Student Life and Wellbeing
UW–Madison graduate students thrive in a vibrant community that embraces diversity and enjoys a distinctive mix of lively city life and natural beauty.
As you work toward your graduate degree, UW–Madison will support you so that you can take full ownership of your graduate education and care for your overall well-being.
Talk with someone
Graduate Student Support: Elaine Goetz-Berman, egoetz2@wisc.edu, 608-263-5700
Hostile and Intimidating Behavior: Kipp Cox, ervin.cox@wisc.edu, 608-262-2433
UHS Mental Health Crisis Support Line (24/7):
608-265-5600 (option 9)
Student Life
Being a Badger
Student organizations, recreational sports, and opportunities for leadership and involvement abound on campus.
Life in Madison
Learn about the campus and the city it calls home, along with a few areas to explore beyond Madison.
Students with children
Madison is a great place to raise a family, with added support, events, and community for graduate student parents on campus.
Support for Your Wellbeing
There is a wealth of resources to assist graduate students in taking care of their health and wellness.
Inclusion and engagement
We encourage graduate students to take advantage of the many resources offered in order to cultivate a healthy lifestyle and community.
Assistance and support
Office of Student Assistance and Support staff, including the Graduate and Professional Student Assistance Specialist, help students navigate personal, academic, or health issues by connecting them to supportive campus and community resources.
Finances and basic needs
From information on student finances and attendance costs, to resources to support basic needs while you are a student, there is financial assistance available to graduate students on campus.
Recreation & Wellbeing
Rec Well has a variety of facilities, programs, and services for you to play hard, get fit, and live well on campus. Membership is included in your student segregated fees.
Getting involved
You’ll find myriad opportunities to engage in campus and community life. Doing so can improve your research and scholarship, through networking and cross-collaborative interactions.
More wellness resources
University Health Services
University Health Services (UHS) offers high-quality care to all UW–Madison students. These services are funded by student segregated fees, so most UHS services are available at no additional charge.
Mental health services
- A 24/7 mental health crisis support line
- Individual, group, and couple/partner counseling
- Let’s Talk drop-ins across campus
- Care management
- Help with substance use disorders and eating disorders
- Survivor mental health services
- Psychiatry services
Medical services
- primary care
- immunizations
- behavioral health
- women’s health
- sexual health
- trans and gender diverse health
- travel clinic
Learn more about UHS
UHS also offers wellness services, support communities, and prevention programs.
Accessibility
As a student
McBurney Disability Resource Center
The McBurney Disability Resource Center is the entity on campus that determines eligibility for academic accommodations. The center works with students who have a variety of disabilities such as mental health diagnoses, chronic health conditions, learning disabilities, ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, and more.
As an Employee
Employee Disability Resources
All employees with disabilities have a right to ask for reasonable accommodation, including graduate student assistants. If you are having trouble while performing duties of your job or accessing an employment benefit due to limitations from a disability or medical condition, you can consider requesting an accommodation. Contact the Divisional Disability Representative for the division in which you are employed to start a confidential conversation.
As an Instructor
Instructor Guide to Student Accommodations
As a teaching assistant or lecturer, you will work with students who encounter disability-related barriers in university environments. This guide for instructors covers how to support students with disabilities, as well as strategies for collaborating with your students and the McBurney Disability Resource Center.
As a member of the campus community
Accessibility@UW–Madison
UW–Madison values all individuals and commits to a shared responsibility towards designing inclusively and accessibly for people with disabilities. Learn about disability rights, ableism, accessibility resources, and information faculty, students, and staff need to do their part in creating accessible events and content.
Reporting Incidents
Reporting incidents of harassment, discrimination, and bias
UW–Madison is committed to responding to incidents of hate, bias, discrimination, and discriminatory harassment. The Office of Compliance handles the definition and reporting of these prohibited behaviors.
Hostile and intimidating behavior
UW–Madison is committed to preventing hostile and intimidating behavior (HIB) and will take prompt and appropriate corrective action whenever it learns that it has occurred. An investigator in the Office of Compliance conducts a review of formal HIB complaints.
Sexual harassment, sexual assault, dating and domestic violence, and stalking
The Graduate School works with campus partners to ensure that students, faculty, and staff have a safe environment to thrive.
Research misconduct
If you have observed or you suspect research misconduct, please report it directly to the Research Integrity Office (RIO) at RIO@research.wisc.edu.
Office of Student Assistance and Support
Students are encouraged to contact the Office of Student Assistance and Support with additional questions or concerns. You can request to meet with the Graduate Student Assistant Specialist for support specific to the unique needs of graduate students.
The Graduate School
217 Bascom Hall
500 Lincoln Drive
Madison, WI 53706
Front Desk Hours:
Fall and Spring Hours
(September – April):
Monday – Friday
10 am – 3 pm
Summer Hours (May – August):
Monday – Friday
10 am – noon
Faculty/Staff Resources
Connect
Prospective students and applicants:
Current students: