Like most University of Wisconsin-Madison freshmen, Nolan Schultz spent the first month and a half of his semester making new friends, settling into a routine, enjoying the remnants of the summer sun and dreaming about the next four years. However, looming in his mind was the daunting question every student across campus is asking: “Where will I live next year?”
It can no longer be denied: the infamous fall housing search is here. Students everywhere are frantically scouring rental listings, emailing landlords, trying to lock down roommates and reminiscing on the simplicity of ranking the dorms and praying for your favorite as a freshman.
Before spring classes are even selected, students feel pressure to sign a lease for the next school year. While this process is currently at the forefront of so many students’ minds, their experiences can still get lost in the bustle of campus life. So how are students really holding up?
“It’s been a little nerve-wracking and stressful just because there’s no guarantee for any housing,” Schultz told The Daily Cardinal. “Also trying to think about how many roommates you need, [being] able to afford rent and also balancing being a full-time student; there’s just a lot of factors to think about.”
Due to increased uncertainty every year, many students start their search as early as the summer, including Schultz.
“I started looking [for housing] a little bit before I even got here because I knew from upperclassmen friends that basically by October you needed to have some sort of understanding of what you needed to do [for next year],” Schultz said. “I've only contacted about two [apartments] personally, but I've looked into probably 12.”
Whether looking for a house or apartment, students are constantly trying to get ahead of the rush.
“I started looking back in August trying to find [houses] so that I was ahead… because [houses and apartments] fill up so fast,” UW-Madison Sophomore Maddie Gerhardt said. “I’ve contacted two individual houses, but I’ve contacted two or three housing offices.”
While getting a head start on housing is a good strategy for upperclassmen, freshmen must consider the risk of signing a lease with people they have known for not even two months.
“It's such a short period of time to find people to live with for such a long commitment,” UW-Madison Freshman Maria Sells said.
Roommate horror stories are abundant across campus meaning many freshmen have to choose between anxiously waiting a few weeks to lock down a housing arrangement or taking a gamble on a new friend.
When it seems like the process cannot get any harder, rising monthly rent prices in Madison have added additional challenges to the housing search.
According to a 2024 housing analysis conducted by UW-Madison, the average monthly rent for properties in and around campus in 2024 was $1,273, “among the highest in the Big Ten Conference.” The study also calculated that “affordable” monthly rent for a UW-Madison student averaged at $980 per month.
A more recent 2026 analysis by RentCafe of Madison monthly rent identified the 2026 average as $1,856, a 2.28% increase from the year prior.
Along with rent spikes, high rise apartment construction has increased in Madison in recent years. Growing up in the area, Gerhardt has seen this transformation first hand.
“There used to never be as many high rises as there are now,” Gerhardt said. “Both my parents went [to UW-Madison], and they lived in houses here, and they talk about how all the houses they lived in are completely torn down, and apartments are in their place.”
While these high rise apartments add more housing options, they are not affordable to every student. The rising prices mean students have to be increasingly conscious of their budgets during their search.
“I would love to do under $1,000, but I know it's not possible unless I share a room with someone,” UW-Madison Freshman Kaia Bodden said. She is specifically searching for a house to live in next year, as opposed to an apartment. “$1,200 is my goal and then $1,300-$1,400 is my max.”
“I don't think I would go over $1,000,” Gerhardt said.
In order to find the most affordable housing in the campus area, many students have to make sacrifices in other areas.
“I feel like we’re looking just for a place to live rather than a nice place,” Gerhardt said. “It’s hard because obviously you want to have a location near classes, but you can't have close to classes and low rent…The closer you get to campus, the more expensive it’s gonna be.”
Proximity to campus is one of the biggest factors students consider in their search.
“I have [had to compromise] especially in terms of location,” Bodden said. “Bigger houses that are a little bit nicer are close to the capital area [and] further off campus, which just isn't realistic.”
The university assists students in their search by providing resources through their Off-Campus Housing Services. Here, students have access to online rental listings, apartment touring advice, budgeting tips, as well as in person education opportunities, like the Student Housing Fair.
“The term 'affordability' can be very subjective,” Brendon Dybdahl, the director of Marketing & Communications for University Housing told the Cardinal. “What's affordable to you may not be affordable to me. Instead, we focus on guiding students to establish a personal budget that works for them and steering them towards options that may best meet their needs including budget.”
However, even with help from the University Housing resources, the process still requires a large degree of student independence and puts immense pressure on young adults who are living on their own for the first time.
The infamous season inevitably comes around every year, bringing with it feelings of anxiety and exhaustion. No matter where a student chooses to live the following year, the housing process is grueling, but, if anything, a rite of passage for UW-Madison students.
