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Campus & Student Life

Living in Mainz as a student

Living and studying in Mainz: tips for leisure activities, housing, and jobs

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Why is Mainz the perfect place to study and live? Your studies in Mainz will be a wonderful experience

In Mainz, the Main river flows into the Rhine river, and where rivers meet, life blossoms and cities are often particularly exciting: That's what makes Mainz a great city to live and study in. An ancient Roman city, wine city, and a student city with a mild climate - in Mainz, the quality of life is particularly good, especially for students. Choosing where to study is an important decision, because the city and its surroundings will influence you and your future career. The city of Mainz, with its 220,000 inhabitants, is the perfect place to study with a particularly high proportion of students. And once you have discovered everything in Mainz, the Rhine-Main region from Wiesbaden to Frankfurt offers you many opportunities for excursions, sightseeing, parties, and jobs.

6 Reasons why living and studying in Mainz is so special

1. Mainz is a pleasant university city

In university towns like Mainz, the infrastructure, economy and also the party scene are geared towards students. The atmosphere in the city is shaped by students, and that feels good! In addition, in smaller cities like Mainz, the distances are quite short, which is positively noticeable in the everyday life - and also night-time - trips. Partying and going out are part of studying, and the nightlife in Mainz offers a lot here, especially for students. Perhaps the biggest plus point is that Mainz is not an island in the middle of nowhere, but part of the exciting and economically strong Rhine-Main region. Wanna go to Frankfurt for a museum or a concert? How about an internship in Darmstadt? In Mainz, you can easily do that.

2. Mainz lies on the Rhine river

If you ask people who have studied in Mainz for a highlight, "chilling on the Rhine with friends in the summer" is one of the top answers. It's simply wonderful and almost feels like a holiday.

3. Mainz is a modern city with a rich history

In its history, Mainz was a Roman provincial capital, the largest archbishopric north of the Alps, and the site of what is said to be the greatest festival of the Middle Ages. It was a free and noble city from early on, was the home of Gutenberg and today is the capital of the state as well as a media city due to being the location of the headquarters of the ZDF and the SWR. The character of the city is therefore a wonderful mixture of many influences, styles, and views. In the old town you will find the Mainz Cathedral, which has Romanesque, Gothic, and Baroque elements. In the alleys around the cathedral, the many half-timbered houses are a picturesque glimpse into history. There is a renaissance castle but also modern architecture. Part of modern Mainz, for example, is the Malakoff Passage, which among other things is the location of the CBS Campus.

4. Wiesbaden is across the river

A 13-minute ride with the S-Bahn (overground train) takes you from Mainz to the old spa town, Wiesbaden. Wiesbaden is home to around 280,000 people and about 13,000 students. It is the capital of the state of Hessen and tends to be considered rather posh. The contrast to Mainz is astonishingly great. By the way, living in Wiesbaden and studying in Mainz is quite possible, so you can extend your flat search to both sides of the Rhine. The districts "Mainz-Amöneburg", "Mainz-Kastel" and "Mainz-Kostheim" belong to Wiesbaden and are therefore in Hessen, those districts were part of Mainz in the past.

5. The Mainz semester ticket is valuable

Mainz is beautiful, but the surrounding area is also tempting. The semester ticket, which is included when studying at CBS in Mainz, has an amazingly large area of validity. Although Mainz is in Rhineland-Pfalz, it even includes large parts of the neighboring state Hessen. With the semester ticket, you can travel not only to Wiesbaden, but also to Frankfurt, Bad Kreuznach, Darmstadt, Worms, Gießen, Marburg, and Fulda. This also applies the other way around: Living outside of Mainz and studying at CBS in Mainz works very well.

6. The Mainz Fastnacht (carnival) is unique

There are two carnival strongholds in Germany, Cologne and Düsseldorf, and one Fastnacht stronghold: Mainz. For every local, their own carnival or Fastnacht is of course the real thing. And in each of the cities on the Rhine there is a Rose Monday procession that you should experience at least once. In Mainz, around 500,000 people watch from the roadside, which is usually a tremendous spectacle. You would be incredibly lucky to get a coveted invitation to one of the Sitzungen (indoor carnival parties organised by the local Fastnacht societies) but everyone can enjoy the street carnival: dressing up, wandering through the pubs, having fun - let yourself be carried away, even if carnival seems a little strange to you. Like everywhere else on the Rhine in Germany, street carnival lasts from Thursday to Tuesday, and on Ash Wednesday carnival is over.

Studying in Mainz

Even the Romans knew that this spot on the Rhine was something very special: the campus is located directly on the Rhine promenade of the capital of Rhineland-Pfalz. Find out more about the campus and student life in the midst of the economically strong Rhine-Main region.

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Accommodation for Students in Mainz

Mainz has a high proportion of students. The flat and flat-sharing market is therefore basically well prepared for young people who will be living in Mainz for a few semesters. But: these flats and dormitory places tend not to become available at the beginning of the semester but at the end of the semester. In addition, there are hardly any vacancies. So, the housing market is tight, and at the same time relatively expensive. A good strategy is therefore to accept compromises in student housing in Mainz at the beginning of the semester waiting for other options to become during the course of your studies.

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Jobs for students in Mainz

If you would like to work alongside your studies to earn money or gain experience, you will find many offers for side jobs, part-time jobs and internships in Mainz and Wiesbaden. In addition, the job market in the entire Rhine-Main region is open to you. In addition to the usual side jobs in the gastronomy and service sectors, there are also many companies with vacancies. Even Frankfurt is only 41 minutes away by S-Bahn (overground train). So, your possible radius for a job search is extensive. One advantage of  CBS is the CBS Career Service. The team not only provides excellent tips, but also its own, exclusive online job portal with many attractive job offers.

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College Sports in Mainz

For many students, university sports are one of the most formative experiences of their time at university. Here you can try out new sports, clear your head and make friends for life. If you study at CBS in Mainz, you have access to the entire university sports programme of the Johannes Gutenberg University, for a semester fee of only 21 Euros. The CBS Sports Relations Team also organises its own programme exclusively for CBS students, including tennis, volleyball, and football. In addition, the private sports/fitness/wellness providers in Mainz have adapted very well to students.

Download the brochure and learn more about living in Mainz as a student!

Leah Krug

Leah Krug

Study advisory: Campus Mainz
Got any questions? We are happy to help!

Phone: +49 (0) 6131 88055 31
WhatsApp: Text us on WhatsApp
E-Mail: study@cbs.de
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