The State of Wisconsin Department of Administration requested proposals from contractors on May 14 for a new residence hall at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. All proposals are due to the State July 16.
The new dorm, which is expected to be finished by 2028, is a step towards increasing dorm space available for students, a long-time priority for the university.
Around 90% of UW-Madison freshmen choose to live in one of the 21 residence halls on campus even though there is no on-campus housing requirement.
University Housing is currently operating above capacity, with 8,987 residents in the fall of 2025 — more than 115% of its designed capacity of 7,749 beds — requiring the use of expanded spaces such as converted triples and repurposed study areas.
UW-Madison is the only Big Ten university that does not have “bonding authority,” meaning that borrowing money for capital projects requires approval from the Board of Regents, the legislative budget committee and the Wisconsin State Building Commission.
This often leads to construction delays and forces UW-Madison to rely on state funding and external approval for any proposed projects. Neighboring schools like the University of Minnesota and University of Illinois do have bonding authority, allowing them to finance similar projects with fewer administrative hurdles.
To be considered, the proposal will need to include a minimum of between 1,500 and 2,000 beds and a 400-seat dining space to accommodate increasing class sizes.
The request says the new residence hall should provide a “high-quality student experience balanced with affordable unit options, maximizing the number of beds in the Project(s) while meeting program requirements.”
Two state-owned sites are being considered for the project. One site is located on the southwest corner of Dayton St. and Park St., and would replace Merit Hall and its parking lot. The second site would replace a parking lot on Mills St. directly across the street from the Charter Street Heating and Cooling Plant.
As an alternative to those sites, the state said developers could propose other state-owned or privately owned sites within 0.25 miles from campus as the new residence hall’s location.
The report carefully details UW-Madison’s requirements for the rooms, including certain requirements for bedrooms, bathrooms and the dining area, although the project encourages “creativity” from developers.
The new dorm should include 140 pods with four residents, two bedrooms and one bathroom, 47 pods with four residents, four bedrooms and one bathroom, nine singles with private bathrooms and two apartments. It also includes a community kitchen, a lounge area and a mindfulness room.
The State wants the dorm to also meet LEED Silver sustainability standards.
Aldo Leopold Residence Hall, located next to Kronshage in UW-Madison’s Lakeshore neighborhood, opened in 2013 and is the newest addition to the university’s residence hall list.
The proposals for the new residence hall are due July 16 and the Board of Regents will accept one of the developer’s offers in late August. On Aug. 31, the developer whose plan aligns most with UW-Madison’s needs will sign a Letter of Intent to build the new residence hall.
