Housing FAQs

We anticipate that we will begin releasing room assignments and roommate information in mid-June and continuing throughout the summer. This information will be shared through an email to your wisc.edu account, and it will also be available in My UW Housing. Some students will receive a later assignment as we work through final adjustments and cancellations throughout the summer. If you are a returning resident, you have already selected your room, and that information can be reviewed in My UW Housing. For students joining campus starting at the spring semester, assignment information is typically sent in early-January.

Later assignments are a normal part of our process, to allow us to work through final adjustments and cancellations throughout the summer before placing some students. We monitor for cancellations daily and continually assign students as we are able. Our goal is to have all students assigned by mid-August, but it can run later. Students recently admitted will likely see assignment information closer to the August date. You are still guaranteed to have a space with University Housing for the fall.

We cannot guarantee that you will be assigned to one of the residence halls or room types you ranked in your preferences. For example, Ogg has about 775 available spaces for first-years but was ranked by over 4,300 students as one of their top three choices.

Yes, Lowell Center will again be used as a residence hall, featuring resident rooms that have their own bathroom. Lowell Market will again be available in the building for dining for residents. Lowell was originally built in 1961 as a private residence hall and has operated for many years as a campus hotel. It offers a mix of singles, doubles, and triples, most with a private bathroom. Residents will have typical residence hall furniture and storage space in their rooms, along with access to high-speed internet, TV service, laundry facilities, and shared spaces for studying and socializing, similar to other residence halls. On-site Residence Life staff will provide student support and programming throughout the year.

University Housing has a limited number of single rooms in certain residence halls, but the vast majority of our resident rooms are doubles and triples, as well as some quads. Most residents will have a roommate. If you are unsatisfied with your room assignment and are interested in changing rooms, you can fill out a room change request form starting the first week of classes in My UW Housing and indicate your preferences on room type and buildings. If we are able to offer you a room change, we will email you the room change offer.

The room change process typically opens on the first day of fall classes and remains open until late spring semester. For 2023-24, the room change process opens on September 6 at 8:00 a.m. in My UW Housing. The process is open for any student who is reserved or currently residing in on-campus housing through their My UW Housing portal.

Housing will only grant permission for a student to bring their own air conditioner window units for disability and medical-related reasons if they are not assigned to a room with central air. Students who qualify will be able to bring their own units as long as the unit meets the following requirements:

Requirements:

• Fully Self-Evaporative Portable Air Conditioner
• Cooling BTU Needed (DOE Standard) = 5,000 – 6,000 BTU
• ETL/UL Listed Machine
• Standard 115-volt electrical plug (NEMA 5 – 15)

Fully Self-Evaporative Portable Air Conditioner acceptable examples include:

• LG Model: LP0621WSR
• Friedrich Model: ZCP08SA
• Frigidaire Model: FHPC082AC1 or FHPC102AC1

Instructions for requesting permission to bring your own air conditioner for a fee will be available in My UW Housing after July 1st, 2023.

During the summer, we offer in-person tours of several representative resident rooms in various buildings. These tours are offered weekdays during SOAR at specific times. (We are not able to show every building, room type, or your specific room, because many of our residence halls are used during the summer for conferences and camps, and others may be under renovation.)

For most of our residence halls and room types, you can also find extensive details and photos on our residence hall web pages, including measurements and 360-degree room tours. Since there can be some room variation within the buildings and room types, we recommend waiting to purchase too many size-specific items until you have arrived on campus and seen your actual room.

Each of our residence hall web pages includes extensive details* for most common room types in that building, including typical dimensions, photos, 360-degree tours, and floor plans. We also have an “Inside Our Rooms” page that explains what is provided in a room, along with lofting information and various measurements for our buildings.

Due to the variety of residence halls, rooms, furniture, closets, etc. in University Housing, we are unable to provide details and measurements for all possible situations and items. If the information you’re looking for isn’t shown on our website, we are unable to provide it at this time.

*Note: Rooms in some residence halls have mixed furniture. Furniture, measurements, and dimensions may vary.

Feel free to fill out our contact form if you have any questions or concerns about your assignment. We typically reply to submitted questions within three business days. Filling out the form once is sufficient. We will return your message. Multiple contacts inhibit our ability to get back to you and other students in a timely manner.

Yes, with strong demand for on-campus housing for 2023-24, we expect to have many first-year students living in triple rooms, as well as some quads in converted lounges/dens. These spaces provide similar amenities for residents as traditional doubles and allow us to accommodate more students who want to live in the residence halls. Triple rooms are a common practice at many of our peer universities, and resident satisfaction has remained mostly positive in triples.

