Welcome to the University Residence Halls! Whether you’re arriving on campus for the very first time with a van full of boxes, packing up for the of the school year, or simply planning your trip home for a break, we work to make your experience as convenient as possible. Watch this page for parking/traffic info, dining options, desk hours, check-in/out details, and more for each of the major parts of the school year. Full details are posted in the weeks prior to each period when the information becomes available.
Spring Move-Out
May 3 – 10, 2025
We hope you’ve had a wonderful experience living in the University Residence Halls. Check bulletin boards, digital signage, and with University Housing staff for additional information regarding quiet hours and details specific to your hall. Have questions? Contact your House Fellow or Residence Life Coordinator.
All Halls Close Saturday, May 10 at 4:00 p.m. We ask that you vacate your room within 24 hours of your last final exam. Those staying until May 10 must move out by 4 p.m.
Extra Nights
If you are unable to leave by May 10 at 4 p.m., you will need to complete the Extra Nights application in My UW Housing no later than Monday, May 5. Most residents will be able to submit a request to stay up to two* (2) extra nights of stay at the end of the Spring 2025 semester. If approved, you will be billed a fee of $40/night. If you have questions about the Extra Nights process, please email reslife@housing.wisc.edu.
*Residents of Smith and Witte Hall will not be allowed an extra night and must check out by 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 10.
Checklist to Complete
Before leaving, all residents must complete and sign the following spring move-out checklist and attach it to the outside of their door before moving out. A printed version of this checklist will be provided on resident doors. Staff will inspect residents’ rooms and document any concerns after residents depart. Failure to complete the checklist may result in additional charges. If you have questions about the condition of your room, contact the Housing staff.
- Remove all belongings from your room/hallway and donate/recycle/trash unneeded items outside at the dumpster location nearest you (see maps posted in your hall)
- Retrieve items placed in kitchen areas, empty and clean/wipe down waste bins, recycling bins, and drawers
- Remove all items (tape, stickers, poster putty, nails, etc.) from walls, ceiling, and both sides of doors
- Empty, clean, defrost, and leave the Housing refrigerator(s) unplugged and open (do not use sharp objects to pry ice out of the freezer)
- Ensure all University Housing furniture is in your room, assembled, and returned to its original layout including bed height (view room layouts on your hall’s web page under “room types” to see your room’s original layout)
- Clean and sweep/mop or vacuum your room (do not sweep dirt into the hallway) and leave closets/drawers open
- Close windows, open blinds, turn off your lights, and lock your door
- Take your bike with you when you leave
- Bikes left for more than 72 hours are considered abandoned, including at the Elm Drive bike shelter. Abandoned bikes are subject to being impounded beginning immediately after move-out. If you aren’t living on campus this summer, or if you plan to stay on campus but aren’t using your bike, take your bike home! See the Transportation Services website for more information on bike impoundment. We are not responsible for abandoned bicycles left on bike racks.
- Check your mailbox and/or collect any packages from your hall desk
- Update your mailing address to your summer location in My UW by clicking Student Center→ Profile→ Addresses
- Return your room key to your hall desk or key drop box
- All residents must return their room keys before leaving. Unreturned keys will require a lock change and a $75 charge.
- Remove key chains or rings from keys
- Return your room key directly to your hall’s desk staff
— OR —
Place your room key in the black key drop box on the counter at your hall’s desk (at Holt, the dropbox is outside the west entrance, and at Carson’s it is outside the lower entrance door)
Parking
Traffic will be busy around the residence halls due to spring move out from May 3 – 10, 2025. UW-Madison Transportation Services will allow 30-minute pick-up and loading for residents and their families in areas around the residence halls. For details, view our parking map.
Free Parking Areas
- 30-Minute Parking: Visitors may park for up to 30-minutes in lots 2, 5, 26, 34, 35, 37, 44, 48, 58, 69, 106- Dayton St, 110, 136, and at mobile payment stations located on Babcock Dr, Observatory Dr, and adjacent to Barnard, Chadbourne, Ogg, Smith, and Witte, and outside of designated stalls on Elm Dr, Kronshage Dr, Willow Dr, and East Campus Mall near Ogg. Vehicles that are left unattended for over 30 minutes are at risk of being ticketed as this accommodation is meant for pick-up and loading only.
