Information for First-Year Students

Orientation events, finances, student ID cards, finding your way around campus. Here you’ll find all essential information at a glance.

Information on Your Program of Study

Everything you need to start your program right.

Orientation Events

The orientation events usually take place in the week before the lecture period begins.

Starting your studies right

  • You have been admitted. What's next?

    Submit enrollment forms

    By enrolling you are accepting your study place at the university and you will receive a student ID number. Read about the details here.

    Enrollment

    Read all the information on your program

    Read the examination regulations and the module catalog for your program in order to be able to plan your degree. All information can be found on the websites for first-year students of the individual schools and on the student portal.

    Information on your program

    Mark your calendar for the orientation events

    During the first days of the semester a number of orientation events take place. They will help you find your way around campus and university life. The orientation events take place during “zero week”, the week before the lecture period begins.

    Click here for the exact dates

     

  • Preparation: Living in Mannheim

    Financing

    Financial support through BAföG, scholarships or jobs for students – there are a number of options when it comes to financing your studies. To find the right solution for you, you should look into the various options early on and learn about requirements and deadlines.

    Financing

    Find a place to stay

    The Studierendenwerk manages around 3,000 rooms in 17 residence halls, that spread out through the entire city. Tip: To apply for a spot in a residence hall you do not need to be enrolled. It pays to be quick.

    Housing

    Buy the semester ticket

    The semester ticket allows you to use all public transport in the city of Mannheim and in the whole area of the Rhein-Neckar Verkehrsverbund.

    Semester ticket

    Semester ticket vs. evening regulation

    Find your way around campus

    Get to know the university and its institutions.

    Campus tour (online)

    Library tour (online)

  • Preparation: Setting up your IT infrastructure

    Get your ecUM and activate it

    The ecUM, short for electronic card University of Mannheim, is your student ID, your library ID and means of cashless payment all in one. You will get your card via Mail as soon as your on campus enrollment is completed and you have uploaded a picture of yourself.

    Please activate your ecUM to use it in the University Library.

    ecUM

    Activate your ecUM

    Set up your Uni-ID and password

    You need your Uni-ID (user ID) to operate your e-mail account, the library and for accessing the information portal Portal² and the e-learning platform Ilias.

    Uni-ID

    e-mail

    Portal²

    Ilias

    Accessing the university network from your laptop

    On campus, you can use your login information to use the eduroam university wireless.

    In order to access the university network from your home, you need to install the Cisco VPN AnyConnect Client.

    wireless

    Install VPN Client

    Setting up Office 365 for students

    Students have two options for using Office 365. You can use a free online version under the Microsoft 365 agreement for students or an installed version for which you have to pay an annual fee of EUR 3.99.

    Microsoft 365

    Install Office 365

    Further assistance

    Please contact the University IT if you have any questions on the IT services.

    IT-Services für Studierende

  • Starting your studies: Our Welcome Week

    Go to orientation events

    Orientation events help you find your way around the university and campus life. They also are a good opportunity to get in touch with people.

    Orientation events

    Set up your course schedule and register for courses

    Take a look at the course catalog and select your courses for the first semester. You can register for your courses on the student portal Portal². The orientation events will provide some guidance for setting up your course schedule. Also, the departmental student committees can help.

    Portal²

    Register for tours and introductory courses offered by the University Library

    The University Library offers a variety of tours, courses and learning videos for subject-specific research competencies.

    Courses offered by the Library

    Register for sport courses

    The Institute of Sports offers a wide range of sports courses. Most of the courses are free of charge.

    Sport courses

    Register for language and IT classes

    Studium Generale offers a wide range of extracurricular classes: language classes, IT classes, communication or presentation classes.

    Studium Generale

    Get involved and meet new people

    Members of a departmental student committee or student organization are actively shaping life at university.

    Student involvement

  • Study successfully: Exams

    Keep up to date

    The university informs students about any news relevant to their studies. Please check your e-mails regularly. For current information, please refer to the website of the University of Mannheim and the newsletters on our programs.

    E-mail login

    Read your examination regulations

    Each degree program has examination regulations which outline the coursework and examinations to be completed by students. This document also contains information on examination deadlines, circumstances in which an examination can be re-taken, the number of ECTS credits, and the exact degree awarded.

