Living in Mannheim
Mannheim has about 300,000 inhabitants from 167 nations. Openness and cultural diversity – this is what defines living in Mannheim. The city center, also called the Quadrate (squares), is framed by the rivers Rhine and Neckar. Housing in the Quadrate is in high demand. In total, Mannheim has 17 districts. All districts are well-connected to the University of Mannheim by public transport. We encourage you to also look for housing in the other districts of Mannheim, such as Neckarstadt, Jungbusch, Schwetzingerstadt, or Lindenhof.
You can get a first idea of the city using the interactive map of Mannheim.
Private or Student Housing
Student Housing
The International Office provides accommodation in student housing for exchange students of our partner universities. However, the number of available dormitory rooms is very limited. Studierendenwerk Mannheim acts as landlord for student housing.
Location
The residence halls of the Studierendenwerk Mannheim are located all throughout the city. The university can be reached directly by public transport from all residence halls. The International Office has a contingent of dormitory rooms in five of the residence halls of the Studierendenwerk.
Types of Rooms
Most students in student housing live in shared apartments. All students living in a shared apartment have their own bedroom, but share the kitchen and bathroom. Between two and eight students live in a shared apartment. Only students of the same gender will share a two-bedroom apartment, all other shared apartments are mixed-gender. There is also a very small number of single apartments available. Single apartments are equipped with a personal kitchen and bathroom.
Appliances and Equipment
The student housing kitchens are equipped with a hot plate and refrigerator. There are no ovens. Not all shared apartments have dishes. You can bring your own set of dishes (a cup, a plate, cutlery, etc.) or buy some in Mannheim. Toilet paper, dish soap, detergent, etc. will not be provided. You will have to buy these household articles yourself. Every residence hall has a laundry room with washers and dryers. You may pay for washing and drying using your ecUM (student ID).
All dormitory rooms for exchange students are fully furnished. The rooms contain a bed, cupboard, desk, chair, bookshelf, sink (not all), the necessary ports for TV/phone and a cable Internet connection. Costs
Rent, including utilities*: about EUR 360 to EUR 490
*Utilities: Water, heating, electricity, InternetAllocation of accommodation
Exchange students of our partner universities overseas can apply for a room especially reserved for them by Studierendenwerk. You will receive an e-mail containing the link to the application portal after your admission. Please read all the information about accommodation in student housing carefully before applying for a room.
Early applications have higher chances of receiving a room.Private housing
Mannheim is a university city. This means that, at the beginning of each semester, private housing is in high demand. So, finding suitable accommodation may take up a lot of time. We therefore recommend looking for a room on the private rental market as early as possible.
As housing in the Quadrate (squares) is particularly sought after, we encourage you to also look for accommodation in one of the other 17 districts of Mannheim. All districts are well-connected to the University of Mannheim by public transport. The same applies to the cities in the vicinity of Mannheim, such as Ludwigshafen or Heidelberg.Short-term accommodation
If you come to Mannheim to look for an apartment or have to bridge a few days before moving in, you can rent a room in the Youth Hostel Mannheim International.
For more affordable hotels in Mannheim please see Portal².
Advice for finding accommodation
Shared apartments are very popular among students, even on the private rental market. All students living in a shared apartment have their own bedroom, but share the kitchen and bathroom. If you decide to live in a shared apartment, you do not only pay less rent, but also will get accustomed to living in Mannheim and and the university much more quickly.
The price for a room in a shared apartment amounts to EUR 350–600. It is common that landlords require a deposit payment of about two monthly rents excluding utilities.
Looking for accommodation on the private rental market
You will find plenty offers for private rooms or apartments on the Internet. Unfortunately, not all offers are reliable. Therefore, from experience, we recommend not to transfer rental payments to bank accounts outside Germany.
Here you can find an overview of some websites of accommodation services:
Residence halls
Besides student housing provided by the Studierendenwerk, there are also some residence halls in Mannheim that are run by other organizations. Some of them are church-sponsored. Please apply directly at the respective residence hall. For further information please see the respective residence hall’s website.
- The Alfred-Delp-Haus (ADH) is a catholic residence hall located in the city center of Mannheim. Here, a harmonious residential community and good companionship of the residents is of great importance. Both the residents and the management of the residence hall add to a familial and homely atmosphere. For this reason, before allocating a room, the management wants to meet new applicants in person. International students can apply for a room in the ADH without having to travel to Mannheim for a personal interview; yet, they must be able to satisfactorily show their social commitment. All students can apply irrespective of their religious affiliation.
- Then, there is the Emilie-Hucht-Haus, a catholic youth residence. For more information please see the homepage.
- The Kolpinghaus offers rooms for students, trainees, pupils, and young workers.
I lived in a student residence hall where I met so many people from all over the world. We went out to a really nice Café called Vienna on our first evening here. Since then we spend a lot of time together and I found a lot of new friends.
Miral Elsayed, exchange student in the bachelor’s program in Business Administration, German University in Cairo (Egypt)
/ Photo credit: Elisa Berdica
Photo credit: Wolfgang Roloff/
Photo credit: Stadt Mannheim
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Photo credit: Dominik Rossbach / Stadtmarketing Mannheim GmbH
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Photo credit: Christian Kleiner / Nationaltheater Mannheim
