Upon enrolment, JGU doctoral students are entitled to financial support, cultural events, legal advice and much more organised by the General Students’ Committee, which is available to all students.

The Welcome Center’s online platform JoGuGATE can be used to find answers in advance to your questions on getting started to life and studies in Mainz. It also provides general information on applying for a residence permit. For doctoral candidates who have a visa or residence permit in accordance with Section 18 of the Residence Act, the Welcome Center can arrange an appointment directly with the foreigners’ registration office in Mainz as part of its cooperation agreement.

Within the framework of the ERASMUS programme, doctoral students can obtain grants for stays abroad if they are students, employees or teaching staff (e.g. teaching contract). Enrolment is required for the use of programmes for the mobility of students – in this case, registration as a doctoral candidate is not sufficient.

Upon enrolment, (doctoral) students receive discounted prices on courses offered by University Sports at JGU Mainz (in German). These are offered every semester.

The Studierendenwerk (student services) offers enrolled (doctorate) students the opportunity to apply for daycare places on campus at three JGU daycare centres.

Enrolment as a doctoral student does not entitle you to the student tariff for statutory or private medical insurance. If you are not covered by employment that is subject to social security contributions, or by your spouse, but are financed, for example, by a scholarship, self-employment or private funds, you must expect to pay significantly higher health insurance contributions as a doctoral candidate (with or without enrolment).

Enrolled (doctoral) students have active and passive voting rights in the status group “(doctoral) students”. Alternatively, doctoral candidates who are employed at JGU have the option of participating as a member of the “employees” status group.

The amendment to the Rhineland-Palatinate University Act also introduced the doctoral candidate representation to represent all registered doctoral candidates at a university. The members of the group “PhD Representatives JGU” are elected by all registered doctoral candidates and are represented in an advisory capacity in the JGU Senate and various other bodies.

As an employee of, or enrolled (doctorate) student at, JGU or the University Medical Center, you can access the open access repository Gutenberg Open Science or apply for financial support from the Open Access Publication Fund. You can find out more about the open access services offered by Mainz University Library here.

JGU’s Mental Health Services for Students provides all enrolled (doctoral) students with professional help in coping with psychological problems of any kind that may arise during their undergraduate or postgraduate programmes of study, during their doctorate and in everyday life. The offer is wide-ranging and includes: short-term assistance in acute crisis situations, assessment of the problem through targeted diagnostics, counselling and short-term psychotherapy, special consultation hours for performance disorders, courses on various problem areas, the open self-help-oriented online course “Overcoming Exam Anxiety Online” (PBO) as well as accompanied online counselling for exam anxiety, writing problems and persistent physical complaints. Further information and contact details can be found here.

Upon enrollment and payment of the semester fee, doctoral students are entitled to a semester ticket. This allows them to use local public transport (IC and ICE trains are excluded) throughout Germany—an advantage over the previous regional offer. In addition, the semester ticket is cheaper than a regular Germany ticket (Deutschlandticket). Refunds for doctoral students are no longer possible with the transition to the Germany ticket. This is also regulated in the hardship regulations under §2a. The old regulations on refunds remain in the hardship regulation solely for reasons of legal certainty – however, they only apply if a regional semester ticket is reintroduced.

Upon payment of the semester fee, enrolled doctoral students also receive the right to a canteen card and a library card. With the canteen card, all enrolled (doctoral) students receive a discount on food in the Studierendenwerk canteens on campus. The library card allows books to be borrowed from all libraries on campus and use of the interlibrary loan service.

Enrolled doctoral students are also entitled to accommodation in the residence halls of the Studierendenwerk.
If you decide to use a hall of residence, you can apply using the online form for the type of accommodation that suits best application. Doctoral candidates who are not yet enrolled can also apply for a place in a hall of residence in advance, but must submit their enrolment certificate to the Studierendenwerk within the first six months. Enrolled (doctoral) students have priority in the allocation of places in halls of residence.

Some funding organizations require you to be enrolled as a doctoral student. Information on this can be obtained from the respective scholarship providers.

Enrolment allows (doctoral) students to participate in the language courses of the International Preparatory and Language Center.

On presenting their enrolment certificate, doctoral students can benefit from student prices and other discounts from some private providers, for example at cinemas or theatres.

The Studierendenwerk offers a wide range of services. For enrolled domestic doctoral students on the one hand and for enrolled guest doctoral students on the other, including the Buddy Programme . This allows local and visiting doctoral students to come together on the basis of common interests and age groups and enables mutual support. Interdisciplinary exchange, social skills and local and regional knowledge are also encouraged.

For enrolled guest (doctoral) students in particular, the programme Strangers become friends is offered. Here, local families, including professionals and senior citizens, sponsor the visiting (doctoral) students. It is an opportunity to get to know the country and “normal” life away from the university.

For doctoral students who are registered under a German address and enrolled at JGU, the Studierendenwerk also offers advice and assistance in financial emergency situations as well as on KfW loans. Further information is available here.