Not only students but also employees of the university and Studierendenwerk as well as guests of the university eat in our Mensas.
As non-university employees, external guests pay the cost-covering and therefore highest price. In addition to the pure cost of goods, this price primarily takes into account energy, cleaning, procurement and personnel costs.
University employees use the Mensas as a kind of company canteen. In return, the university pays a subsidy for its Mensa meals. The employee price is significantly lower than the price for external users, but is always higher than the price for students.
Students pay the lowest prices for Mensa meals. The state of Hesse prescribes social pricing for students at Hessian universities by law. The reduced prices are made possible by subsidies from the state as well as by a share of the students' "Sozialbeiträge" (their contributions for the Studierendenwerk's work). Therefore, the student prices apply exclusively to students who are enrolled at a German university.

You will find the "Mensa status" entry at the bottom right of your card next to the NVV logo. It will also tell you when you next need to update (= validate) your "Mensa status".

For students, the CampusCard has also been a student ID and semester ticket since the 2019/2020 winter semester (see illustration on the right). The Mensa status "student" is automatically stored on these cards.

After that, there are these types of "Mensa Status"

• "Bedienstete/r" = employee of the University of Kassel
• "Bedienstete/r (A)" = trainees, candidates and interns of the University of Kassel
• "Staff member (S)" = Employees of the Studierendenwerk Kassel
• "Guest" = guests of the University of Kassel

The "Mensa-Status" is valid for six months. After that, you still have one month to have the "Mensa-Status" updated. After this period has expired, you will receive the error message "Your card has definitely expired" at the cash desks of the Mensas and cafeterias. After that the card is only valid for payments in the library and at photocopiers. At the cash desks of Mensas and cafeterias you can only pay with the card again after updating the "Mensa-Status".

On Campus Holländischer Platz, students, employees of the university and the Studierendenwerk, trainees, aspirants and interns with a valid university account can update or extend the "Mensa-Status" entry on their CampusCards themselves: Two validation stations are available on the ground floor of the Campus Center in Moritzstraße for this purpose. They hang next to the screen with the NVV timetable information.  The "Mensa-Status" update takes about 20 seconds. You can find more detailed information about the validation at www.uni-kassel.de/its/dienstleistungen/identity-und-accessmanagement/campuscard/anleitung/validierung

Students of the Kassel School of Medicine and employees of the Studierendenwerk who do not have a university account, can contact us via campuscard((at))studierendenwerk.uni-kassel.de to update their "Mensa-Status".

The IT Service Centre (ITS) of the University of Kassel is responsible for the correct "Mensa-Status" entry.

Students of the Kassel School of Medicine and other universities, guests of the University of Kassel and employees of the Studierendenwerk Kassel can register their Mensa Status at the Studierendenwerk information desk (Infotheke) in the Campus Center, Holländischer Platz campus.

If you have any problems, please tell us via e-mail to campuscard((at))uni-kassel.de or call +49 561 804 5678.

Yes, that is possible. You either need

•     a CampusCard (https://www.uni-kassel.de/ub/ausleihen/bibliotheksausweis) with the corresponding Mensa status entry or
•     a Giro Card or Credit Card in combination with your student ID.

CampusCard (library card)  If you are already using a CampusCard as a library card, please have the Mensa status "Student of another University" entered at our Infotheke (information desk) in the Campus Center (opening times on https://www.studierendenwerk-kassel.de/kontakt/kontakt) This will automatically calculate the student price. Please bring your valid student ID to the information desk - only if you present it will your Mensa status be adjusted.

Giro Card or Credit Card  Please inform our staff at the cash desks in the Mensas and cafeterias that you are studying at another university and show then your valid student ID without being asked.

Additional payment options can be arranged for groups of guests and participants in university events.

If you receive this error message when updating or extending the "Mensa-Status" entry of your CampusCard, the card has not yet been activated. Therefore, the "Mensa-Status" cannot be updated or extended (=validated). You will find information on this on the information sheet that you received together with the CampusCard.