"The University of Mannheim is the Harvard of Germany." This headline from Die Zeit shows that Germany's distinguished weekly newspaper clearly believes that the University of Mannheim is a force to be reckoned with on the academic circuit, even though, according to the Dean of Mannheim University, this statement might be slightly exaggerated: "Obviously, we are very pleased to receive such lavish praise," admits Rector Hans-Wolfgang Arndt, "but Mannheim as the German Harvard — however flattering that may be, I don't think we have yet to achieve the same level of recognition that Harvard has, although this is what we are striving for and hope to achieve within the next few years."

The reputation on which the University of Mannheim thrives has been built on its strong Business Administration, Economics and Social Sciences programs. All the other faculties within the University — Law, the Humanities, Computer Science — are woven into these disciplines in a unique way which has broken new ground in Germany. The University is recognized as one of the leading academic institutions in Germany and Europe for Business Administration, Economics and Social Sciences. This is reflected by a large number of accreditations, evaluations, rankings and other distinctions.

These successes are based on a continuous quality assurance effort in research, teaching and administration. The University is also recognized as one of the most beautiful in Germany. Virtually all of its facilities are housed inside the Mannheim Palace — the largest Baroque palace in the world.

The University of Mannheim has approximately 10,000 students enrolled in six schools: School of Law, School of Business Administration, School of Economics, School of Social Sciences, School of Arts and School of Mathematics and Computer Science.

The University of Mannheim is fully integrated into the global academic network. More than 15 percent of its students come from abroad, and it maintains close contacts with over 450 academic institutions all over the world. The introduction of the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) has made Mannheim even more attractive for foreign students. Thus, the University also offers a range of courses in each school that are conducted in English.

The University's research and teaching activities as well as the range of services available have all been awarded a number of prizes. The Association of Funding Institutions for the Promotion of German Science, for instance, has recently awarded its prize for the best Graduate Program in German-speaking countries to the University of Mannheim. Sports and leisure facilities have few equals in other German universities, and many Mannheim University athletes compete successfully at top national and international levels.

• Institut für Mathematik, Universität Mannheim