    Examination regulations

    Learn about exam registrationYou need to register for exams during the semester. The requirements and conditions for registration, withdrawal, late registration, change in registration are different for every program. Exam registration is done via Portal².

    Exam registration

    Learning and study techniques

    The University of Mannheim offers various support services for students. Study techniques and learning methods help to complete your program successfully. Besides an extensive course offer, you also have the option to receive support in individual sessions.

    Overview on support services

Keep the overview!
Find an overview of the campus with its central lecture halls and seminar rooms with our lecture hall map.

General information on getting started at the University

Studying during the coronavirus pandemic

On our coronavirus website, we have compiled all information on the coronavirus measures at the university and answers on frequently asked questions for our students. On this page, you will also find answers on the most important questions for first-year students.

 

  • When does the semester start and when does the lecture period begin?

    Academic calendar for the spring semester 2023:

    The semester starts on 1 February 2023 and will end on 31 July 2023.

    Lecture period for the spring semester 2023:
    The lecture period starts on 13 February 2023 and will end on 2 June 2023.


    The academic calendar at a glance

  • What is the teaching format?

    Spring semester 2023

    In principle, classes will take place as in-person classes in the spring semester 2023. The President’s Office will of course follow the development of the pandemic and the legal framework closely and take appropriate actions (e.g. mask mandates) if necessary.

    They will inform you if there are changes to the plan for your class. Please check the inbox of your university e-mail account regularly and go to Portal2 to check the course details section, particularly the information on the individual classes and the notes regarding the classes, in order to find out about changes at short notice.

    If your class is held on campus and you are unable to attend (e.g. due to quarantine or isolation), we will ensure that you are able to continue your studies without restraints by providing you with alternative offers.

    If you encounter problems with the implementation of these regulations, please do not hesitate to contact student representatives of AStA and the student representatives council (by sending a message to corona-lehre vs-uni-mannheim.de). If required, they can forward your concern in anonymized form to the President’s Office.

    Please follow the rules of conduct whenever you are on campus. Further information are also available in the Hygiene policy of the University of Mannheim.

    Please take also note of the following: Should you experience symptoms that are typical for a coronavirus infection, please leave on-campus classes immediately and do not enter the campus again until a doctor confirms that you are not infected.

  • What are the support options for studying from home?

    Microsoft 365 instance for students

    You can use the Microsoft 365 instance for students to work with your fellow students in virtual study groups. Furthermore, this new instance enables you to use OneDrive with 1 TB of cloud storage, a cloud version of Office 365 with Word, Excel and PowerPoint, OneNote as well as Lists.
    On the page Microsoft 365 for students, you will find an overview of all available applications with instructions and information for activating your account.

    Support in developing learning skills and study techniques

    Study techniques, such as learning methods, self-management or time management strategies or knowing how to handle databases securely, help you to master the challenges of your program. The University of Mannheim offers its students various support services: In addition to a wide-ranging course program, students can also receive individual support in one-on-one sessions.

    overview about all services

    Borrowing laptops for digital examinations

    UNIT and the University Library cooperate to provide laptops that students may borrow. The laptops have the latest versions of SPSS and STATA and may be borrowed for 14 days or a semester at the University Library. For more information, please see the website of the University Library.

  • How can I get in touch with other students?

    The schools offer various opportunities to get used to life on campus: Social events in small groups, learning groups, meetings with teachers etc.

    More information about the departmental student committees


Everything about Enrollment

From application for enrollment to enrollment itself, step by step towards your program of study.

Advice and Services

Our navigation tool will help you find the right advisor.

Who Is Responsible for What?

All central institutions and a list of who is responsible for what at a glance.

Financing and Grants

Scholarships, jobs, or BAföG – there are various ways to finance your studies.

Housing

Student housing, single room, or shared apartment? There are various housing options in Mannheim.

Student commitment

The student representatives (AStA or departmental student committees) or the more than 50 student organizations offer the possibility for commitment alongside your studies.

Schwangere Studentin im persönlichen Beratungsgespräch
Studying under Special Circumstances

Support for students with children, students caring for a relative, students with a chronic illness or disability.

International Students

The International Office team supports all international students.

Campus

Find your way around campus, learn more about art and culture, university sports and about what Mannheim has to offer.

Understanding Study-Related Terms: The world of higher education comes with its own vocabulary, which is not always easy to understand in the beginning. We help you to understand the most common study-related terms.