Student Resources

Do you have a question or a problem and don’t know where to turn? Or would you simply like to find ways to participate in student life on campus? The ressources and offers assembled on this page will help you.
Counselling
As an exchange student, you have access to different counselling offers at the University of Mannheim. Here you will find an overview:
International Office
The International Office is a department of Division II – Student Affairs belonging to the administrative unit of the University of Mannheim. You can contact the staff of the International Office via e-mail or make an appointment for a virtual consultation.
Departmental Exchange Coordinators
The International Office advises you on general administrative matters and questions about German and culture courses.
If you have any questions about the general course offer, course and exam registration, please get in touch with the contact person at your school or department. You can find an overview of the contact persons (also called departmental exchange coordinators) here.
Psychological Counselling
Psychological counseling
If you need psychological support, come to the “Psychologische Beratungsstelle” (PBS) which offers psychological counseling. The psychologists mainly apply methods of behavior therapy and conversational therapies. The services include:
- Initials interviews
- Diagnostic identification (also by means of psychological questionnaire)
- Crisis interventions
- Counseling and coaching (8 sessions)
- Short-term therapy (8 sessions)
- Support in finding outpatient therapy and other counseling facilities
Intercultural Counseling Hours
If you have intercultural problems that affect your studies – like homesickness, language problems, cultural differences etc. – come to the Intercultural Counseling Hours for international students, which are offered by the PBS. We will talk about possibe solutions. The intercultural counseling hours are usually offered in several languages.
E-Mail: pbs
stw-ma.de
Phone: + 49 621 / 49072 – 555
Registration: Monday till Friday from 9.30 a.m. – 4 p.m.Advice for Students with Disabilities or Chronic Illnesses
The commissioner and counselor for students with disabilities or chronic illnesses, Stefanie Knapp, can advise and support you with any problems you might face during your studies due to a disability or chronic illness.
Students with Children
There are about 2 – 6 % of students with children in the different universities and colleges in Mannheim. Combining studying with parenthood is not always easy, but the University and the Studierendenwerk Mannheim provide support concerning childcare, organization of studies, financing and housing.
Childcare
Currently there are about 90 places in childcare available at the Kinderhaus of the Studierendenwerk in N6, where children between the age of one and six are looked after. You find all the rates and more information about the facility on the homepage of the Kinderhaus.
Housing space for students with children
Like all other students, students with children are also entitled to live in the student residences of the Studierendenwerk. There are couple-apartments for students with children in G7, 26+28 as well as a limited number of mother-child apartments in the student residence Ludwig Frank. More information can also be found here.
Financial support
There are numerous financial support options that students with children can take advantage of. Follow this link to see the options the Sutdierendenwerk has listed.
Family-friendly cafeteria
Since December 10, 2010, children of students up to the age of 10 can receive their lunch free of charge in the cafeteria. This only applies if the child is accompanied by a student parent, though.
In addition, high chairs and bottle warmers are available in the cafeteria at the castle. There is also a children's corner for playing and reading under the supervision of the parents.
Anti-Discrimination Office
Do you experience discrimination at the University of Mannheim because of your gender, origin, religious affiliation or sexual orientation? A personal consultation is the first important step to improve your situation. Our qualified and experienced contact persons are at your disposal for a personal consultation.
You can rely on us: Your concerns, your data, and the discussions we have are subject to confidentiality. We treat everything as strictly confidential and will not take any action without your consent.
This service is available to all members of the University of Mannheim.
Student-ID Card ecUM
Your student ID card (electronic card University of Mannheim “ecUM”) is very useful for your life on campus. The card has an electronic chip, which means that you can use it to make cashless payments in the cafeteria and for photocopies or printing. At the same time, it functions as your library card for the University library. You can also use all electronic lockers on campus with your card.
How do I get my ecUM?
In order to receive your ecUM you need to upload your photo in Portal² (ecUM Foto-Upload OR My services – Photo upload chip card) after enrollment. To do so, you need to log into Portal².
Your photo will be printed on the ecUM the way it is displayed after uploading it. If it displays any flaws, please upload a different picture and check again that your photo meets the required quality criteria.
After the upload you will receive an email by the IDM-team. Once you received the email, you call collect your ecUM at the InfoCenter University Library.Please make sure to read all the information carefully. If you are still encountering any problems please contact the ecUM team via e-Mail.
If it turns out it is not you who is on the picture of the ecUM, you will be charged €15 for the new ecUM that needs to be issued.
Where can I find ecUM terminals?
There are several terminals on campus where you can buy the semester ticket, print study certificates and get the current semester imprint:
- A 5, 6 Foyer
- A 3 (ground floor)
- University Cafeteria (Mensa)
- L 1, 1 (Express-Service)
- Palace (foyer of the main university library UB)
- Schneckenhof Foyer (East Wing of Palace)
- L 7, 3–5 Foyer on ground floor
What is Autoload?
