Housing & Residence Life
We know an important consideration for students is where they will live. At Wisconsin, you’ll have lots of options to choose from.
Freshmen are not required to live in the University Residence Halls, but we definitely encourage it. Living in the halls is the best way to meet people and feel at home fast. The overwhelming majority of first-year students, as well as many sophomores and transfer students, live in University Residence Halls.
In addition, students who live in University Residence Halls earn higher GPAs and benefit from residence hall class sections, tutoring and academic advising in the halls, learning communities, and First-Year Interest Groups.
University Residence Halls
Our University Residence Halls are home to nearly 7,000 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 and features outdoor recreational fields and easy access to libraries and classroom buildings. The other is in the heart of the southeast-area academic buildings and recreational facilities, very near downtown Madison.
No matter where you live on campus, you’ll quickly discover that our residence hall communities give you the resources, support, services, and cultural and social opportunities you need to learn, make friends, and feel right at home.
University Residence Halls feature:
- Academic programs that enhance the student residential experience. Within the halls, you’ll find academic advising, tutoring services, writing instruction, study rooms, classrooms, and wireless access points.
- We offer more than 25 First-Year Interest Groups (FIGs) for students who want to immerse themselves in living-learning communities and take a cluster of three courses organized around a central theme with peers from their residence hall or neighborhood.
- Residential Learning Communities, six learning communities that give you the chance to live and learn with other students who share your interests. These communities provide a more seamless experience that blends residential and academic life on campus. Read more about these learning communities in the section of our Web site dedicated to the First-Year Experience.
- Dining services that are popular and convenient. Students can choose from a variety of dining rooms, carryout stores, delis, coffee houses, and even room delivery service. And we’re constantly increasing our selections of locally sourced, vegetarian, vegan, kosher, and organic 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 campus ID card (Wiscard).
University Housing Contracts
Freshmen admitted for the fall term will automatically receive a University Housing contract as long as space remains available. The contract will be created at the time of admission and sent within two to three weeks. Students admitted for the spring or summer terms should contact University Housing to request an application. For more information, visit www.housing.wisc.edu, e-mail AssignMe@housing.wisc.edu, or phone 608–262–2522 (608–262–6830 TTY/TDD).
Transfer Student Housing
Most transfer students live in one of the many privately owned apartments, houses, and condos that surround campus, which you can learn about through the Campus-Area Housing Listing Service. However, there are some students who choose to spend their first year on campus in one of our University Residence Halls. There’s even a residence hall community just for transfer students, Tripp Hall, which is located on the shores of Lake Mendota.
Additional Housing Options
If you choose not to live in the University Residence Halls, a variety of privately owned housing options are also available. These include private residence halls, apartments, houses, efficiencies, condos, rooms, co-ops, and fraternity and sorority chapter houses. The university provides an online listing of campus-area housing options here.
There are also several private residence halls located near campus, although they are not owned or operated by the university. Available features may include resident assistants, dining halls and meal plans, computer labs and fitness centers, recreational and social programs, and traditional rooms, suites, and apartments.
