Masters in Banking and Finance admission to Saint Gallen

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Hello everyone,

I had a quick question on the possibility to apply for the masters program in Banking and Finance for the university of saint gallen in the future.

See, I did the Swiss Matura during highschool which gave me an option to pursue economics at any university however I chose geneva because it was close by and i didnt need to spend on a student flat and I’m currently in my first year.

However i’m growing more and more worried about Unige (GSEM)’s reputation as im told Saint gallen and even HEC Lausanne is better in regards to finance and economics. I was told before that uni in CH doesnt really matter to the employer like it may be in the US, but i am considering of doing my masters at another institution within CH to make up for it.

I was wondering what its like and how hard it is to get into a masters at saint gallen (which is supposedly the most reputable in CH). I’ve read the criteria on their website and just wanted to hear from anybody else’s experience.

Is there a “safety net” sort of thing where it may be easier to be admitted given how i will have a bachelor from a reputable state university or is it highly competitive. I know a masters in my own uni grants me immediate access since i will have completed my bachelor there but just wanted to know from anybody else’s opinion.

Thanks

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I don't know much about the admission, but I taught/teach students from MBF and the ones I taught are super high performers, both academically and in industry. Whilst the faculty in HSG are really good, I also believe there is a selection effect of some of the very best joining the programme. Keep in mind though that the expectations are usually high too. At the same time, UNIGE has good research-active finance and economics faculty (a big SFI hub, as is HEC Lausanne or EPFL SFI).

My first question to you though would be why would you like to do a Master's? Is it for the industry job market? Is it for entering academia? If the former, it is indeed often the case that the university as such doesn't matter - but your grades will, as would be past internships and your demonstration of the required competences. A fine print is that HSG is indeed considered reputable by recruiters, although I suspect that the reputation might be more prominent in the German-speaking countries.

You could also explore the possibility of doing an exchange semester at HSG. Unige is a partner university- and thus, this exchange should be possible.