Welcome Week

Contact

We have also set up a freshman account on Instagram for you. Here, we will regularly post interesting content related to your studies. We will post reminders of important dates, things you should keep in mind during your first semester, and other topics that may be of interest to you. Just search for us on Instagram at @wim_erstis_unima.

Buddy Program

As in previous years, we want to ensure that you feel at home in Mannheim from day one and have someone to answer your questions. That’s why we are organizing another buddy program. Each of you will be assigned to a buddy group. Here, you will not only get to know your fellow students, but you will also have a trusted contact person (buddy) from a higher semester who will accompany you as you start at the University of Mannheim. The buddy program is intended for both bachelor’s and master’s freshmen.

What is your buddy there for?

• Information about the freshman week
• Help with questions about timetables, semester fees, etc.
• Contact with fellow students
• Group for pub crawls
• All organizational questions after Freshers’ Week

Registration

If you would like to be part of the buddy program, you can register here for this year’s buddy program free of charge and without obligation. Please indicate whether you will be in Mannheim during Freshers’ Week (recommended!).

Schedule for Welcome Week

Further down on this page, you will find more detailed information about the schedule for the Master’s welcome week. Due to the fact that our Bachelor’s programs are taught in German, we provide our information for the Bachelor’s orientation week only on our German page.

Master

Monday

On Monday, August 31, 2026, at 11:30 a.m., the faculty will hold a general welcome event in lecture hall B6 A001. Here you will learn about important university committees and get a first insight into the inner workings of the faculty. You will also receive general information about studying in Mannheim, such as semester dates, exams, rooms, etc. The welcome is primarily aimed at first-semester bachelor’s students, but also contains information relevant to you. Since our bachelor’s programs are taught in German, the general welcome will be held in German.

After a short break, we will start at 3:30 p.m. with a campus rally. During the first-semester rally, you will get to know all the important and unimportant places on and around campus, as well as your future fellow students. The meeting point is the Schillerplatz.

After the campus rally, we will end the day together with the first-year bachelor’s students at a cozy get-together on the “Mensawiese” with pizza and drinks. In addition to a round or two of flunkyball or beer pong, you can get to know your fellow students and the members of the student council.

Tuesday

Tuesday is VS Day. On this day, you can attend various events to learn more about studying in Mannheim, discover different offers at the initiative market, and meet students from other faculties during the VS pub crawl in the evening. Information about VS Day can be found on the AStA homepage of the University of Mannheim or on Instagram.

Wednesday

On Wednesday afternoon, we have organized a get-together exclusively for first-year master’s students. Here, you can get to know each other better through casual icebreaker games before we join the first-year bachelor’s students for the FIM pub crawl. We will start at 4 p.m. in the backyard of B6, 26.

As every year, we are offering a pub crawl for first-year students on Wednesday evening. During this pub crawl, we will show you the Mannheim pub scene in buddy groups and give you the opportunity to get to know your future fellow students even better. Afterwards, there will be an after-party at King Kong, a club we have rented for the evening. We will meet for the pub crawl at 6:30 p.m. in front of A5.

Thursday

We start the day with an introduction with general information for all master’s programs at our faculty, including a welcome from the FIM, as well as subject-specific information about the programs. For the Business Mathematics/Mathematics degree programs, this introduction will take place in room B6 A101 at 10 a.m., and for the Business Informatics/MMDS/MMSDS degree programs, it will take place in room A5 C013 at 11 a.m.

As every year, the first semester party will take place at the Schneckenhof party, which is the party location of the University of Mannheim. The Ersti-Schneckenhof takes place on Thursday during the welcome week and is a party for students (especially first-year students, of course) from all faculties. Advance ticket sales will take place during the welcome week.

Friday

On Friday, we will be hosting a pizza get-together, where you can enjoy food and drinks and also play volleyball or soccer. The event will take place at 4:00 p.m. at the Alfred Delp Sports Facility. We will explain how to register for the get-together on Friday during the orientation events.

First Week of Lectures

Monday, September 7, 2026, is the official start of lectures. In addition to lectures, there are a few other events waiting for you in that week.

As the student council, we are organizing a chair presentation for all business informatics, MMDS, and MMSDS students, where you can get to know the chairs of computer science and the Area Information Systems (business administration chairs with a focus on business informatics) as well as their various research areas and ask questions. More detailed information will follow in the coming weeks.

Furthermore, various student initiatives and the student association will be hosting their kick-off events, giving you the opportunity to meet new people and discover the many ways you can get involved and engage in student life alongside your studies.