Home » Living in Madison » Housing Home Director Intro Structure Timeline Med 1 & 2 Grad School Med 3 & 4 Funding Directors/Administrators Committees Research Training Programs Faculty By Name Faculty By Program Resources History Campus Resources Students Research Highlights Students by Name Students by Year Resources Alumni By Name By Degree By Year Publications Admissions Procedure Application Living in Madison Housing Dining Campus Tour City Current Events Seminar Symposium Retreat Contact Us Housing Madison's affordable housing and relatively low cost of living offers an economic incentive not found in most large university settings. There are numerous apartments all over Madison to suit just about anyone's taste. Most leases are for 9 or 12 months and start around August 15, but exceptions can be found. Location is important in Madison as different neighborhoods have very different characters. - The Capitol and downtown are located on an isthmus and contain many apartments in an urban setting. Parking is a real challenge but you are close to many points of interest (including State Street, the Farmer’s market, numerous restaurants and bars). Many students, both undergrad and grad, live in this central area. - The Near West includes the UW campus, and at its western border the medical school and UW Hospital. This is a quieter location both in terms of overall noise and things to do after 8 pm. Many medical students choose to live in this area due to its proximity to the medical school. - The West Side is a little farther and quieter, but is within bicycling distance in the summer and on several bus routes for the winter. -The Near East Side is on the other side of the isthmus from the university. The Near East side is livelier than the Near West both in terms of things to do and distractions while you are trying to study or sleep. Many undergraduates choose to live in this area, but don’t let that scare you. There are many coffee shops, restaurants, and festivals that make this an enjoyable place to be. - The East Side is even further from campus but still accessible by buslines or bicycle. There are current MSTP students who live in all these areas, so location is purely personal preference. All students receive a free bus pass for each semester in which they are enrolled, which makes commuting by bus an easy option. Rent tends to be cheaper the farther you get from downtown, east or west, which is another incentive to commute. To see if a prospective apartment is near a bus line, visit Madison City Metro. Finally, if you are already in town, there is a bulletin board on the second floor of the Health Sciences Learning Center that has postings for apartments and roommates. Also, by touring an area in which you are interested, you may find some apartments not listed in the above sources. Renting an Apartment On Campus Graduate Student Housing offers family housing and child care information. Off Campus If you are looking for a roommate as well as an apartment, the Medical Student website has a “Student Marketplace” section where students post roommate listings. This forum is also for the sale of items such as books or furniture for once you are getting settled. The Campus Area Housing Listing Service allows you to search for an apartment by entering such criteria as price range, location, pets, etcetera, and has listings from large apartment rental companies to single property landlords. This is an extremely helpful site to narrow down your search. Madison Start Renting is another excellent resource for apartment hunting. If you are in the area, they have a free magazine that is available at hundreds of locations around Madison. Madison Apartment Showcase mainly lists larger apartment buildings in the area. Craig’s list also has a fair number of apartment and house listings for Madison. Madison.com is another web site that contains a real estate section with apartments listed by location, number of bedrooms, and price. Madison Community Co-op is an association of housing co-ops, many in the campus area. MCC is a clearinghouse of information on individual co-ops, their member requirements and operations. Tenant Resource Center is used for problems, procedures, and getting help. Many large rental offices also post pictures and floor plans online of all their units, which can be very helpful if you are going to sign a lease before making the move to Madison. These rental companies put listings on the websites above, so when you get a name of a company, just look up their website. Even smaller companies are starting this practice, so always look for an associated webpage.