International Student Admission
Housing
UW-Madison students are free to choose from a variety of housing options, including our University Residence Halls and a variety of privately owned residence halls, apartments, houses, and condos that surround campus. Most first-year students live in residence halls, while students in their second, third, and fourth years of study typically live in campus-area housing.
Quicklinks
University Residence Halls
Elizabeth Waters Dining Room
Our University Residence Halls are home to nearly 6,900 students and offer an ever-increasing variety of programs and services. The halls are clustered into two neighborhoods. One neighborhood sits along the beautiful shore of Lake Mendota. The other is in the heart of the southeast-area academic buildings and recreational facilities, and very near downtown.
The University Residence Halls feature:
- Academic programs that enhance the student residential experience. Within the halls, you'll find academic advising, tutoring services, study rooms, classrooms, and wireless access points.
- Learning communities that give you the chance to live and learn with other students who share your interests. Choose from a wide variety of residential communities, including Women in Science and Engineering, the Multicultural Learning Community, Chadbourne Residential College, the Bradley Learning Community, the International Learning Community, and more than 25 First-Year Interest Groups.
- Residence hall rooms that include the basics (beds, desks, chairs), as well as telephone and free cable TV, high-speed Internet, and refrigerators.
- Food service that is popular and convenient. Students can choose from a variety of dining rooms, carryout stores, delis, coffee houses, and even delivery services. And we're constantly increasing our selections of organic, vegetarian, vegan, and kosher foods. Residents pay only for the food they select (a meal plan is not required) using their Housing Food debit account, which is part of the student ID card (Wiscard).
Freshmen admitted for the fall term will receive a University Housing contract, as long as space is available. Students admitted for the spring semester should contact University Housing to request an application. For complete details on University Housing, including the residence hall neighborhoods, learning communities, rates, contracts, and room assignments, visit the University Housing Web site.
Campus-Area Housing
In addition to the University Residence Halls, UW-Madison students can choose from a variety of other housing options. They include privately owned residence halls, houses, apartments, efficiencies, condos, rooms, and co-ops. Visitor & Information Programs provides a centralized listing of available campus-area housing. Visit the Campus-Area Housing Listing Service to learn more.
Keep these suggestions in mind when considering a privately owned housing option:
- Do not rent an apartment or house without seeing it first. Wait until you arrive in Madison to sign a lease so that you can personally inspect the property.
- Leases are legal documents. When you sign a lease, you are legally committing yourself to pay rent for the time period specified on the lease. Do not sign more than one lease.
Temporary Housing
Madison Friends of International Students (MFIS) is an organization of community volunteers that offers temporary housing to international students. Students who have just arrived in Madison are invited to stay in a Madison-area resident's home for up to three nights. International students typically take advantage of this temporary housing option while they seek permanent housing.