- Side Streets Near Campus: Some City of Madison streets near campus offer visitor parking with time limits. Checked posted signage for hours of operation, required payments, and time limits.
- Other Campus Parking Lots: Some campus lots offer free parking on weekends and on weekdays after 4:30 p.m. Check posted parking lot entrance signs for hours of operation and permit requirements.
Free Campus Bus Route
Madison Metro Transit’s campus bus route #80 is free and runs throughout the UW-Madison campus area from approximately 8 a.m. – Midnight year-round. Additional information on route #80 can be found in Madison Metro’s ride guide.
Paid Parking Areas
- Campus Parking Lots: In lots 6, 7, 17, 20, 27, 29, 36, 46, 67, 76, 80, and 83, visitors will take a ticket on entrance and pay when leaving the lot. Hourly rates vary by location. No trailers are allowed.
- Long-Term & Day Parking: Long-term and day parking can be purchased in advance through Transportation Services. Complete the value permit order form or call Transportation Services (608) 262-8683. Please allow two weeks for processing.
No Parking Areas
Parking is prohibited at all times on grass, sidewalks, in front of trash dumpsters, in fire lanes, roadways, service vehicle stalls, and disabled stalls (unless a proper permit is displayed).
Note: Storage pods/containers are not allowed.
Recycling & Donations
Did you know that over 90% of belongings in your room can be recycled or donated? In 2024, students and their families diverted over 162,000 pounds of material during move-out. Please recycle or donate as many of your belongings as possible at a recycling location near you. Only items that do not fit in the below categories should go in landfill containers. Know before you throw, ask a recycling site volunteer if you have questions. Badgers live sustainably!
Outdoor Recycling & Donation Areas
Sort items in the recycling bins in your room and empty them in your nearest outdoor trash/recycling area.
- Carpet: foam mattresses, cushions, pillows, rugs, items with foam stuffing
- Donations: clothes, shoes, furniture, gently used futons, working computer equipment/microwaves, small working appliances
- E-Waste: broken electronics, lamps, microwaves, TVs, small refrigerators, DVD players
- Metal: futon frames, metal lamps
- Lightbulbs
- Recycling: all paper, cans, glass, plastic, & cardboard
- Trash: take all trash outside to the dumpster
Near Hall Desks
- Food
- No frozen and/or perishable food
- Plastic Bags
Recycling & Donation Locations
- Southeast: Chadbourne, Ogg, Sellery, Smith, Witte, & Lowell
- Lakeshore: Dejope, Bradley, Holt, Leopold, Tripp Circle, & Waters
Be a Recycling Volunteer
Want to help direct students and their families on how to recycle during move-out? If so, sign up.
Summer Term Housing
For students taking UW-Madison Summer Term courses, housing is available in Smith Residence Hall for all summer term sessions. Plus, the Summer Housing Boost Program can help students cover the cost of living in the residence halls over the summer.
Learn more about Summer Term Housing
Address Changes
Use MyUW to change your mailing address for the summer and fall. Your mail will then automatically be sent to this new address. If you want newspapers and magazines forwarded, you must send a change of address to the publisher. If your mailing address is not updated after you move out, any mail or packages sent to the residence halls will be returned to the sender.
Changing your mailing address:
- Log into your MyUW Student Portal
- Click on Student Center
- Click on the PROFILE tile
- Edit your mailing address
Rental References
If you would like to use University Housing as a rental reference, leasing agents can send their housing verification questionnaire to the UW Housing Cashier’s Office inbox.
Wiscard Account Balances
We encourage you to closely monitor your Wiscard balances as the end of the semester approaches. Additional information about what happens to your Wiscard Account and Dining Dollars balances at the end of the school year is available on our website and information about how to close your account is available on the Wiscard FAQs page.
Quiet Hours
All residence halls will have 24-hour quiet hours starting no later than Friday, May 2 at 12 a.m. Overnight guests are not permitted in the residence halls during 24-hour quiet hours.
