[6] It is a member of the CEMS and APSIA and is EQUIS, AACSB and AMBA accredited (triple crown).

The actual founding father is considered to be Theodor Curti, then the head of the Department of Economic Affairs of the Canton of St. Gallen.

With the enaction of the Higher Education Act of 1989, the university was renamed Hochschule St. Gallen für Wirtschafts-, Rechts- und Sozialwissenschaften to reflect its curricula.

Education was classified into bachelor's and master's degrees, making the university Switzerland's pioneer in the Bologna process.

There are works by Kemény, Penalba, Arp, Braque, Hajdu, Soniatta, Miró, Calder, Soulages, Giacometti, Tàpies, Coghuf, Otto Müller, Disler, Bill, Josef Felix Müller, Paladino, Richter, and Cucchi.

[11] The university also has international hubs in Singapore and São Paulo to connect local faculty, students, alumni and companies with its academic activities.

It is intended to be an innovative place for thinking and working, enabling new types of learning and interaction between students, faculty and people from the field.

The project "Open Grid - Choices of Tomorrow" by Sou Fujimoto Architects won the architecture competition in 2018.

Bringing theory and practice together, the institutes provide important input for teaching at the university and play a significant role in furthering the careers of young academics.

The University of St. Gallen is a member of the European Research Center for Information Systems (ERCIS) and the Auto-ID Labs network.

The Assessment Year in Economics and Law is offered in two separate tracks, with instruction in either German or English.

[25] Particularly well-known is the International Students' Committee, an organisation which plans and coordinates the annual St. Gallen Symposium.

Since 1970, the St. Gallen Symposium has brought together leaders from business, science, politics and society with students from all over the world.

A chapter of Oikos International, a student organisation for sustainable development, also plays an active role at the University of St. Gallen.

Since 1930, the club has been reinforcing alumni's lifelong bonds with the university, as well as the networks among its members, utilising numerous events and information platforms.

[28] Notable the University of St. Gallen alumni in the financial sector include: Business leaders in other sectors who attended the University of St. Gallen include: Culture Politics Notable current or former faculty members of the University of St. Gallen include the Advocate General of the Court of Justice of the European Union Juliane Kokott,[49] corporate communication professor Miriam Meckel,[50] art director Sir Peter Jonas, Walter Hunziker, developer of Tourism Science, and Ota Šik, Professor of Economics and one of the key figures in the Prague Spring.

[51] Following a 2019 investigation by the cantonal audit office, the University of St. Gallen came under heavy criticism for the frivolous spending behaviour in some of its institutes.