Housing

Your arrival date should be at least two weeks before the start of the semester in order to find housing.

Arrive in time to participate in Welcome Week and International Student Orientation activities (check the Academic Calendar). A special orientation session for exchange students will take place during the orientation week. A complete schedule of the week's events will be available when you arrive on campus.

If you arrive for the Fall semester, arrive during the first or second week of August if you plan to live off-campus in an apartment. Most leases begin on August 15.

1. Don't miss orientation and ensure your housing by arriving two weeks before the start of the semester (check the Academic Calendar for the start of your semester). International students cannot enter the United States any more than 30 days before the start of the semester.
   
   
2. If you plan to look for housing immediately upon arrival in Madison, we recommend that you do not arrive on a Friday or Saturday because most apartment rental offices are closed Saturday and Sunday. Madison Friends of International Students (MFIS) has a furniture loan program. Check their web site for more information.
   
   
3. Arriving early allows you to explore Madison and the surrounding areas, to search for housing, and to take care of logistical issues.
   
   
4. Some students suggest that you do not arrive in Madison more than two weeks before orientation because many facilities, such as the recreation centers and free Madison bus system, are accessible only with a student identification (ID) card. You will not receive your student ID card until after you register (check the Academic Calendar).
   
   
5. Keep in mind that the temperatures in Madison in January are quite cold and that most students are on winter vacation until just prior to the start of classes, which discourages many spring students from arriving much before orientation.

Arranging your own temporary and permanent housing

1. Madison Friends of International Students (MFIS) is an organization whose temporary housing volunteers will provide FREE ACCOMMODATION AND BREAKFAST for the first three nights of your stay. This arrangement has been very popular with international students. Many families are able to meet you upon arrival at the airport or bus stop.
   
2. Through MFIS, you may not know where you will be staying until a week or less before your arrival. Therefore, it is very important that you keep the following groups informed of how to contact you at all times: MFIS, CALS International Programs, and whomever will meet you upon your arrival to transport you to your temporary housing.
   
3. Because MFIS housing is limited, please do not use this service for temporary housing if you already have a place to stay when you arrive.
   
4. The contact information for the administrative office of Madison Friends of International Students is below. Please be mindful that the MFIS is run by volunteers. Thus, they have limited hours of operation. Please make sure to write or fax at least 6 weeks in advance. Also, include your exact date of arrival and flight or bus arrival time.

   
   Madison Friends of International Students
   Room 149, The Red Gym
   Madison, WI 53706
   Phone: 608/263-4010
   Fax: 608/262-2838

Other Options for Temporary Housing

If MFIS is unable to arrange temporary housing for you, or if you choose to make other arrangements for temporary housing, more resources are listed. Rates as of May 2003 for single rooms. Rates are subject to change.

Short Course Dorms
1450 Linden Drive
Madison, WI 53703
Phone: 608/262-2270
Fax: 608/265-5905
Email: mary.vance@mail.admin.wisc.edu
Rates: $14.00-32.00 per night. Parking is $6.00 per day. Children under the age of 16 are not allowed to stay here.
Limited availability.

Madison Inn
601 Langdon St.
Madison, 53703.
Phone: 608/257-4391
Fax: 608/257-2832
http://www.themadisoninn.com/
Rates: $105.00 for one person and $120.00 for two + 13.5% tax. Rates vary according to the size of the room. Children under eight — there is no charge. Older children have an additional charge of $15 per person. Rates higher on football weekends.

Wisconsin Center Guest House (Lowell Hall)
610 Langdon St.
Madison, 53703
Phone: 608/256-2621
Fax: 608/252-5445
Rates: $67.00 for a single room, $77.00 double; includes breakfast and parking

Memorial Union
800 Langdon St.
Madison, WI 53706
Phone: 608/262-1583
Rates: $55.00 for one person and $10.00 each additional guest (no tax); student rate. Wonderful lake view.
To obtain this rate, you must give your UW-Madison student ID number, which is on your admission letter.

Union South
227 N. Randall Avenue
Madison, WI 53715
Phone: 608/263-2600
Fax: 608/263-8119
Rates: $55.00 for single and $10.00 each additional person (no tax); student rate.
To obtain this rate, you must give your UW-Madison student ID number, which is on your admission letter.

Howard Johnson Hotel
525 W. Johnson St.
Madison, WI 53706
Phone: 608/251-5511
Fax: 608/251-4824
Rates: $89.00 one person and $99.00 for four people maximum + 13.5% tax.
Parking free. Swimming pool and hot tub! Rates are higher on football weekends.

Hotel rates are subject to change. Memorial Union, Union South, and Lowell Hall have very limited space. Make your reservations now if you would like to stay at one of these lodgings.

Long-term Housing
Since most students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are not from the Madison area, housing near campus is in ample supply. Most exchange students live in apartments. There may be space available in university residence halls, although it is generally reserved for UW students seeking a degree. If you would like to stay in university housing, contact Sharon Baumgartner as soon as possible.

Apartments
It is preferred that you arrive in Madison to find an apartment to see the apartment before renting and signing a lease. A lease is a contract that commits you to living in an apartment for an agreed amount of time. Most apartments are rented for a 12-month span, typically form August 15 of one year to August 14 of the next. However, exchange students have found apartments that offer semester-long leases and that are close to campus.

Other Options
Other alternatives exist. Some individuals living in Madison rent out a room in someone else's home. Others are moving from their apartment and have already signed a lease; they will look for someone to take over their lease that is called "sublease". It is very easy and inexpensive to find a sublease living situation for spring semester, but is often difficult to find one for fall.

If you are staying in Madison for one semester you may want to contact the exchange program coordinator at your home university to receive the names of students at your university who are studying at UW-Madison the opposite semester. It is easier to find an apartment with a 12-month lease than a semester-long lease. Those students from your university studying in Madison fall semester could find an apartment with a 12-month lease that begins August 15. When they leave, the students arriving spring semester could move into that apartment. Spring semester students could arrange to sublease the apartment to someone during the summer. All this most be acceptable with the landowner.

You will likely want to rent an apartment that already contains furniture. Such apartments are referred to as "furnished" apartments. "Unfurnished" apartments have no furniture. Many, not all, subleases are furnished apartments.

Cooperative Housing
Cooperative housing in Madison is another popular option. Cost is approximately $175-250 per month for a single room with shared bath and kitchen facilities. Each member of the household shares in housework duties, including cooking. For information on Cooperative Housing, visit the Campus Area Housing Listing Service website or contact:

Madison Community Cooperative
306 N. Brooks St., Madison, WI 53715
Phone: 608/251-2667