Triples are larger double rooms that can accommodate 3 residents. Quads are lounge/den spaces that have been converted to accommodate 4 residents. All of these spaces have been assessed to ensure they provide plenty of space, and all include similar furniture and amenities for each resident as what they would find in other resident rooms. Housing has used spaces like these in this way for several years with good success. We simply have more of these spaces being used in this way than in the past. Example images of many of these room setups can be found on our residence hall pages.

Many new students in Dejope, Leopold, Ogg, and Smith will be in triples. Some rooms in Adams and Tripp will be triples as well.

Costs for triple and quad rooms are among our lowest resident rates. They are based on the rates established for similar triple and quad rooms that we have used in past years, approved by the UW Board of Regents. These rates also compare well with similar rooms at other Big Ten universities. Rates for all of our buildings and room types can be found on our Billing & Rates page.

With strong demand for on-campus housing, we have many first-year students living in triples and quads. These spaces provide similar amenities for residents as traditional doubles and allow us to accommodate more students who want to live in the residence halls. Our triple rooms have been verified by our Facilities staff to ensure that there is sufficient space for three students, their belongings and furniture in the room. Triple rooms are a common practice at many of our peer universities, and resident satisfaction has remained mostly positive in triples. To be fair to all students, our online room change process opens after move-in, on the first day of classes, in My UW Housing.

Our Residence Hall Facilities team has assessed all of our spaces to ensure that spaces being used for three roommates provide enough space for extra furniture and living space. These rooms have been configured to maximize the best layout and space for triple living. These spaces being used for triple living are comparable to what our peers are using in other Big 10 campuses as well. In addition, spaces used for 4 roommates are significantly larger as they were spaces that were formerly used for dens or study rooms.

Triple rooms in Dejope, Leopold, Ogg, Smith have one large walk-in closet for all residents to share. The closets are flexible with a variety of shelves and partitioned hanging areas. They are not strictly designed with one area per resident, so three residents can easily divide up the space in a way that works for all. Closets in these buildings can be seen in photos and renderings on their respective web pages

The most common room arrangement in triples is to bunk two of the beds and loft the third bed, to make good use of the space. In most triple rooms, it is possible to loft all three beds if you place most other furniture underneath the beds. However, rooms may vary slightly and it is possible some would not accommodate lofting all three beds. Lofting information is posted on our “Inside Our Halls” web page.

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.

Each learning community offers a for-credit seminar only available to residents in that community. The seminar explores the theme of the learning community while connecting you with other students, faculty mentors, and industry leaders. If you are living in a learning community, you get to take a class with friends while getting insider tips on being successful in college and your future career. Most seminars are 1-credit and easily fit into your course schedule. 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.

We have currently offered contracts to all admitted first-year and transfer students. We will continue to offer housing as long as space remains available. We do not anticipate being able to offer housing to most special students, readmits and reentry transfers, and current UW–Madison students wanting to return to the residence halls.

Students interested in living in the University Residence Halls for Spring 2024 should reach out to our office sometime in mid-October. Spring contracts are offered as long as space remains available.

The area around UW–Madison offers a large amount of conveniently-located private housing for students. The Campus Area Housing service is UW–Madison’s official resource for students searching for privately-owned rentals. Many of these properties offer social opportunities, affordable rental rates, and amenities comparable to the residence halls.

The Center for First Year Experience (CFYE) offers many resources available to first-year students. From first-year interest groups, Go Big Read, and How-to Guides, there are lots of options to explore. Other campus offices assist students, such as the Center for Leadership and Involvement (CfLI) which connects students to more then 700 student organizations and other leadership opportunities on campus. Other great places to get involved can be seen on the CFYE website.

Visit our Dining locations and hours page to see the latest updates and schedules.

Our dining locations are open to anyone on campus, including students, faculty, staff, and the general public. Guests can purchase meals individually at door price with a credit card, debit card, or Wiscard. When paying with your Wiscard, you’ll receive a 5% discount on all purchases. Guests may also order food for delivery from any location through the Starship Technologies app.

Yes, we use a trayless system for all-you-to-eat so residents take what they would like. Residents are welcome to come back as many times as they would like to take additional food, and this helps reduce food waste. In addition, University Housing Dining takes any leftover unserved food from the Dining Markets and creates pre-packaged frozen microwaveable meals. These meals are available at no cost to any student on-campus facing food insecurity. To learn more about this program and where you can pick-up food, see the Frozen Meal Program Instagram and Facebook pages.

No, because staff need to clean and prepare the market between every meal serving period, both the dining room and market will be closed to the public.

Residents who have paid for a meal are welcome to use the dining rooms during meal service periods. Dining rooms will be closed between service meal periods.

No outside food will be allowed in the dining rooms of our six markets.

