In order to fund their studies and lives in St.Gallen, students should have CHF 2,100-2,500 per month at their disposal. This includes the costs for board and lodging, communication, expenditure on their degree courses, as well as other expenses. These costs are calculated on the basis of the representative survey conducted by the Federal Statistical Office in 2013, with the increase in tuition fees in Autumn Semester 2014 added on to them.

At present, 80 per cent of students are in gainful employment and fund part or the whole of their studies in this way. Financially needy students have the option to apply for scholarships or student loans. Scholarships are one-off or recurring contributions to a student’s education without any repayment obligation. Student loans have to be repaid after graduation. As a rule, loans are interest-free during the borrower’s studies but subject to a low interest rate after graduation.

In an initial step, Swiss students can apply for a scholarship in their respective cantons of residence. Swiss and foreign students can apply to the University for a scholarship or student loan from the intramural loan and scholarship fund. Moreover, private foundations and organisations also offer scholarships to students.

The Loan and Scholarship Fund of the University of St.Gallen grants scholarships and students loans to financially needy HSG students twice a year. To be granted such a contribution, students have to submit an application to the Advice Center for Study Funding. The Loan and Scholarship Fund does not make any distinction between whether students come from home or abroad but decides on the basis of financial neediness. Scholarships are granted to students in the Assessment Year and the Bachelor’s Level. As a rule, Master’s students receive a student loan. Funding is only granted on a subsidiary basis, i.e. in the case of a scholarship, students have to raise CHF 500 per month on their own plus a possible contribution from their parents. In the case of a student loan from the Master’s Level upwards, this amount rises to CHF 1,000.

The actual amount of the scholarship is contingent on each and every individual case, with the following criteria being decisive:

• income (from side jobs, scholarships, family), assets;
• family situation (children, siblings in education);
• expenditure;
• ongoing scholarships and loans;
• efforts made to be granted further scholarships.

The University’s Loan and Scholarship Fund is bankrolled by the HSG students, i.e. all enrolled students – from Assessment Year undergraduates to doctoral students – pay ten francs per semester into the fund.