Students admitted to CESSI are responsible for making their own living arrangements for the duration of the summer session. CESSI fees do not cover room and board, although students on a FLAS or Title VIII Fellowship will receive a stipend to help offset these costs. Please make sure that your class is confirmed before signing housing contracts or leases.
University Housing
Several residence halls are available to students during the eight-week summer session. All residence halls are within walking distance of CESSI classes, although their rates may be higher than off-campus options.
In Summer 2024 on-campus housing will primarily be in Smith Hall, with mostly triple rooms available and a very small number of single and double rooms.
Barnard Hall will be available to WISLI students (of which CESSI is a part) on a first-come, first-served basis and extremely limited. Only single rooms are available in Barnard Hall.
Applications for on-campus housing are anticipated to open in late March/early April. Individuals may apply once they are admitted to the University and need to be enrolled in a summer course by the move in date. After submitting an application, official contracts will be sent by the Housing team indicating the room type available to you. Students may then choose whether or not they wish to move forward with the contracting process. Once the contract is signed and advance payment is made, it becomes a legally binding contract as long as the student is enrolled for summer. Housing does not allow students to cancel a signed contract in order to live off campus if enrolled for summer. On-campus housing applicants should be certain of their decision to live on campus before signing the contract.
Rate details for Smith and Barnard Hall for the Summer 2024 session are still pending.
Dining plans will be available for Summer 2024 in the form of a summer block meal plan. Those with an on-campus housing contract for the summer will have the option to select a block of meals that would be available for use in Gordon or Four Lakes dining markets. Rheta’s Market (located directly next to Barnard) will have very limited hours and may only be open during certain parts of the summer. Information about the different dining markets and locations can be found here.
For questions regarding on-campus housing for Summer 2024, please contact info@housing.wisc.edu.
For more information, including rates and application instructions, visit the University Housing website.
- Summer Housing at UW-Madison
Off-Campus Housing
Many CESSI students find off-campus options to be more affordable than university housing. Summer sublets typically are easy to come by in Madison, as many students leave for the summer and sublet their apartments. Madison has a great bus system (which is free for students), as well as plenty of bike paths and a city-wide bikeshare program, so you do not necessarily have to find a place within walking distance. When considering living arrangements, be sure to ask about proximity to bus stops. Visit the transportation section of our Campus Resources page for more information.
Here are some helpful sites for finding sublets:
If you are interested in living with other CESSI students, feel free to reach out on the CESSI Facebook page.