The ecUM includes an optional autoload function for German bank account holders. It has many advantages. Technically, Autoload is a direct debit authorization for your private bank account. As soon as the credit on your card falls below your individually selected minimum credit line, your card will be recharged during the payment process at one of the Studierendenwerk's cash registers. The cashier will ask if you want to recharge your card. That way you can ensure there is always sufficient credit on your card. As before, the minimum recharge amount is €5.
The Autoload service website allows you to manage your bank account data, oversee your card activity, set and re-set your recharge amounts, block your card or withdraw from autoload anytime you like, for example in case of theft.
Please note: If you don’t want to make use of the autoload function, you can recharge your ecUM in cash only at the following places:
- Mensa of the University of Mannheim
- EO
- Café Soleil
- Infothek (Mensa)
Please read the following information about the autoload function carefully: Autoload
Central Facilities on Campus
The University of Mannheim provides a virtual campus tour. It allows you to find out about the most important facilites on campus from your laptop and to know straight away how to get there.
When you are in Mannheim you can also explore the campus with the free actionbound app (in German). Here, too, central locations are presented and combined with some fun puzzles.
Express Service
The Express-Service is an additional service provided by the Student Services offices in order to reduce waiting times. You can find more information here.
Address:
University of Mannheim
Express-Service L 1, 1 | Entrance A
68161 MannheimOpening hours:
The express service is still available on weekdays by e-mail. Most services can currently be handled via e-mail (expressschalter). uni-mannheim.deUniversity Library
University Libraries
There are generally three types of libraries at the University of Mannheim.
Central Library in the East Wing (“Ostflügel”)
Also known as the “UB” for “Universitätsbibliothek” (University Library), this library holds literature concerning all academic faculties as well as general reference works. However, because the literature is held in a central storage facility and not in the library itself, you are not able to simply take the books from the shelf. All available literature must first be ordered online. More information about this can be found here.
You can usually borrow books for 28 days and can extend them online as long as nobody else has requested them. Your ecUM student card serves as your library card.
Tours of the library as well as tutorials about the online catalogue (research, ordering, borrowing books) are offered at the beginning of each semester. Tour and tutorial dates can be found in Portal² under Lectures → Course overview → Vorlesungsverzeichnis → Universität Mannheim → Für Studierende aller Fachrichtungen → Universitätsbibliothek → Fachübergreifende Kurse.
To get an overview, have a look at the map of the locations of the University Library within the Campus of the University of Mannheim as well as the digital library tour and the Getting Started page.
Central Lending Library
The Central Lending Library is located in the Schloss Westflügel and provides students with important textbooks that are often used in lectures at the university. Before you buy a textbook, check to see if you can simply lend the book from the Central Lending Library.
Subject Libraries
These libraries are useful if you are looking for research on a specific topic, for example for a thesis or term paper. No pre-ordering of literature is necessary in these librairies; however, the literature can only be used within the library itself. In some cases, books may be borrowed for one day or for a weekend.
Sports on Campus
The Institute of Sports (IFS, Parkring 39) offers a wide range of sports classes every semester that students can attend for free or, depending on the course, for a small fee.
Most courses, that are free of charge, can be attended without registering. For some offers (e.g. yoga or tennis) a registration is required as the available places are very limited.
You can find information about the IFS program here.
The IFS also operates two gyms and a yoga center. All information on using and registering for the gyms can be found here. Information regarding yoga is available here.
Student Initiatives and Clubs

At the University of Mannheim there are many initiatives organized by our students and for our students. They offer a wide range of activities about topics such as culture or politics. The groups generally work on specific projects or put together special events. Being part of a student initiative is a great way to meet people from other areas of study and to broaden your horizon while being an active member of the university community!
Overview of all student clubs and organizations at the University of Mannheim
From the many organizations listed online, the following clubs engage themselves specifically in issues related to international exchange:
VISUM e. V. is part of the Erasmus Student Network (ESN). They organize several events throughout the semester that make it easy for international students to make friends. They also offer a buddy program for incoming international exchange students.
AEGEE (Association des États Généraux des Étudiants de l’Europe) is a Europen organization. The group organizes weekly meetings, trips in the region, workshops, and more.
AIESEC (Association internationale des étudiants en sciences économiques et commerciales) is the world's largest youth-led organization. It enables students to gain intercultural exchange experience by participating in volunteer projects or internships abroad. AIESEC is also represented in Mannheim. You can find more information here.
Do you like watching movies? CineAStA may have just the program for you:
The CineAStA organizes the movie screenings at the University of Mannheim. It shows the movies free of charge and plans special events for students in cooperation with the cinemas in Mannheim. Their offer is comprised of different genres to keep the program as diverse as possible. Besides the weekly movie evenings, they also organize otherevents like the traditional first semester and spring cinema.
CineAStA has paused all events until further notice. Please refer to the Facebook page for more detailed information on future events.
Team International Exchange Students
Division II – Student Affairs
International Office
L 1, 1
68161 Mannheim