All-you-care-to-eat or buffet style service means diners will pay for their meal upon entry to the market. In order to help manage food waste, these locations will have trayless service. Diners are able to return as many times as they would like during the meal period to enjoy additional servings.

No, as guests have to pay to enter the market at and these dining rooms are only open to diners. These spaces need to stay open for those individuals actively eating.

Please reach out to us through our Contact Us Form. We have staff providing timely responses to questions and concerns received there.

In the Southeast Neighborhood, there is a Starbucks location in Smith Residence Hall and Southeast Café in Gordon Dining & Event Center offers ice cream. In the Lakeshore neighborhood, there is a Bean & Creamery located in Dejope Residence Hall. To see hours and locations visit our dining hours page.

The food information displayed at each venue will always be accurate to what is being served. You can always check those to verify any dietary need or food accommodation. But above all, if you have a question or need please let us know and reach out to a staff member working. We are always happy to help.

Yes. Dining Dollars are retail dollars that a student can use at any food location on campus. This would include any Housing Dining venue or Union location. Think of them like cash on a debit card.

For the 2023-24 Academic Year, students can adjust their dining plan selection for the fall semester up until August 4, 2023. Students will have an opportunity in November/December to adjust their dining plan for the spring semester. Exact dates for dining plan changes are still being finalized.

To view or change their current dining plan selection, students should log into My UW Housing, go into their 2023-24 application (select “Click here to get started”), and then click on “Dining Plan.”

Unused meals expire at the end of the week and do not carry over to the next week. Your dining plan gives you a designated number of meals per week based on the plan you selected. We can help you decide on the right plan to fit your schedule and eating habits, ensuring you get the full value of your plan. Please reach out to us at dining@housing.wisc.edu.

No, designated meals per week need to be used up within the week. In addition, all Dining Dollars need to be used up by the end of the academic year. They do not carry over to the next year.

Meals are to be used for the student who purchased the plan and cannot be used for friends or guests. Students are not allowed to use another resident’s Wiscard. As part of the GoUnlimited plan, you will receive three guest meals per semester. These meals can be used for guests or friends. Once guest meals are used up, you can use your Dining Dollars to buy meals for others at the door price per meal.

No. Meals aren’t transferable to other students. However, Housing Dining is a part of the Swipe Out Hunger program and residents are able to donate a meal swipe when making a purchase to support UW-Madison’s Badger FARE program. In addition, University Housing Dining takes any leftover unserved food from the Dining Markets and creates pre-packaged frozen microwaveable meals. These meals are available at no cost to any student on-campus facing food insecurity. To learn more about this program and where you can pick up food, see the Frozen Meal Program Instagram and Facebook pages.

Non-housing residents will pay a flat standard fee for their meal upon entry to the market. This will allow you to enjoy all-you-care-to-eat (buffet style service). You are welcome to come back into the market during your meal as many times as you would like for additional food, however you are not able to carry out extra food. If a non-resident pays with their Wiscard, they receive a 5% discount.

Yes, for residents using their dining plan meals, all meal periods – breakfast, lunch, dinner, and brunch (served on weekends) – count as equal meals and will count as one of your weekly meals. If you are a non-resident or if you are using Dining Dollars or other funds to pay for a meal, there are different prices for different meal periods.

If you use all of your designated meals for the week, you can use your Dining Dollars to purchase meals upon entry to the market at standard price. You’ll receive a 5% discount on food when using your Wiscard. If you run out of Dining Dollars, you are able to add money to your Wiscard online or by visiting the Wiscard Office.

In addition, University Housing Dining takes any leftover unserved food from the dining markets and creates pre-packaged frozen microwaveable meals. These meals are available at no cost to any student on-campus. To learn more about this program and where you can pick-up food UW Frozen Meals Instagram and Facebook pages.

Our weeks run Sunday through Saturday. Weekly meal balances renew for the week every Sunday at 12:00 am.

Fill out the Allergy/Dietary Requirement Self-Declaration Form so our Housing Dietitian can make sure your specific needs are addressed. We are happy to work with students regarding individual circumstances. We have several resources we can use to ensure your needs are met.

If you are facing financial emergencies during your time at UW-Madison, you can submit an Emergency Support Request via your MyUW Student Center to be considered for emergency support options, including limited grant funding and loans.

In addition to direct financial support, UW–Madison continues to connect students with resources to meet and navigate basic needs (e.g., internet/technology, child care, housing and employment) and food assistance.

Above all, if you need assistance, please reach out to us at dining@housing.wisc.edu, and we will see what we can do to get you connected with assistance.

