OST – Ostschweizer Fachhochschule

Key Highlights

• Federally recognized following institutional accreditation in Switzerland
• Autonomous public-law institution supported by six Swiss cantons and Liechtenstein
• Operates principal campuses in St. Gallen, Rapperswil-Jona and Buchs
• Present institution began operating on 1 September 2020

Student Life & Environment

Student life in St. Gallen is based on an urban campus immediately beside the main railway station. The main building includes lecture rooms, teaching spaces, a cafeteria, dining facilities and a library. The library provides print and electronic resources as well as research and writing consultations. Some health and engineering teaching also takes place at other OST facilities in the city, so students should check where their program’s classes and practical facilities are located. Students.ost-sg is the official student organization for the St. Gallen campus and represents student interests within the university. Its published activities include semester-opening events, sports tournaments, barbecues, ski weekends and a sustainability week. A separate organization represents students in social work. OST also provides campus sports, and enrolled students may use activities across the Buchs, Rapperswil-Jona and St. Gallen locations. The reviewed official pages do not promise university-managed residence halls in St. Gallen. Students should therefore plan for an independent housing search and verify commuting time to the facility used by their degree. Support relevant to daily study includes academic administration, library guidance, ICT information and career services. International mobility advice is organized through the relevant academic department.

Location & Surroundings

The main St. Gallen campus is at Rosenbergstrasse 59, directly beside St. Gallen’s central railway station and accessible through the station’s western pedestrian underpass. OST reports direct trains from Zürich Hauptbahnhof and Zürich Airport every half hour, making the campus practical for regional commuters and students arriving from farther away. The setting is distinctly urban. St. Gallen’s historic center, with restaurants, cafés and bars, is close to the campus. The Drei Weieren recreation area offers nearby green space and outdoor leisure. Paid public parking is available beneath the higher-education center, but the immediate rail connection makes public transport especially convenient. Not every St. Gallen-based activity occurs in the tower beside the station. OST lists additional city facilities for architecture, health, physiotherapy, nursing and engineering-related work, including Campus Lerchenfeld. Applicants should identify the actual teaching location for their program before choosing accommodation. OST’s other principal campuses are in Rapperswil-Jona and Buchs, and some degrees or specializations are offered only at those locations.

Costs & Career Outcomes

OST’s official 2026 program pages commonly state a CHF 200 non-refundable application fee and a regular semester fee of CHF 1,000. The reviewed Bachelor of Nursing and Master of Science in Engineering pages charge CHF 1,500 per semester to long-duration students and to students without Swiss civil residence, with CHF 200 for a leave semester. Students arriving from abroad specifically to study may remain subject to the non-resident rate even after moving to Switzerland. Fees and eligibility definitions should be confirmed on the intended program page before applying. These charges do not cover every study expense. OST identifies possible additional costs for materials, international language examinations, excursions, block seminars, travel, meals and accommodation. The university’s central fees page directs applicants to program-level breakdowns, so a single institution-wide total would be misleading. The reviewed sources did not provide a current official St. Gallen living-cost budget or guaranteed housing price. Applicants should budget independently for rent, health insurance, transport and ordinary living expenses. OST points students toward cantonal grants and external foundations, but funding depends on individual eligibility. Career Services offers enrolled students free individual counseling, mentoring, application-document checks, interview training, employer events, Career Days and access to a job platform. These services support career preparation but do not constitute a placement or salary guarantee. The applied-sciences curriculum and employer-facing activities may be useful for building professional experience and contacts during study.