As a Danish student at UW-Madison, the Scan Design Foundation (SDF) Fellowship Program will enhance your time abroad with lasting friendships and opportunities to participate in environmentally-focused activities in Madison’s vibrant community. Those joining through exchange or the visiting international scholars program (VISP) are encouraged to apply.
Upon your acceptance to UW-Madison, you will typically receive a welcome email from a program representative. Should this email not arrive, don’t hesitate to reach out to the program at scandesign@international.wisc.edu for further details.
Deadline for Spring term: November 1
Deadline for Fall term: May 15
Upon returning to Denmark, you are encouraged to connect with UW-Madison SDF scholars, offering them a warm welcome and a guided introduction to the local culture and surroundings.
Student Blogs
Read about Danish student experiences studying at UW-Madison!
Students will have the opportunity to meet other Danish students studying abroad as well as students from UW-Madison. The SDF Program arranges opportunities for students to learn more about environmental sustainability and coordinates activities such as trips to state parks and outings to sporting events. We will have our UW-Madison alumni students coordinate ad hoc events throughout the semester to show you their favorite parts of Madison and Wisconsin!
We have limited scholarship funds (up to $1,200 per person) available for students who demonstrate an interest in environmental sustainability, academic merit, a commitment to making the most of their exchange experience, and financial need. The application for the scholarship is included in the application for the fellowship (activities) program that will be emailed to you by a program representative after you are accepted to UW-Madison. Please contact scandesign@international.wisc.edu if you have questions.
Additional funding is available directly through the Danish Scan Design Foundation Board. Only students carrying a Danish passport are eligible to apply for either scholarship.
Here are a few resources to find housing in Madison.
Facebook Group – NEW UW Madison Sublet and Roommate Board
This group requires that you be approved by an administrator. Once accepted, you can find apartments that are being subletted or roommates if necessary. This is a relatively easy way to find an apartment for the semester.
Dorms (Kollegie): Expensive, stricter rules especially in regards to drinking, very close to campus
How to find them: Through the university
Information about them: All official dorms are owned by the university. There are some apartment buildings that advertise as “dorms” due to how the building operates. Dorms through the university can be leased for one semester, and payment is listed as a price for the entire semester. Note that you are not allowed to live in your dorm room after 24 hours after your last final exam. There are also specific times and dates where you can get your keys. Please be sure to organize with the dorm getting your keys when you arrive if you will not arrive on the dates when your keys can be collected.
In almost all dorms, you will be living in one of the following configurations: single, double, and suite. A single means that you will have a room to yourself, and bathrooms are common with the floor. A double means that you will have one roommate, and bathrooms are common with the floor. A suite means that you will have roommates that will share some common space and a bathroom, and you may or may not share a bedroom. Check with the particular dorm for information regarding specific room configurations.
The dorms also have common activities that the dorm pays for, and so be sure to get involved socially!
Dorms not affiliated with the university operate much like apartments legally, and so see the next option for information regarding privately owned dorms.
Subleasing (Fremleje): Variable in how expensive it is, but potentially the cheapest option, please be sure to check thoroughly for safety.
How to find them: Highly recommended: Facebook page (see above), Also options: campusareahousing.wisc.edu and through landlords, Be cautious: madison.craigslist.com, and Facebook Marketplace (different than Facebook group page).
Information about them: By subleasing an apartment, you would be taking over someone else’s lease. In the US, we often sign leases for a year, and so people sublease the apartment in order to be able to stop paying rent, and have someone else pay the rent instead. The apartments can be close or very far away from campus, they can be cheap or rather expensive, and you may or may not share your bedroom with someone else. Be sure to ask many questions to the person you are subletting from about how far the apartment is from campus, whether or not you will share a bedroom, whether there are laundry facilities on site, and questions regarding how your personalities will work, including: cleanliness, why they are subletting, drinking and drug use, whether or not people are allowed to stay overnight in your room, whether or not you have guests, and if the roommates do any activities together.
Campusareahousing.wisc.edu: is a site run by the University, and has many postings from students looking to sublet their apartments.
Through landlords: There are three major landlord companies that rent student apartments in Madison: JSM, Madison Property Management, and Forward Management. If you contact them and tell them what price range you are looking for and how far away from campus you’d like to live, they can put you in touch with people who are looking for a sublet. Past students have had mixed experiences with each, so make sure to ask a lot of questions.
Craigslist/Facebook Marketplace: A lot of apartments are listed through Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace. Please be sure to check that the address listed is recognized in Google Maps (maps.google.com) to ensure that it is a real place. Do not give out very personal information. Be sure to ask many questions and get to know the people that you would be living with.
Signing a one semester lease: Tends to be more expensive
How to find them: Look for apartments though the landlord companies who will offer one semester leases. This is dependent on the place (some apartments can only be rented for a year) and the landlord.
Information about them: You tend to pay more for a one semester lease. However, you do have the security of renting directly from the landlord, and so you do not have to worry about sublet forms. This tends to only be an option for apartments without roommates. Please be sure to check the reviews on the landlord before you rent from them.
Co-ops (Kollectiv): Inexpensive, create close relationships with the people you live with, tend to be further away from campus
How to find them: madisoncommunity.coop and madison.Craigslist.com
Information about them: There is a group of 11 coops called Madison Community Cooperatives. To see the openings, click on the “openings” tab on the website, madisoncommunity.coop. Send an email to any house that looks interesting, including some information about yourself. Most coops have an application process, which may include a Skype call. There are also coops that are not affiliated with Madison Community Cooperatives. You can find them through Craigslist. Danes in the past have had good experiences with Rochdale International Coop, which is an unaffiliated coop. Coops tend to have closer relationships, and most often have common food, which makes eating much less expensive. Often times, coops will do common activities together, and coops tend to have a much wider range of ages.
Other Websites
If you are interested in finding an apartment on your own, here are a few sites that will assist you in finding an apartment. Be aware of the lease period as most apartments require a year long commitment.
Zillow (apartment search engine)
General notes on safety:
Here are some common guidelines:
It is not normal for people to ask very personal information, such as your bank account information.
It is normal for landlords to ask for information regarding your employment and leasing history. If you choose to go through a landlord, you will most likely be required to have a cosigner. A cosigner is someone who does not live at the apartment, but is legally responsible for your rent if you do not pay. A good choice for a cosigner might be your parents or a close friend who has been working for at least a few years.
It is normal for someone who is subleasing not to tell you their address right away.
However, do not sign a lease before you know the address.
It is normal for a post on Facebook to include some pictures taken by the person who is trying to sublet.
It is relatively normal for someone to ask you for a security deposit, but only after you have already signed the sublet paperwork.
Students may only apply after receiving confirmation of acceptance from UW-Madison. All SDF scholarship recipients must be Danish citizens and have a valid Danish passport (or be in the process of attaining this). Close relatives of SDF employees and university affiliates are not eligible to apply. Priority will be given to students who show an interest in environmental sustainability, have not previously had extensive exposure to American culture, and who will participate actively in SDF events. All scholarship funds awarded in the US will be paid in US dollars after the recipient’s arrival in Madison.
Please contact scandesign@international.wisc.edu if you want receive the application information for the semester(s) you plan on coming to Madison.
Additional funding is available directly through the Danish Scan Design Foundation Board. Only students carrying a Danish passport are eligible to apply for either scholarship.