Although the power to award doctoral degrees that was conferred on HSG had in fact elevated the school from the status of a commercial college to that of a university, the name 'Handelshochschule St.Gallen, Hochschule für Wirtschaftswissenschaften' (Business School of St.Gallen) was kept unchanged, as it was believed to reflect how the school saw itself and to emphasise the school's individuality. The French or Italian translations of the name, though, were already using the common terms Université Commerciale or Università respectively.
However, especially since the institutions known as universities of applied sciences were gaining in significance, the idea of changing the school's name in order to distinguish itself more clearly became relevant again. Hence the official name of HSG was changed, in October 1995, to 'University of St.Gallen - School of Management, Economics, Law, Social Sciences (HSG)' and, as such, quickly won acceptance both in- and outside the university. At the same time, the university still attaches great importance to maintaining its traditional trademark and seal of quality 'HSG'. Many graduates also add HSG to their company nameplates or letterheads, thus demonstrating that they remain proud of this mark of quality.