Where students live
Purpose-built furnished high-rises dominate downtown along State St, Johnson St, and Langdon St, with older conventional flats and houses in the Mifflin/Bassett district and the Regent St/Vilas area near Camp Randall.
This is one of the deepest student-housing markets in the country: furnished per-bedroom leases are the norm downtown, while the older house stock is unfurnished and cheaper. The university runs an official marketplace at campusareahousing.wisc.edu.
Apartments & rentals students actually use
| Community | Distance | Units | Furnished? | Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hub Madison State St, downtown | 1–2 blocks | Studio–multi-BR | Furnished | hubmadison.com |
| The James W Johnson St | ~0.3 mi | Studio, 1–5BR | Fully furnished | americancampus.com |
| oLiv Madison State St / Gorham | ~0.2 mi | Studio–multi-BR | Furnished | olivmadison.com |
| VERVE Madison Downtown campus edge | ~0.2 mi | Multi-BR student units | Furnished | subtextliving.com |
| Lark at Randall Regent St, near Camp Randall | Adjacent to SW campus | Studio–4BR | Furnished | larkatrandall.com |
| Mifflin / Bassett flats & houses Downtown | Walkable | Rooms–whole houses | Unfurnished | campusareahousing.wisc.edu |
Details compiled from public listings and property sites, August 2026. Most Madison student high-rises publish rates only per quote — verify everything with the property.
What you'll need
Downtown high-rises come furnished (use the furnished filter); the older Mifflin-district houses are unfurnished — check your lease, then use the matching filter on the checklist.
Apartment checklist Apartment shop
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