Student Resources

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.

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 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.

Contact

E-Mail: pbsmail-stw-ma.de
Phone: + 49 621 / 49072 – 555
Registration: Monday till Friday from 9.30 a.m. – 4 p.m.

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.

Further Information

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.

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.

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, your ecUM will be sent to you within approx. 4 to 5 working days. Your ecUM will be sent via regular mail to your postal address in Germany. Therefore, double check that your postal address in Germany is correct in Portal² (My Studies > Student Service > Contact Data > Study Correspondence) and make sure that your mailbox has your name on it BEFORE you upload your picture. Otherwise your ecUM will be returned to the university.

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.

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

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

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 Mannheim

Opening hours:
The express service is still available on weekdays by e-mail. Most services can currently be handled via e-mail (expressschaltermail-uni-mannheim.de). 

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.

Overview of the different libraries

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.