Details

• Germany
• BaWiSo-23
• Undergraduate
• SoSe 2026
• Time spent at the partner university: 4 months
• Contact: Login to see contact information

1. Preparation

I recommend starting the preparation for the exchange as early as possible, especially when it comes to accommodation, since good and affordable places are booked very quickly. Since Germany is part of the EU, there is not much additional paperwork required for Austrian students, as many procedures are the same. I would say that WU, Erasmus and Universität Mannheim did a really good job informing students what exactly needed to be done and when, which made the preparation process easy. For course selection, I found the excel list provided by WU about the different courses that can be recognised really helpful while choosing my courses. I would recommend selecting a few alternatives as well as a backup, in case some courses are full. As already mentioned, finding accommodation is one of the most important things to take care of as soon as you receive your acceptance since apartments and rooms near the university are limited in Mannheim. For my journey to Mannheim, I travelled by car because I had quite a lot of luggage with me. However, I decided to travel back by train. All I can say is that it was convenient and relatively easy, Mannheim is well connected by rail to Frankfurt and from there to Vienna.

2. Accommodation

Finding affordable accommodation near the university in Mannheim can be quite challenging. I tried finding accommodation in all nearby student housings, however did not get any rooms. Just one month before travelling, I could connect with someone from a church I wanted to attend and they found a place for me to stay in, in a christian housing. My room was in Quadrate, which is the center in Mannheim, which was really convenient when it comes to grocery shopping and needing essential things. The university was in 15 minutes walking distance as well, which was really good. I would recommend applying to several places at the same time rather than waiting for one specific option. It is also useful to check how long it takes from the location to university by public transport, and how long it takes to the next grocery store, since you will definitely need something nearby. I heard negative feedback about Mannheim before living there, however I was out on different times a day, early in the morning, midday and even really late in the night. In my experience I found Mannheim safe.

3. Academic life at host university

I enjoyed the academic life at Universität Mannheim. The campus is big, which was a difficulty at the beginning finding the lecture rooms, however it got easier after some time there. The university offers good facilities when it comes to the Mensa, café, library and study spaces. One thing I really liked about the library was the chairs, they were comfortable and ergonomic for students studying all day. The teaching style was generally similar to what I was used to at WU, although some courses had more active participation and interaction during classes. Overall, I found the workload manageable and the courses well organised. One thing I liked was that the courses I chose gave me the opportunity to meet international students as well as German students, since I could attend German classes as well. So I had a diverse experience when it comes to meeting people. I chose some courses that I needed to attend in WU anyways as well as some courses that I found interesting, for example "the economics of gender in households and organizations", "virtual organizations" and "marketing management decisions". These courses I found particularly interesting.

5. Every day life in the host country

Everyday life was really convenient in Mannheim. Trams and buses run regularly at every time of the day and there are two stops directly at the university. I also used public transport to travel to nearby cities and explore them, for example Heidelberg, which was really beautiful. As Mannheim is a student city, which is really international, there are many events for young people. I am not a party person, however there are many bars and clubs, especially in the area Jungbusch. There are many restaurants and cafés to try as well. Since the Rhein goes through Mannheim, it is really beautiful to spend a good sunny day outside near the water. I would also recommend exploring the surrounding area. Heidelberg is very easy to reach by public transport, and other cities such as Frankfurt, Stuttgart or Speyer can also be visited relatively easily. This was one of the things I enjoyed most about studying in Mannheim, as it made it easy to explore more of Germany during the semester. I travelled to Berlin as well, which was a 4-5 hour train ride.

6. Testimonial

The people I met at university and the accommodation I lived in made a really huge difference in my experience. I build friendships that I believe will last for a long time. What I like is, that I can visit often since Mannheim is not far away from Vienna and they can visit as well. At first I did not want to go to Germany, because I thought it would be relatively similar to what I know here in Austria, however I made a different experience than that. I would do it again.