Desk Hours
Hall desks will remain open for regular hours until Saturday, May 10. Remember to forward all your mail and packages to your summer address and cancel newspaper and magazine subscriptions.
- Saturday, May 10: desks open 7 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Convenient Storage and Pickup
If you need summer storage, Lazybones is an authorized service provider affiliated with UW-Madison offering storage and shipping with free packing boxes, pick-up from your room, and delivery. Lazybones can store your possessions for the summer and deliver them to your new address in the fall, even before you arrive. To use the Lazybones service, sign-up online, email wecare@mylazybones.com, or call 877-215-2105.
Dining
Dining Plan Reminders
As part of your dining plan, your Dining Dollars will expire at the end of the academic year on Saturday, May 10. Any remaining funds after that date will be forfeited, so consider using that money at any eligible campus dining location soon before it goes away.
Dining Hours
Dining hours for the spring move-out period, Friday – Sunday, May 9-11, are listed below.
Location | Meal Period | Friday, May 9 | Saturday, May 10 | Sunday, May 11 | |
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Carson's Market 1515 Tripp Circle Menu |
Lunch/Dinner | Closed | Closed | Closed |
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Four Lakes Market 640 Elm Dr. Menu |
Breakfast | 7 am - 10 am | 9 am - 2 pm | Closed |
Lunch | 11 am - 2 pm | ||||
Dinner | 4 pm - 8 pm | Closed | |||
- Flamingo Run - | 10 am - 11 pm | 10 am - 2 pm | |||
- Bean & Creamery - | 7 am - 4 pm | Closed | |||
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Gordon Avenue Market 770 W. Dayton St. Menu |
Breakfast | 7 am - 10 am | 9 am - 2 pm | Closed |
Lunch | 11 am - 2 pm | ||||
Dinner | 4 pm - 8 pm | Closed | |||
- Flamingo Run - | 10 am - 11 pm | 10 am - 2 pm | |||
- Southeast Café - | 7 am - 4 pm | Closed | |||
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Liz's Market 1200 Observatory Dr. Menu |
Breakfast | 7 am - 10 am | Closed | Closed |
Lunch | 11 am - 2 pm | ||||
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Lowell Market 610 Langdon St. Menu |
Breakfast | 7:30 am - 10 am | Closed | Closed |
Lunch | 11 am - 2 pm | ||||
Dinner | 4 pm - 8 pm | ||||
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Rheta's Market 420 N. Park St. Menu |
Breakfast | 7 am - 10 am | Closed | Closed |
Lunch | 11 am - 2 pm | ||||
Dinner | 4 pm - 8 pm | ||||
- Flamingo Run - | 9:30 am - 11 pm | ||||
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Starbucks 35 N. Park St. |
7 am - 5 pm | 7 am - 5 pm | 7 am - 2 pm | |
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Shake Smart Bakke Recreation & Wellbeing Center |
8 am - 7 pm | Closed | Closed |
Fall Move-In
August 25 – 27, 2025
University Housing Fall Move-In dates will be August 25-27, 2025. Some residents of a few approved student groups, including Housing student employees, may receive an earlier move-in date to participate in required training or orientation activities. Students will receive their pre-assigned move-in date and time when they receive their room assignment this summer, so we recommend waiting to make travel plans until they know their date.
Note: Once students have received their pre-assigned move-in date and time, they will be able to switch to another available timeslot in their My UW Housing. Available dates and times will fluctuate as other students adjust their schedules.
Additional details about fall move-in will be available in August 2025.
*Subject to change
Fall Break
November 27, 2025 – November 30, 2025
Information about fall break for the 2025-26 academic year will be published in October 2025.
Winter Break
December 19, 2025 – January 19, 2026
Information about winter break for the 2025-26 academic year will be published in November 2025.
Spring Move-In
January 17 & 18, 2026
Information about spring move-in for the 2025-26 academic year will be published in January 2026.
Spring Break
March 28 – April 5, 2026
Information about spring break for the 2025-26 academic year will be published in February 2026.