents. You may post a certified copy of your degree certificate and a confirmation of exmatriculation to us by no later than the start of the programme (calendar week 38). Please do not send any original copies in the post! (electronic verification options for third parties may be accepted)

If you do not have your degree certificate by the time the degree programme starts, you will have to submit confirmation by the end of calendar week 38 that you graduated from your university. The confirmation of graduation must clearly show that you have all of the course work required for graduation. The confirmation must also indicate when your university is going to issue your final degree certificate. Please note that you must also submit confirmation that you are no longer registered as a student there.

As soon as you have presented all the necessary documents, your admission is unconditional. We will send you a confirmation email.

Please find detailed information on the next steps before the start of your studies, including advice on accommodation, insurance and visas, under Starting your studies

Requirements

If you have one of the following degrees from a recognised higher education institution, or you 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, among others, the following criteria are fulfilled:

  • Your final degree certificate was awarded by an 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;
  • The degree includes a bachelor's thesis worth at least 10 ECTS credits (application-oriented project work is not taken into account).

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


Whether your admission is subject to conditions, depends on how relevant the major of your previous degree is to Computer Science and on the type of higher education institution at which you studied. We differentiate between bachelor's degrees with majors similar and partly similar to Computer Science.

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.

When you apply, you do not need to prove your knowledge of the language in which the programme is taught. It is your responsibility to ensure that you are suffeciently fluent in the required language to allow you to complete your studies successfully. Recommended level for you to begin your studies 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 applicants are admitted via a selection process. (Citizens of Switzerland or Liechtenstein, applicants with a Swiss permanent residence permit C, and applicants with a Swiss school leaving certificate or a Swiss university degree can apply directly for enrolment in the master's degree programme, provided that they fulfil the formal admission regulations.)

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 the admission.
First admission round: 1 October–30 November / Decision: by 31 December
Second admission round: 1 December–31 January / Decision: by 28 February
Third admission round: 1 February–31 March / Decision: by 30 April
Fourth admission round: 1 April–30 April / Decision: by 31 May
 

The following criteria will be assessed in the selection process:
  • Average grade (25%)
    The grade point average shown on your degree certificate is decisive. If your degree is not yet available at the time of application, the grade point average will be calculated based on the current transcript submit-ted. A maximum of 60 ECTS credits may remain outstanding for the degree on the current transcript submitted. 
     
  • International study qualification test - optional (25%)
    If no official GMAT, GRE, LSAT or TM-WISO test result is submitted or if the test result is too low, the grade point average is weighted twice.

    When evaluating GMAT scores the total score is taken into consideration, while for the assessment of the GRE score the Quantitative Reasoning section is decisive. Upload your official score report to your online application. (For GMAT Focus, upload a screenshot of the Test Taker Version from your mba.com account.) You must also have your score sent to the University of St.Gallen by GMAC or ETS before the closing date for applications. (GMAT: University of St.Gallen, MA / MSc Master Level, GRE: 7202).
     
  • University (5%), Curriculum (5%)
    Evaluation of the home university (e.g. CEMS, partner university, etc.) and the curriculum of your study programme.
     
  • Extracurricular activities and intercultural mobility (30%)
    Commitments and activities outside of your degree programme (e.g. internships, exceptional achievements, exchange semesters, additional qualifications) will only be taken into account if you furnish proof thereof. List all these activities in your CV, create one file with the relevant confirmations and upload this file in the "Supporting Documents” section of your online application. Please use the Curriculum Vitae style template.
     
  • Letter of motivation (10%)
    Content, language and structure will be assessed. Please use the Motivation Letter style template.

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

Test includes:
Fundamentals of computer science at bachelor's level including algorithms and data structures, abstractions and methodology of programming, distributed systems, software systems, and statistics.

Examination dates:

  • written examination: 6 June 2025
  • oral examinations: 12 - 13 June 2025

For detailed information on the written and oral examination, refer to Admission Examination for the M.Sc. Programme in Computer Science.

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

Programme-specific additional requirements

Upon admission, additional requirements may be imposed. These must be fulfilled before graduation.

Students who do not have any knowledge of German at the start of their studies must complete a German language course (minimum level A1 (GER)) before graduating. During your studies you will be able to have your internationally recognised language certificates credited towards fulfilling this condition. Please find a list of recognised language certificates in the Directives of the Dean of Studies, Annex I, page 46.

All students must provide evidence of sufficient knowledge of accounting to successfully complete their master's degree. Knowledge of accounting acquired during previous studies may be recognised and credited towards fulfilling this condition during the admission process. If you cannot provide proof of sufficiant knowledge of accounting at the time of admission, you will have to take the accountancy exam at the University of St.Gallen.

