Embedded within various residence halls, our learning communities are residential spaces that bring together faculty, staff, and students around a specific focus. Exclusive seminars, class sections, events, and connections with instructors and staff help make a large university feel smaller and more intimate.
Separately, we also offer affinity communities, which bring together students with shared backgrounds or interests/affinities without the academic elements of learning communities.
We do our best to place students in the communities that they ranked in their preferences, however, we always see a large number of students preferencing the same buildings. Because of this, it is possible for students to be placed in any hall or community on campus, even if they did not rank or prioritize it in their preferences.
Past Learning Community residents report a high degree of satisfaction with their living experience and the support they received in exploring academic and career interests. The learning community fee covers some of the costs of the additional services, programs, and staff that are made available to you while living in the community. Your level of involvement in the community is entirely up to you.
Why Join a Learning or Affinity Community?
- Exclusive special events, for-credit seminars, and activities built around your interests
- Co-sponsored by UW-Madison Schools and Colleges
- Open to students of any major — focus on your major or explore subjects to find your path
- Additional staff to help residents succeed:
- Faculty Directors: professors that provide leadership, discussion, and networking outside classes and office hours
- Program Manager: full-time professional staff who oversee communities, plan events, and assist with career advising and academic support
- Learning Community Program Assistants: students who previously lived in a learning community who provide education, recreation, and support to new residents
- Peer Mentors: students who previously lived in a learning community who provide education and support to new residents in specific learning community seminars
- Your level of involvement is completely up to you
How to Join a Learning Community
- Sign your University Residence Halls contract and submit your advance payment in My UW Housing
- Prioritize learning communities over residence halls when you submit your hall preferences in My UW Housing
- Receive your room assignment
The learning community fee may be waived in cases of exceptional financial need by submitting a request for a fee waiver.
Elevate Your Wisconsin Experience
Designed to enhance and connect your experience both inside and outside the classroom, learning and affinity communities are the best of both worlds — the resources of a top research university combined with the intimate community feel of a small liberal arts college. By living in these communities, you’ll be surrounded by friends who share your interests, making it easier to relate what you learn in classes to your future career and putting you on the fast track to success.
Our Communities
BioHouse
Bond with other budding scientists! Nurture your passion for the study of living things, whether it’s plants, animals, health, microbiology, evolution, food genetics, or anything biological.
Bradley
Explore your interests, potential majors, and campus with a supportive community at your back. Get to know professors right away in Bradley’s small and personalized Roundtable Seminars.
Business Connect
Designed for first-year direct admits to the Wisconsin School of Business, this community provides opportunities for mentorship with upperclassmen, engagement, and access to the School of Business.
Chadbourne Residential College
By fostering connections with faculty, students, and the campus community, Chadbourne Residential College (CRC) helps you explore a liberal arts education, no matter your major. CRC offers a perfect combination of academics and social life in the heart of campus.
Essence
Focused on supporting students and allies who self-identify within the Black diaspora, this community is designed to allow Black/African-American students and allies to feel comfortable to be their authentic selves.
Gender Inclusive
Options intended to meet the needs of transgender, gender non-conforming, nonbinary, and LGBTQ+ students and allies to select a housing assignment that is inclusive, safe, and comfortable.
GreenHouse
GreenHouse is all about living sustainably. With a greenhouse on-site, teaching kitchen, vegetable farm, workshops, community meals, and special events, you’ll learn how to make a positive environmental impact.
Indigenous (NDGNS)
A living experience for Indigenous (NDGNS) community members and allies, designed to build community and relationships with students of similar identities and offer academic support to help students thrive.
International
Become a world citizen with friends from across the globe. Feast on international cuisine, take a class with a global focus, and immerse yourself in language by joining one of seven language communities.
Multicultural
A safe and welcoming space where you can gain an expanded worldview and build solidarity by engaging in themes of multiculturalism, social justice, inclusion, race, and identity.
Open House
Examine gender and sexuality and gain an insider’s view of the diversity of human experience. All students are invited to develop their understanding & establish mentorships with faculty in this welcoming community.
Pathway
For students admitted to Bucky’s Pell Pathway and BANNER scholarship programs, Pathway builds community and relationships for students, including co-curricular support to help them succeed.
StartUp
StartUp is all about dreaming big and innovation! Connect with engineers, designers, business thinkers, musicians, and scientists driven by imagination and entrepreneurship.
The Studio
The Studio is an artistic laboratory where you can experiment and explore with other budding artists and innovators. Collaboration fuels creativity in this living and learning environment featuring onsite rehearsal, study, drafting, and theater spaces.
Women in Science & Engineering
Unite with fellow women interested in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Learn about current research fields and hear from women in all types of STEM professions.
Seminars
Enrolling in a learning community seminar is a great way to become more involved with your learning community. Every learning community offers a seminar that only residents in that community are able to take. The seminar is related to the topic that the learning community focuses on, so participating in the seminar is a great way to learn more about that topic, while taking a class with friends you’ve made in your learning community. Through their association with learning communities, students easily connect with faculty, the university, and community leaders. Most seminars are 1-credit and easily fit into your course schedule.
Class Sections
To view class sections and courses reserved specifically for your residence hall or learning community, visit our Residence Hall Class Sections page.
Participation Level
Each learning community has different expectations. All encourage you to participate in the seminars that are offered so that you can make the most of your experience of being a member of that learning community. Regardless of which type of participation level is asked of you, learning community seminars are a great way to become more involved with your learning community. They introduce you to your neighbors, facilitate conversations on the topic area, and are an easy and rewarding way to earn academic credit within your residence hall. We strongly encourage you to enroll in the seminar in order to make the most of your experience, but it is not required. If you have more questions, you should talk with your academic advisor.
Donations
If you would like to donate to University Housing Residential Learning Communities through the UW Foundation, click the donation link below. To ensure that your donation is processed correctly, please follow these instructions:
- In the Designation drop-down menu select Other – detailed below
- In the large text box labeled, “If you would like to further restrict your gift…” you must type the following text:
- Fund #12906942
- The name of the Residential Learning Community you wish to donate to