Graduate Student Welcome Weekend 2025
Congratulations on your acceptance into the graduate program in Computer Sciences here at UW-Madison! Admissions into a highly competitive program is a testimony to the many years of hard work you’ve put into your education, and we hope you are enjoying this high honor. Well done!
Our department is moving into a new and exciting phase. Our faculty ranks are growing, we are exploring several intriguing possibilities for the future profile of computing on campus, and we move into a beautiful new building in 2025 – just in time for you to join us! I can’t wait to see where we go – and I hope you will join us and play your own role in these developments.
I wish you all the best in making your decisions about grad school! On, Wisconsin!
Steve Wright
Chair, Computer Sciences Department, UW-Madison
Welcome Weekend 2025: March 7-8
Each spring, the CS Department and Graduate Student Organizations host a Welcome Weekend for visiting prospective students. Prospective graduate students who have been offered admission to the program will learn about faculty research, meet with professors, socialize with current graduate students and experience the beautiful UW-Madison campus – including tours of Morgridge Hall, the new building that will house CS starting in the summer of 2025!
The visit weekend has an action-packed schedule all day Friday and Saturday. If possible, plan to arrive in Madison Thursday, March 6 and leave on Sunday, March 9. The Friday sessions are about the Computer Sciences department, its research, and our faculty. Check-in and continental breakfast begin at 8:00 am and programming will begin promptly at 8:45am
Saturday activities are led by current graduate students. The goals are for participants to experience Madison, mingle with current graduate students and get “insider information” on graduate student life in the UW-Madison CS department.
Registration
Admitted students will receive a detailed email invitation in February that will include the registration forms and additional information. Double occupancy hotel rooms for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings will be paid for and arranged for out of town all Welcome Weekend attendees who register by February 23. The hotel requires the information by that date.
Frequently Asked Questions
Most of the major airlines have a flight into Madison (MSN) from their hubs. It is possible to fly direct into Madison from at least 10 major US cities. To save a bit of money, you may want to check prices to fly into Chicago and take the Van Galder bus or fly into Milwaukee and take the Badger Bus to Madison.
You can take a taxi, city bus, Lyft, or Uber.
Try the UW-Madison main page and the Department of Computer Sciences web page. See other resources below.
We have reserved a block of double rooms at the Wisconsin Union Hotel, adjacent to the CS Department for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights for Welcome Weekend visitors. This lodging is paid for by the department. You will be assigned a double room with a roommate. Please register by February 23 if you need hotel accommodations.
Dress casually: slacks, skirt, or jeans with a nice shirt or blouse and comfortable walking shoes.
Weather in Madison in early March is unpredictable: 20-45℉ range is typical. Snow or rain is possible. So plan for any conditions.
When you register for Welcome Weekend, you will be asked for your faculty meeting preferences. Every effort will be made to schedule you with your preferred faculty. Meetings may be in person or virtual depending on faculty availability. Most meetings will be scheduled for Friday afternoon.
You will also have the opportunity to interact with faculty at meals on Friday.
We are unable to schedule and coordinate alternative visits; however, you are welcome to visit campus on your own. After Welcome Weekend, we will post faculty talks and other information on the Welcome Weekend website.
There are a variety of living options in and around Madison for graduate students. To search for off campus housing, information can be found at the Campus Area Housing site. UW-Madison University Housing offers apartments for graduate students at Eagle Heights.
UW-Madison Computer Sciences has an ACM organization for women in Computer Science, called WACM. WACM will be hosting a breakfast for current and prospective women of the department on Saturday morning.
The Pride Society and the LGBTQ Campus Center are good resources.
2025 Faculty Research Talks
Hear from our faculty about the exciting research being done in the Computer Sciences Department! View the videos on YouTube here.
Professor Jin-Yi Cai describes his research in the first 45 minutes of this video.
Below are faculty talks from 2024.
Have fun investigating all the groundbreaking research going on in the CS dept!
Graduate Assistantship Information
Want to learn about graduate assistantships in the CS department? Look no further! The video below provides an overview:
Resources
Academic Program Resources
The Computer Sciences Department and UW-Madison in general offer abundant resources for graduate students. The Graduate School and the graduate advising committee and faculty are available to answer questions and guide students through coursework and graduate research to the successful completion of their degrees.
Campus and Community Life
Recreational and cultural opportunities abound on our beautiful campus and in our city. UW-Madison has a sailing club and other outdoor clubs. For indoor recreation, students have access to a new state-of-the-art recreation center. The UW-Madison grad school offers a wide variety of professional development opportunities for students throughout the year and opportunities to connect with the campus-wide graduate community.
CS Grad Student Life
We have an engaged and vibrant grad student community. Our student organizations, SACM and WACM, sponsor social events, mentoring programs, an annual student research symposium, and other activities which support student involvement, academic success, and student well-being.
CONTACT
For more info or with questions, please contact us at GradVisit@cs.wisc.edu