St Gallen SIM Motivation Letter: Is There One?
St Gallen's SIM master's asks for no motivation letter. Where SIM assesses your motivation instead: the video interview, the referee CV and proof of work.
St Gallen SIM Motivation Letter: Is There One?
No. The University of St.Gallen's document checklist for the Strategy and International Management (SIM) master's lists no motivation letter. SIM decides on four weighted criteria: GMAT or GRE 20%, undergraduate grade 20%, extracurricular activities and work experience 25%, and a video interview 35%.
The confusion is understandable, because other HSG master's programmes do score a letter. Our view: the hours you would spend on a SIM letter belong in the CV template, the proof uploads and video-interview practice, because those two criteria carry 60% of SIM's decision (35% plus 25%, our arithmetic). This page shows what each criterion asks for and where the HSG letter rules apply instead.
Every HSG page and template quoted below was checked on 31 October 2026. The SIM page prints its round dates without a year, so confirm the dates for your intake in the online application.
What SIM scores, in its own weights
All four criteria come from the SIM admission page.
| Criterion | Weight | What you submit | What the page adds |
|---|---|---|---|
| GMAT or GRE | 20% | Official or unofficial score report | "Test results must not be older than five years." |
| Undergraduate grade | 20% | Transcript or degree certificate | "The average grade recorded on your degree certificate is decisive." |
| Extracurricular activities and work experience | 25% | CV in the SIM template, plus proof | Activities "are only considered if you furnish proof thereof" |
| Video interview | 35% | A recording made after you apply | "a series of pre-recorded questions touching upon a wide range of topics" |
The SIM checklist asks for a passport photo, a signed enrolment agreement, an ID, the "Curriculum vitae in English – style template", "Supporting documents for extracurricular activities", a GMAT or GRE report, a school-leaving certificate and degree documents. There is no letter on it.
Rounds, as printed (no year given):
| Round | Applications submitted by | Decisions issued by |
|---|---|---|
| First | 4 November | 8 December |
| Second | 31 January | 28 February |
| Third | 31 March | 30 April |
| Fourth | 30 April | 31 May |
The application period is "1 October - 30 April" and the fee is CHF 268. One detail helps late applicants: "The video interview can be recorded after the deadline of the admission round." The page also says: "Your application will only be processed once we have received your video interview."
Check eligibility before anything else. SIM requires a bachelor's in business administration or economics "(or similar)" with "at least 60 ECTS credits in Business Administration/Economics and also at least 6 ECTS credits in Mathematics or Statistics". The page adds: "A degree in Business Informatics, Industrial Engineering, Business Psychology, Communication Sciences, Tourism, Hospitality Management etc. is not considered a business administration degree." The page also accepts a "Consecutive Master's degree in another discipline", where the bachelor's and master's are in the same discipline and "amount to at least 270 ECTS credits overall". On the page's wording, an engineering graduate with only a bachelor's and three years in consulting does not meet these routes, however strong the CV.
The HSG programmes that do want a letter
The letter rules belong to other HSG master's. The General Management (MGM) admission page scores foreign applicants on a "Letter of motivation (10%)" and says: "Content, language and structure will be assessed. Please use the Motivation letter style template."
The MGM motivation letter template is written in German. It asks for a letter of "maximal zwei Seiten in deutscher Sprache" (at most two pages, in German; our translation) answering three questions: your motivation for the programme, what you want to achieve with the degree and your career aims beyond it, and how the programme helps you reach them.
This matters for SIM applicants because of the alternative-programme option. The SIM page says: "If you apply online before 31 January, you have the option to specify an alternative programme in your application. You may choose one of the following programmes: MiMM, MGM, MACFin." The MGM template opens: "Ausländische Bewerbende zum MGM (als Haupt- oder Alternativprogramm) mit ausländischer Vorbildung müssen zwingend das Motivationsschreiben einreichen." Our translation: foreign applicants with a foreign educational background who choose MGM, as their main or alternative programme, must submit the motivation letter.
So the honest answer has a branch:
- SIM only: no letter.
- SIM with MGM as the alternative: a two-page letter in German, in the MGM template, as well. MGM is "taught in German and English" and requires an in-person aptitude assessment, the "Qualification Module MGM", from 31 May to 4 June 2027, with "no alternative dates".
- SIM with MiMM or MACFin as the alternative: read that programme's own admission page. We checked only SIM and MGM.
If you do write it, the conventions of a German-language letter are covered in our Motivationsschreiben guide for German universities; HSG's three questions and two-page limit still override it. Do not paste a SIM-style English pitch into the template, and do not reuse a letter written for another school: our guide to one motivation letter for several universities shows what can carry over.
The countercase: if you cannot write two pages in German, do not name MGM as your alternative to keep an option open. The letter is scored on "language", and the programme is partly taught in German.
The CV is your written motivation
With no letter, the CV in the SIM template is the only document in your own words that SIM sees before the video. Use the Master Curriculum Vitae Style Template. Its work-experience block asks, for each position, for "Company name", "Start date and end date", "Pensum (full-time / part-time in %)", "Position held", "Main activities and responsibilities", "Address of employer" and "Type of business or sector". Its extracurricular block asks for "Average weekly hours invested".
