Ranking results

Besides the Financial Times rankings, the University of St.Gallen takes an active part in further selected programme-specific rankings conducted by other ranking organisations and media, such as QS or the Economist.

All in all, the HSG is currently participating in approx. 20 rankings (including individual rankings and sub-rankings). The HSG’s ranking policy covers the following points:

• The HSG defines its objectives in teaching, research and executive education autonomously. Rankings provide us with information, but they are not the central aspect.
• Rankings supply us with valuable feedback and are an important indicator with regard to quality improvements.
• We use ranking results in order to initiate internal discussions about quality improvements (for instance in our academic programmes).
• The HSG participates in rankings which take into consideration the HSG’s profile as a specialised university, use an appropriate and transparent methodology and are managed professionally.

Financial Times (FT) rankings
The various rankings of the Financial Times (FT) underline the broadly based and high-quality programme portfolio of the University of St.Gallen. In the FT Masters in Management Ranking, the HSG’s Master in Strategy and International Management (SIM-HSG) has continuously occupied first place worldwide since 2011. The Master in Banking and Finance (MBF-HSG) also regularly reaches places in the top ten of the FT Masters in Finance Ranking. And in the individual rankings of MBA and Executive MBA programmes, as well as open and customised executive education programmes, the HSG has established itself as a significant contender in the relevant rankings. This results in the fact that the HSG is regularly positioned in the leading group of the European Business Schools Ranking, which consolidates five individual rankings.

Handelsblatt ranking (German-speaking Europe)
Research in economics: 8th place.

The Handelsblatt ranking lists the economists in the German-speaking area who are strongest with regard to research and on this basis draws up a list of the universities which are leading in research.

Wirtschaftswoche ranking
Research in management: 1st place.

The Wirtschaftswoche first published a ranking of the business economists who were strongest in research and of the leading universities in the field of business administration studies in the German-speaking area in 2019. The Wirtschaftswoche thus succeeds the Handelsblatt, which had drawn up the management studies ranking in the preceding year. In analogy to the Handelsblatt management studies ranking, the HSG again came first in the Wirtschaftswoche in 2020.

The Economist rankings
The Economist is a weekly magazine focusing on international politics, the economy and finances. Within the scope of its activities, the Economist publishes various business school rankings. The HSG participates in the annual Economist MBA Ranking and in the biennial Economist Masters in Management Ranking. In the latter ranking, the HSG’s Master in Strategy and International Management (SIM-HSG) won an excellent second place.

QS rankings
QS (Quacquarelli Symonds), a company which operates in the field of education/studying abroad, has conducted worldwide rankings since 2004. On the one hand, these are general university rankings (QS World University Rankings – QS WUR); on the other hand, they are subject-specific rankings (QS World University Rankings by Subject) and programme-specific rankings (such as the QS Business School Rankings). Whereas the general QS university rankings give preference to big, research-intensive universities with a wide range of subjects and a corresponding worldwide reputation, the HSG is able to stand its ground particularly well in the programme-specific rankings.

Times Higher Education (THE) rankings
The Times Higher Education (THE) Rankings are published by the eponymous British magazine, which deals with tertiary education. Similarly to QS, the Times Higher Education also publishes general university rankings (THE World University Rankings – THE WUR), subject-specific rankings (THE World University Rankings by Subject) and programme-specific rankings (such as the THE Teaching Rankings). Currently, the THE is diversifying its ranking portfolio. To date, the HSG has only appeared in the THE World University Rankings and the THE World University Rankings by Subject. Active participation in further rankings is currently under review.

U-Multirank
U-Multirank is a multidimensional, user-driven approach to the international ranking of higher education institutions. It compares the performances of universities in the five dimensions of university activity: (1) teaching and learning, (2) research, (3) knowledge transfer, (4) international orientation and (5) regional engagement.

U-Multirank does not publish any overall rankings (1st, 2nd, 3rd place, etc.) of universities but offers the various stakeholders tools that enable them to compare universities in the above-mentioned five dimensions. Thus it is not a ranking in the proper sense of the term, but a rating of universities. U-Multirank was set up with the support of the European Union and is registering a growing number of participating institutions.

Other rankings
Examples of further rankings in which aspects of the HSG appear include:
Bloomberg Business Week, U.S. News, Eduniversal, Leiden Ranking, Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU, Shanghai Ranking).