Application

The degree programme starts in the autumn semester. Please apply online. The application fee is CHF 250.

Application period: 1 October - 30 April

To the Online Application

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 (see style template)
  • Supporting documents for extracurricular activities and intercultural mobility 
  • Letter of motivation (foreign applicants only; see style template)
  • GMAT, GRE or LSAT test, optional (foreign applicants only)
  • Higher education entrance qualification (Swiss Matura exam, foreign upper secondary school leaving certificate)
  • Degree documents (degree certificate, final academic transcript, diploma supplement), 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 regarding documents to be submitted and translations in the Directive on the Implementing provisions of the admission regulations.

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 to supply 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.

What happens after you have applied online?

The Admissions and Crediting Office checks your personal data and your electronically submitted documents. If your application is complete and fulfils the formal admission requirements, it is forwarded to the Admissions Committee.

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.

The Committee evaluates each application within three admission rounds. The selection process is concluded by the end of April at the latest. For a detailed description of the selection process, refer to admission of foreign applicants to the master's level.

You will receive the Letter of Admission or the Letter of Rejection in your electronic mailbox (Compass Mailbox). If the Admissions Committee takes a positive decision, you will receive the Letter of Admission along with details on your programme-specific additional requirements and, where appropriate, with information on the conditions of admission (written and oral tests) in your electronic mailbox (Compass Mailbox).

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.

Without condition of admission (written and oral examination):
Along with the Letter of Admission you will also receive the invoice for the first semester fee and a form to confirm your place on your chosen programme. Your place will be confirmed as soon as we receive your completed confirmation form, and the semester fee invoice amount is credited to our account on time. Within about two weeks after payment, a confirmation of enrolment will be available in your electronic mailbox (Compass Mailbox).

With condition of admission (written and oral examination):
Along with the Letter of Admission you will also receive a form to confirm your place on your chosen programme. Your place will be confirmed as soon as we receive your completed confirmation form and as soon as you will have passed the written and oral examination. You will receive the invoice for the first semester fee in July. Within about two weeks after payment, a confirmation of enrolment will be available in your electronic mailbox (Compass Mailbox).

Your admission is conditional until you submit certified copies of the following degree documents: 
(electronic verification options for third parties may be accepted):

  • Final academic transcript and diploma supplement (if issued by the degree-awarding institution); and
  • Degree certificate 
    If the degree certificate has not yet been issued by the time of submitting the academic transcript, the graduation and degree level have to be apparent unambiguously on the final academic transcript (i.e. degree awarded, graduated, degree granted).

Send a certified copy of your degree certificate and final academic transcript by postal mail to the Admissions and Crediting Office of the University of St.Gallen by no later than the start of your study programme (calendar week 38). Should you not be able to submit the certified copies of your degree documents in time, you will not be able to start your studies. 

Do not send any original documents in the post! 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 by means of a stamp and signature. Authenticated copies of the documents pass into the possession of the University of St.Gallen; they will not be returned.

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 note our guidelines regarding documents to be submitted in the Directive on the implementing provisions of the admission regulations

As soon as you have submitted all the necessary documents, your admission is unconditional. We will send you a confirmation email. 

Please find detailed information on the next steps before the start of your studies, including advice on accommodation, insurance and visas, under Starting your studies

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 SWITCH edu-ID log-in data.

Your admission is conditional until you submit certified copies of the following degree documents: 
(electronic verification options for third parties may be accepted):

  • Final academic transcript and diploma supplement (if issued by the degree-awarding institution); and
  • Degree certificate 
    If the degree certificate has not yet been issued by the time of submitting the academic transcript, the graduation and degree level have to be apparent unambiguously on the final academic transcript (i.e. degree awarded, graduated, degree granted).

Send a certified copy of your degree certificate and final academic transcript by postal mail to the Admissions and Crediting Office of the University of St.Gallen by no later than the start of your study programme (calendar week 38). Should you not be able to submit the certified copies of your degree documents in time, you will not be able to start your studies. 

Do not send any original documents in the post! 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 by means of a stamp and signature. Authenticated copies of the documents pass into the possession of the University of St.Gallen; they will not be returned.

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 note our guidelines regarding documents to be submitted in the Directive on the implementing provisions of the admission regulations

As soon as you have submitted all the necessary documents, your admission is unconditional. We will send you a confirmation email. 

Please find detailed information on the next steps before the start of your studies, including advice on accommodation, insurance and visas, under Starting your studies

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Admissions and Crediting Office
University of St.Gallen
Dufourstrasse 50
CH-9000 St. Gallen
admissionsunisg.ch

+41 71 224 39 31
Tue.-Thu. 10:00 am - 11:30 am

At the office (02-U154)
Tue.-Thu. 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
by appointment only 

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