Three rules from the SIM page and the template shape what you write:
- Proof decides what counts. The template says: "Information provided in this CV will only be considered if you upload supporting documentation in your online application account." List nothing you cannot document with a certificate or employer letter.
- Two referees go on the CV. "You must give two contacts as references on your curriculum vitae - an academic one and a professional one." The template's references section is marked "(only for SIM applications)".
- Referees may be phoned. If contacted, a referee will "schedule a 10-15 minute phone call with a person assigned by the SIM Admissions Committee." Brief both referees on what you did and why you are applying.
The template ends with a signed declaration: "I confirm that the information provided in this CV is true, complete, and accurate, and that no requested or other material information has been omitted."
Constructed example: a work-experience entry for a 2-year strategy analyst
Constructed example, written by us, not a real applicant statement. Context (invented): Tomás Ferreira, BSc Economics, two years as a strategy analyst at an invented consultancy, Northgate Advisory.
Weak version:
Strategy analyst, Northgate Advisory. Responsible for market research, client presentations and various strategy projects. Worked with senior partners.
Revised version:
Company name: Northgate Advisory (invented). Start and end date: 09/2024 to present. Pensum: 100%. Position held: Strategy Analyst. Main activities and responsibilities: built market-entry models for two consumer-goods clients entering Southeast Asia; ran 14 customer interviews for one and presented the pricing recommendation to its regional board; trained two incoming analysts on the firm's modelling template. Type of business: management consulting. Proof uploaded: employment certificate stating role, dates and Pensum.
The revised entry uses the template's own fields, gives a percentage Pensum, and names actions a referee can confirm on the phone. Every claim maps to an uploaded document.
Preparing the video interview without a script
The SIM page says what to expect and nothing more. "Within five days of successfully submitting your online application, you will receive an e-mail from the SIM Management Unit inviting you to complete your video interview." The questions are pre-recorded and touch "upon a wide range of topics for you to share your opinion and reflections." You need "a computer or laptop with a microphone and a webcam", and the page recommends "a quiet place". The recording deadline "may differ from the regular application deadline; it will be included in the e-mail invitation."
The page does not publish the questions, their number or the time per answer. Nobody outside SIM can tell you those, so do not prepare a memorised script.
Our recommendation: practise thinking aloud, not reciting. A procedure you can run:
- Write five one-line prompts a reader could ask anyone: a decision you would change, a trend in a market you know, a team disagreement, a reason for SIM, a view you changed.
- Record a 90-second answer to each on your laptop camera, with no notes.
- Watch the recordings once. Mark where you used a filler phrase or lost your point.
- Repeat with five new prompts. The goal is a clear first sentence and one concrete example in every answer.
- Before the real recording, test the camera, microphone and room the page asks for.
The countercase: if English is not your strongest language, scripted practice of your "why SIM" answer is reasonable. The page recommends "at least C1" English at the start of studies, and a fluent opening helps.
Questions about applying to SIM
Should I upload a motivation letter to SIM anyway?
The SIM checklist has no slot for one, and the page says: "Only one file can be uploaded per bullet point." Put the effort into the CV and the proof instead.
Does SIM count my work experience without proof?
No. Work, internships, exchanges and activities "are only considered if you furnish proof thereof", and you must list them "on the Online Application portal and on your curriculum vitae".
Do I need to know accounting for SIM?
You need evidence of it before you graduate. The page says that if you cannot prove "sufficient knowledge of accounting at the time of admission, you will have to take the accountancy exam at the University of St.Gallen."
Do I need an English test to apply to SIM?
Not at application. The page says: "When you apply, you do not need to prove your knowledge of the language in which the programme is taught." The recommended level at the start of studies is C1.
Where does SIM fit among other management master's?
If you are comparing SIM with HEC, LBS, ESSEC, ESCP and Gothenburg, our MiM motivation letter guide for applicants with work experience tables each school's document and experience rule. For how postgraduate work is counted, see the MiM work experience limit guide, and for building the CV itself, the CV for grad school guide.
Get a free review of your motivation letter
Get a free Quick Review of your motivation letter against GradPilot's one-page European motivation letter rubric when you write one for MGM as your alternative or for another European programme. It is a general European rubric, not an HSG one; it reads whether the letter explains why this programme, how your preparation fits it, and whether it follows the programme's own instructions. For written answers to management master's questions elsewhere, use the management master's application essays rubric.
More graduate application guides are in the graduate school essays hub.
Sources
Retrieved 31 October 2026.
- University of St.Gallen, Strategy and International Management (SIM) admission (no year printed on round dates): eligibility, weights, rounds, video interview, referees, checklist, alternative programme, accounting and language rules, fee.
- University of St.Gallen, General Management (MGM) admission: letter of motivation weight and template rule, Qualification Module dates.
- University of St.Gallen, MGM motivation letter style template (DOCX): German-language letter, two-page limit, three questions, main-or-alternative rule.
- University of St.Gallen, Master Curriculum Vitae Style Template (DOCX, 2026): CV fields, SIM references section, proof rule, declaration.
Review Your Motivation Letter
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