WI · Dorm dimensions
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Dorm Room Dimensions
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University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee has room-dimension data for 1 residence hall. Published room sizes range from about 76 to 169 sq ft, with a median of 137 sq ft. Find exact width × length and square footage for each hall below, then preview your layout in the visualizer.
Sandburg Hall
| Room type | Dimensions | Size |
|---|---|---|
| double | 8 × 9.5 ft | 76 sq ft |
| double | 9.1 × 9.2 ft | 84 sq ft |
| double | 9.4 × 9.9 ft | 93 sq ft |
| double | 14.2 × 9.5 ft | 135 sq ft |
| double | 14 × 9.8 ft | 137 sq ft |
| double | 14.2 × 9.8 ft | 139 sq ft |
| double | 11.3 × 13.9 ft | 157 sq ft |
| double | 13.6 × 11.7 ft | 159 sq ft |
| double | 10.1 × 16.7 ft | 169 sq ft |
Design this room before move-in
Start from this hall's most common layout (10.1 × 16.7 ft).
Open the room visualizer →What on-campus housing costs at UW–Milwaukee
Heads up — this school breaks the usual rules
- UWM bans student-owned mini-fridges and microwaves outright — not a size cap, a prohibition, with only a nano-fridge holding six cans or fewer permitted. Families rent a MicroFridge three-in-one through a third-party vendor instead. This inverts the standard “buy a 3.2 cubic foot fridge” checklist item.
- Sandburg North, South and West Towers have NO air conditioning — and those towers are where first-year students are housed and where the cheapest rooms are. Only Sandburg East, Cambridge Commons and RiverView have AC. For an August move-in in Milwaukee, a fan is essential for most first-years.
- Kenilworth Square Apartments use FULL-size XL mattresses, not twin XL. Bedding bought for “a UWM dorm” will not fit a Kenilworth bed — and Kenilworth residents cannot loft and are barred from the dining plan.
- Self-adhesive LED lights are explicitly prohibited, as are lamps with plastic shades and lava lamps — three items on nearly every mainstream dorm shopping list.
- No personal or third-party lofts. Lofts must be rented from Housing at $150 a year, with a hard 1 August reservation deadline that families routinely miss.
- The cheapest rooms are locked out of the cheapest meal plan. The $1,409 Supplemental plan is only available in Sandburg East, Cambridge Commons Upgraded Suites and RiverView — so a Sandburg triple resident’s cheapest actual plan is $2,315 a semester, which compresses the real savings substantially.
Buying the standard college checklist here will waste money — check your building first.
| Hall | Style | Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Sandburg North / South / West Cheapest on campus — a shared suite bath, and no air conditioning. | Suite-style | $5,620/yr triple |
| Sandburg North / South / West The standard first-year option — again no air conditioning, and no in-suite kitchen. | Suite-style | $6,300/yr double |
| RiverView Built 2008, has air conditioning, with a private suite bath with two sinks and floor kitchen lounges. | Suite-style | $6,700/yr double |
| Cambridge Commons Two double bedrooms share a bath and a full-size refrigerator; has air conditioning, but no kitchen in the standard suite. | Apartment-style suite | $6,980/yr double |
| Sandburg East Tower Returning and transfer students only — a full kitchen and self-controlled air conditioning in every suite. | Suite with full kitchen | $7,040/yr double |
| Cambridge Commons Upgrade Adds a full kitchen with range, oven, microwave, sink and table over the standard suite. Kenilworth prices monthly instead: $585 to $760 per person. | Apartment-style suite | $8,230/yr double |
Residence hall rates are per academic year, not per semester — the inverse of UW–Madison — split into two roughly even semester charges. Rates are room-only and a dining plan is mandatory for all residents except those in Kenilworth, priced per semester at $1,409 to $2,650. Two traps: students who do not actively choose a plan are auto-enrolled in the $2,315 option, and the cheap Supplemental plan is only available in Sandburg East, the Cambridge Commons Upgraded Suites and RiverView — so residents of the cheapest rooms cannot buy the cheapest plan. Kenilworth is quoted monthly on a 12-month rather than 9-month calendar. Rates compiled from the university’s published housing rates, August 2026. Always confirm on the official rates page.
Who has to live on campus
UWM requires all first-time first-year students aged 20 or younger as of 1 September to live in University Housing where space allows. The requirement covers the first year only — transfer and continuing students are not subject to it. Exemptions cover students living with parents or guardians, students 21 or older as of 1 September or two years past high school, veterans, married students or those with a domestic partnership affidavit, student-parents, and extreme financial or personal hardship. The requirement is also automatically waived if Housing has no space available.
What the room already includes
All halls provide a height-adjustable, bunkable bed frame, an extra-long mattress, desk, chair, wastebasket, window blinds and carpet; Cambridge Commons and RiverView add a three-drawer dresser and a two-drawer nightstand plus a large walk-through closet. Rates include all utilities and high-speed internet. Kenilworth Square Apartments include a full kitchen with refrigerator, stove, oven and microwave, a movable island, full-size XL beds and in-unit laundry on floors six and seven; Sandburg East Tower suites include a full kitchen and self-controlled AC; Cambridge Commons Upgraded Suites add a range, oven, microwave, sink and table. RiverView has no in-suite kitchens but offers two furnished kitchen lounges on every floor. Laundry is described as coinless and cardless but no price is published.
Fridge & microwave rules
Bring-your-own is effectively banned. UWM’s packing guide lists both “minifridge” and “microwave” under items not to bring — the only exception is a nano-fridge holding six cans or fewer. Residents instead rent a MicroFridge three-in-one unit through a third-party vendor. No cubic-foot or wattage cap is published because the policy is a flat prohibition rather than a size limit. A rental is unnecessary in Cambridge Commons (every suite has a full-size refrigerator), the Upgraded Suites, Sandburg East Tower and Kenilworth — it is really only needed in Sandburg North, South and West and RiverView.
What you cannot bring
Microwaves and mini-fridges (nano-fridges of six cans or fewer excepted); toasters, George Foreman grills, pizza ovens and sandwich makers; any appliance with exposed heating elements; space heaters; halogen lamps, lava lamps and lamps with plastic shades; self-adhesive LED lights; candles and anything combustible; plus alcohol, drugs and weapons. Pets: fish in tanks of 10 gallons or smaller — a tighter cap than UW–Madison’s 20. Residents must rent a loft from University Housing; homemade or third-party lofts are not permitted — $150 a year or $75 for spring, with a 1 August reservation deadline, and Kenilworth residents are not eligible. Beds can be set standard, raised, lofted to 5'1" of clearance, or bunked. For wall decorations, only painter’s tape or Command Strips — nails and screws are not allowed. Note that air fryers and Instant Pots are not named on UWM’s list, and power strips actually appear as an item to bring.
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