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1: Housing Contract
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2: Advance Payment
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3: Preferences
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4: Roommate Options
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5: Assignment Information
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6: Dining Plan
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7: Contact Roommate(s)
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8: Move-In
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9: Pay Bill
First-Year Students
Your first year of college is an exciting time full of growth, change, and new opportunities, and University Residence Halls provide the perfect environment to find friends, get support, and focus on your studies.
Once you are formally admitted to the University of Wisconsin-Madison as a freshman or first-year student, we automatically send you a housing contract to live in one of our residence halls. While there is no on-campus living requirement, over 90 percent of the incoming freshman class and over 8,500 residents fill our halls each academic year.
New Spring Residents
Are you a new first-year student admitted to start at UW-Madison for the spring semester?
Visit our New Spring Resident page for steps and timelines specific to your process.
How to Apply
If you’re a first-year student, follow the steps below to sign up and #LiveWithBucky in the University Residence Halls!
“Living in my dorm was a great way to adjust to campus as a freshman. Learning a whole new campus and lifestyle is hard enough, but having housing and meals taken care of makes it a lot less stressful. As a Lakeshore resident, I loved enjoying the city with my friends during the day, and coming home to a quiet, serene neighborhood at night.”
Step 1
Sign & Complete Your Housing Contract
Due by May 1 (for most admitted students)
New first-year UW-Madison students admitted to the University for the fall or spring semester are offered a contract for the University Residence Halls. A separate application for housing is not needed, but you must sign the contract by your due date. University Housing sends information to complete the online contract process in My UW Housing to the email address you provided to UW-Madison on your application.
Note: due to multiple admissions decision releases at UW-Madison, Housing assignments are not first come first serve, so you don’t need to sign your contract early. As long as you sign and submit the advance payment by your due date, you’ll be guaranteed a space. University Housing does not discriminate in assignments on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, disability, national origin, or ancestry.
Step 2
Submit Your Advance Payment
Due by May 1 (for most admitted students)
Freshmen and transfers must pay a $75 non-refundable application fee and a $225 advance payment to secure their space when the contract is signed. Review the cancellation policy in our contract for details on cancellation and the advance payment forfeiture schedule, if applicable. This payment represents a legally binding financial agreement. Your final Housing bill will be reduced by the advance payment you have made.
Step 3
Enter Your Preferences
Due by May 1 (for most admitted students)
Explore our residence halls and learning/theme communities to see what spaces and interest areas might fit you, and enter your preferences in My UW Housing by your contract due date. You’ll rank your top choices by hall, room type, and community.
Note: while we do our best to match your preferences, you can be placed in any hall or community on or off your preference list. We cannot guarantee placement in a particular building or room type.
Tips
- Two students wanting to become roommates must list their hall preferences in the exact same order and preference one another in My UW Housing.
- If you are interested in living in a learning or theme community, you should prioritize learning/theme communities over residence halls when submitting your preferences in My UW Housing.
- Rates and room types vary throughout the residence halls. If you are interested in a particular room type, you should list all buildings with that room type at the top of your preference list.
- Single rooms for freshman students are primarily available in Adams and Tripp. If you are interested in a single room, you should preference these halls at the top of your list.
Step 4
Set Your Roommate Options
Due by May 1 (for most admitted students)
Indicate if you want a random or preferred roommate in My UW Housing and create/join a roommate group if you have a preferred roommate(s). You may choose to meet someone new with a randomly assigned roommate or to live with someone you already know. Roommate preferences must be submitted by your contract due date.
Step 5
Receive Your Assignment Information
In the summer, you’ll receive assignment information, including your roommate and move-in schedule. Some students may receive a later room and roommate assignment but are still guaranteed to have a space in Housing and will receive information before move-in.
Whether you get one of your top choices, a space that wasn’t on your preferences, or a later assignment, overwhelmingly students tell us in end-of-year surveys that they would recommend their residence hall experience. No matter which community you live in, it’s about what you make of the experience.
Step 6
Select Your Dining Plan
Select in summer
A resident dining plan is required for all students living in the residence halls. You can select a dining plan after you’ve received your assignment information. There are three plan options to choose from, depending on the number of meals per week that fit your eating habits. If you do not select a dining plan, you’ll be enrolled in the Go10 plan.
Students can change their dining plan selection in My UW Housing until early-August. Students will have another opportunity to adjust their plan for the spring semester in late-fall.
Step 7
Contact Your Assigned Roommate(s)
Whether you chose a preferred roommate or went random, roommate(s) need to have good communication and respect privacy and property. When you receive your assignment information, contact your roommate(s) before move-in to get to know them and plan your room setup. After you move in, you’ll complete a roommate agreement to help start conversations and set boundaries.
Step 8
Move Into Your New UW-Madison Home!
The big day is here! All students are assigned a date and time for their fall move in, and our staff and volunteers work hard to provide an easy, welcoming move-in experience.
Step 9
Pay Your Housing & Tuition Bill
Due by mid-September
Housing and dining plan costs are combined with tuition on a semesterly bill from UW-Madison.
Looking Ahead: Year Two & Beyond
Many students start looking in early-fall at housing options for year two and beyond, which may include returning to the residence halls or living off-campus. We encourage you to make your housing decision after you have a sense for your plans for next year. That may look different for every student, depending on priorities for location, size and type of unit, and price.
Note: University Housing’s returning resident process typically begins in October. Residence hall space is not guaranteed after the first year.