Applications to live in University Apartments are accepted at any time. Prospective residents may apply online through the My UW Housing portal. Prospective residents may apply as soon as they are interested in studying or working at UW-Madison. Students accepted for admission in the fall may move in during the summer without being enrolled for summer classes. Your application submission date will be used to establish your priority on the waiting list for an apartment.
Eligible applicants are offered apartments according to the priority category they belong to. Prioritization goes in this order for University Houses & Eagle Heights 200s – 900s: graduate students with Fellowships that give priority to Housing (family or single), student families, postdoctoral scholar families, single graduate students, single postdocs, other non-student families (academic staff, honorary associate fellows, faculty), other non-student singles. Harvey Street, Eagle Heights 101 – 109, and furnished apartments are only available to single graduate students.
The Leasing Office sends offers as much in advance of the date an apartment will become available as possible. On average, applicants are notified approximately 30-90 days prior to their occupancy desired date and the date an apartment will become available. If your plans change and you are no longer interested in an apartment, or if any other information (your email address, desired move-in date, apartment preferences, etc.) on your application changes, please login to the My UW Housing portal and update or cancel your application accordingly.
Eligibility & Waitlists
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Student Eligibility
In order to live in University Apartments, graduate students must carry a minimum of two credits per semester for an academic year. If a student is a dissertator, three credits per semester for an academic year are required. Undergraduate students (with families) must carry a minimum of six credits per semester for an academic year.
Student Graduation
If you graduate at the end of a spring semester, you should plan to move out on or before the end of your current lease. Residents who will graduate at the end of the summer should plan to move out on or before August 31. Summer graduates are also obligated to give 90-day notice. Please plan accordingly to get your lease termination form to the University Apartments Office on time.
Faculty & Academic Staff Eligibility
Faculty and academic staff currently employed at UW-Madison may live in the Eagle Heights or University Houses neighborhoods.
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How our Waitlist Works
After applying for an apartment, potential residents’ names are placed on a waiting list according to the date applied, when they wish to move in, and what priority they have according to their eligibility. Potential residents are welcome to apply for any type of apartment their eligibility allows without affecting their chances of being offered an apartment. Applicants who are not offered an apartment for a date they requested are automatically carried over to the next month’s wait list until:
- An apartment can be offered to the applicant
- The applicant changes the occupancy date desired
- The applicant cancels their application
University Apartments staff update wait lists twice each year. We send applicants an email to the address on their application requesting updates to information. Failure to respond to this request will result in the cancellation of an application.
Current Waitlist Priorities
If an offer is accepted, the applicant must move into the apartment no later than 30 days after the start date of the lease.
University Houses & Eagle Heights 200s – 900s
- Graduate students with Fellowships that give priority to Housing (family or single)
- Student families
- Postdoctoral scholar families
- Single graduate students
- Single Postdocs
- Other non-student families (academic staff, honorary associate fellows, faculty)
- Other non-student singles
Harvey Street & Eagle Heights 101 – 109
- Single graduate students
Procedure
When you are offered an apartment, you must complete a lease acceptance form online before the due date included in the offer. You and your spouse, domestic partner, or roommate must complete the online form, and a security advance payment must be received via CashNet or mailed to the Division of University Housing’s cashier’s office. A lease is not valid without payment of the security advance payment.
Rent begins on the first day of your lease term and is payable on a monthly basis to the Cashier’s Office. Cashier’s Office is open Monday-Friday: 10:00 am – 4:00 pm.
If you are not in the United States and are not able to make an online payment of your security advance payment, contact the University Apartment Office to make arrangements to pay when you arrive. If your plans change and you will not be accepting the lease offer, please contact the University Apartments Office immediately.
Apartment Offers
An apartment will be offered at least 30 days prior to the beginning of a lease. In most cases, apartments are offered 60 days in advance. Outside of the summer, apartments are occasionally available with little to no wait. If an offer is accepted, the applicant must move into the apartment no later than 30 days after the start date of the lease. Failure to meet this requirement may result in the termination of a lease.
Applicants who reject a total of two apartment offers for their desired occupancy date will lose their original application date priority. Applicants who fail to respond to two apartment offers will have their applications moved to the bottom of the waiting list.
Signing a Lease
Once you complete your lease acceptance online form, you are obligated to pay a minimum of 90 days’ rent, even if you are later unable to attend or work at UW-Madison. In general, if you would answer “no” to any of the following questions, you should resolve the issue(s) before signing the lease:
- Is the potential resident able to commit to paying rent on the date the lease begins?
- Is the potential resident able to send a $500 advance payment at the time?
- If applicable, has the potential resident received their student visa?
- Students: Have you been admitted to UW-Madison or an academic school, college, or department?
- Faculty/Staff: Has a UW-Madison employer completed arrangements for your appointment?
The Division of University Housing does not discriminate in assignment to University Apartments on the basis of race, color, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, religion, disability, national origin, or ancestry. Applicants are assigned according to their priority category and date of application.
Floor Plans
1 Bedroom/1 Bathroom
Available in all University Apartments neighborhoods. Eligibility and criteria for renting this apartment type in each community are listed below.
- Eagle Heights: Open to couples without children, families of 3 or less, and singles without a roommate
- Harvey Street: Open to singles without a roommate
- University Houses: Open to couples without children, families of 3 or less, and singles without a roommate
3 Bedroom/1 Bathroom Townhouse and 2 Flats
Available in Eagle Heights and University Houses. Eligibility and criteria for renting this apartment type in each community are listed below.
- Eagle Heights: Open to families with 2 or more children and families of 7 or less
- University Houses: Open to families with 2 or more children and families of 8 or less
2 Bedroom/1 Bathroom
Available in all University Apartments neighborhoods. Eligibility and criteria for renting this apartment type in each community are listed below.
- Eagle Heights: Open to families with children, couples without children, families of 5 or less, and singles with or without a roommate
- Harvey Street: Open to singles with or without a roommate
- University Houses: Open to families with children, couples without children, families of 6 or less, and singles with or without a roommate
Large 3 Bedroom/1 or 1 1/2 Bathroom(s) Apartments and Townhouses
Available in Eagle Heights. Eligibility and criteria for renting this apartment type are listed below.
- Open to families with 2 or more children and families of 8 or less