Yes, to take food to-go from any location, you will need to use your Ticket to Take-Out token. Upon entry to the Market, provide your token to the cashier. You’ll be allowed to take 1 container to-go. The container must be able to shut. Food that is requested to-go must be consumed off-site and not in the dining room.

You can check your meal balance for the week along with your Dining Dollars balance at any time by visiting the Wiscard online account portal. In addition, after your Wiscard is swiped for entrance in the dining facility, you balance will flash on the POS machine.

A meal exchange is a meal a student can use from their dining plan at Flamingo Run or The Bean & Creamery for a set combination of items during certain hours. One exchange meal may be redeemed per day. The number of meal exchanges allowed per week will depend on your selected dining plan (2/week for Go10, 4/week for Go14, and 6/week for GoUnlimited).

Having a dining plan helps ensure that students get the nutrition they need to be healthy and successful, without having to worry about budgeting for food throughout the year. It also allows us to maintain lower housing rates for our residents, and gives students more value.

During the main Fall move-in days, students and families arriving on their assigned date and time are directed to short-term parking near their building for unloading. (Students should be sure to print their parking permit from My UW Housing and bring it with them.) Residents have 45 minutes to get their room key from the check-in station and unload their belongings into their room. Volunteers and carts are available to help make this a quick and easy process. After 45 minutes, vehicles should be moved to long-term parking spaces. Family members and helpers can come back after moving vehicles to help with room setup, lofting, and other things. Some families will choose to leave at this point so their student can get settled in and start meeting people on their floor. Some families will stay to decorate, get a meal, explore Madison, or go shopping for supplies with their student. Each resident will get two extra guest meals loaded onto their dining plan that can be used during move-in days to dine with their helpers. Campus does not have planned activities for family members during move-in, so most will return home afterwards or stay the night in a local hotel (hotel availability in Madison will be limited) before leaving Madison. Residents can participate in a variety of welcome activities and orientation programs during their first days on campus, leading up to New Student Convocation and the first day of classes.

For Fall 2023, residence halls move-in will take place August 30 – September 1. Students will receive their assigned move-in date and time in June with their room assignment information via email and in My UW Housing. Assigned dates/times allow us to spread out activity evenly to ensure available resources and parking. Once you have received your pre-assigned move-in date and time, you will be able to switch to another available time slot in My UW Housing. Available dates and times will fluctuate as other students also update their plans. If your student does not initially see their preferred date/time as an option, they should check back periodically in My UW Housing to see is something has become available.  Changes can be requested until August 28, 2023. Some students may be required to move in earlier or on a specific day based on organizations or jobs they might be involved in.

We have lots of the information listed on our website. Browse to your residence hall and on that specific hall page, you’ll find approximate room dimensions and floor plans for most room types in that building. In addition, there are floor plans and 360-degree virtual tours to see how other students arrange items in their room. If you have additional questions than what can be seen here, please contact us and we’ll get back to you. Please note that there can be some variability among room dimensions within each hall, and it’s not possible for us to catalog every measurement, so we encourage you to wait to purchase too many items until you arrive and see your actual room.

On the “Inside Our Rooms” web page, residents can find a detailed list of what is provided in resident rooms, what items to consider bringing (including a printable checklist), what items are not allowed, lofting instructions, and various room measurements for each building. We strongly recommend that residents speak with their roommate(s) during the summer to coordinate on room setup and what they plan to bring, to avoid duplication of large items and electronics.

All resident rooms provide furniture that can be lofted or bunked. Residents do not need to bring or purchase any additional equipment or tools for lofting, although a soft mallet can be useful to align the furniture. Furniture can be set up in a variety of arrangements by the resident after they arrive. Housing staff do not pre-loft beds and are not available during move-in to loft beds. If residents would like assistance lofting their bed after move-in, a maintenance request can be submitted after move-in and will be completed in approximately a week. We strongly recommend that residents speak with their roommate(s) to plan a layout that works well for everyone living in the room. Visit the “Inside Our Rooms” web page for lofting instructions and tips.

Yes. If necessary, residents can ship packages prior to their move-in date for pick-up. Due to storage space constraints, do not ship large items, and do not ship items more than one week prior to your move-in date. All US Mail and packages are received and distributed by your hall desk. Mail is placed in your mailbox. Packages are logged, placed in storage, and an email is sent to your @wisc.edu account notifying you a package is available for pickup. You must have your Wiscard (or another form of ID) with you to receive your package, but you do not need to print out the email notification. Addresses for each residence hall are available on their individual hall pages.

All major work for the Sellery renovation is expected to be complete before residents move in for the 2023-24 academic year. Some minor finishing work and touch-ups may continue into the Fall semester, with very little disruption to residents. Questions or feedback about the Sellery renovation project can be directed to sellery.renovation@housing.wisc.edu.