Medical College of Wisconsin Building First Student Housing in Its History

The Medical College of Wisconsin breaks ground on its first student housing facility on Tuesday, July 28, 2026 in Milwaukee, Wis. Photo courtesy of the Medical College of Wisconsin

For the first time in its history, the Medical College of Wisconsin will have on-campus student housing.

The project broke ground Tuesday on the Wauwatosa campus, with college and city officials hoping it will ultimately help connect students with each other and the community.

The four-story, 266-unit building, dubbed Trailmark at MCW, will open on what was a surface parking lot at Watertown Plank Road and 87th Street in Spring 2028.

“We have almost 40 different programs,” said Matthew Lester, chief operating officer of the Medical College. “This gives (students) the perfect opportunity to interact — a pharmacy student, a PhD in biochemistry, a genetic counselor —  because those teams are going to be so critical in the health care world of working together.”

A rendering of the new Trailmark building at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Its the first student housing the college has offered in its history. Rendering courtesy of the Medical College of Wisconsin

The $70 million project is being paid for by the Medical College. Lester said most of the units will be one-bedroom, since the students are older, established and prefer to live by themselves.

The cost of the units for students has not yet been determined.

Lester said the goal is to be “below what the average price of a unit in the market would be.”

According to the online real estate website, Zillow, the average price for a rental in Wauwatosa is about $1,700 a month. In Milwaukee the average rental price is $1,300 a month.

On-site living will also cut down on the tens of thousands of vehicles who visit the grounds daily.

The Medical College is tightly packed onto a bustling campus of two dozen buildings including Froedtert and Children’s Wisconsin hospitals.

Trailmark at MCW is expected to take about 300 cars off the complex a day.

The on-campus apartment building marks a shift for the 133-year institution, which has relied on off-campus housing for its approximately 1,200 Milwaukee-area students.

The project was driven by growing student demand for housing closer to campus.

The Medical College is one of a few standalone medical colleges that doesn’t currently have a residence hall.

Studies have found living on campus can affect students’ attitudes and academic performance.

MCW student Paul Sidlowski said the importance of accessible and affordable housing for students at MCW really can’t be overstated.

Sidlowski said medical students and scientists keep long, odd hours.

“One of the great strengths of MCW is the fact that we are a place that brings together clinicians and scientists,” Sidlowski said. “And I know that for the future generations of students who are able to live here amongst each other, amongst all of the different types of perspectives that MCW has to offer, this new Trailmark building has the potential to become a hub where those connections can happen really naturally.”

Medical College of Wisconsin adding student housing for the first time in school’s history was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.