Living in Oshkosh

Downtown Map

Find airport maps, bicycle maps, Wisconsin city public transportation maps, official state highway maps and some city maps on the Wisconsin Department of Transportation Travel Information page.

Find things to do and places to go in Oshkosh!

Oshkosh Visitor's Center 

Downtown Oshkosh

Oshkosh Parks & Recreation

Travel Wisconsin

Do you plan to intern or work in the U.S. (you'll want to include volunteer work on your resume!)?  Do you want to improve your English skills within a particular field?  Do you have a passion that needs fulfilling?  Then volunteer!

See information provided by Reeve Union on volunteerism and get started!

UW Oshkosh offers 9 on-campus locations to eat plus an on-campus convenience store.

University dining
Locations & Menus

• Pick ‘N Save
• Festival Foods
• Piggly Wiggly
• Aldi

Find restaurants on the Oshkosh Visitor's Center website.

Or, visit a restaurant recommended by UWO's International Community:
Please send your recommendations to iss@uwosh.edu!  As of today, we haven't yet received any recommendations.

Clinics and hospitals in Oshkosh and nearby cities.

The UW Oshkosh Children's Center offers childcare services while classes are in session.  The Center also offers Three-Year-Old Preschool, Four-Year-Old Ready-for-Learning and Five-Year-Old Ready-for-Learning.  See the UW Oshkosh Children's Center website for rates, hours, registration and contact information.

Calculating your Child's Grade

Use the date of birth to determine which grade a student will be in.  Children who are 5 on or before September 1 of the school year must enter kindergarden.  Children enter 1st grade after kindergarden and complete mandatory schooling either at the end of the 12th grade or on their 18th birthday.  Parents who are concerned that a child's grade may be too high can speak to the school principal to discuss proper grade placement.

Who is required to attend school?

Wisconsin state law requires that children who are eligible for kindergarden be enrolled and attend.  Children who are younger than 5 on September 1 are not required to attend school.  

Oshkosh Area School District

All public schools in Oshkosh are in the Oshkosh Area School District (OASD) and have the same superintendent and school board.  See the full list of public schools on the Oshkosh School District web site.

Which school should my child attend?

If attending a public school, students must generally attend the school that is assigned to the student's neighborhood.  See one of the Oshkosh Public Schools Boundary Maps for details.  Schools are not ranked and do not have a reputation for having different levels of academic rigor.  Office of International Education staff are not able to make school recommendations.

Public Elementary School (the nearest elementary school to UW Oshkosh)

If you live very near the UW Oshkosh campus, you will apply to Read Elementary School.

Read Elementary School Registration

1. You must first know where you will live in Oshkosh.  You must choose housing within the Read Elementary School boundary in order to register at Read Elementary.  When your housing is confirmed, you must ask for your housing address.
2. Email your housing address to Mrs. Hamilton at Read Elementary School using this email address: Marybeth.hamilton@oshkosh.k12.wi.us.  In your email, also request an “enrollment packet” and tell the school your child's level of English proficiency. 
3. To register, you must submit forms requested by the school in the enrollment packet, plus:
   1. a birth certificate for the school-age child
   2. the school fee ($20 per child as of February 2013)
4. If you cannot live within this school’s boundary, you can still try to register at this school.  In this case, complete an "Out of Area Attendance" form.  If there is still open space at Read Elementary School just before the school year begins, you may be able to register there.

Public Middle Schools and Public High Schools

For Public Middle Schools and Public High Schools, see the Oshkosh School District website (linked above).

Private Schools

Oshkosh also has a number of private schools which can accept international students, including Oshkosh Christian School International Admissions (ages 4-18) and Lourdes Academy (High School).

School Transportation

The city of Oshkosh does not normally provide transportation to/from school.  Children can, however, choose to use city buses.  For more information, see the Oshkosh Public School District "transportation" web page.

Driving in Wisconsin

Most foreign nationals may drive in Wisconsin for up to one year with their home country's valid license.  You are also recommended to carry an International Driving Permit or an English translation of your license; either can be used by emergency response personnel or by local police. See the Wisconsin Department of Transportation website for more information and for a list of countries with driver's licenses that can be used in Wisconsin.

Visitors from foreign countries must obtain their International Driving Permit in their native country prior to arrival in the U.S.

After one year, you must meet the licensing requirements as a Wisconsin resident.

Learn more about driving in Wisconsin. (see slides 25-27)

Driving in other U.S. States

Foreign nationals who plan to drive in other U.S. States must check the regulations FOR EACH INDIVIDUAL STATE.

You can apply for a Wisconsin driver’s license in person in Oshkosh IF you have immigration paperwork that shows that you will be in the U.S. for 366 days or longer.  If you will be in the U.S. for 365 days or fewer, you must use a valid license from your home country.

Before visiting the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) to apply for your license, assemble all necessary documents. Bring these with you to the DMV.

• View the list of requirements for your driver's license.
• Follow these instructions to print your I-94 card.
• Take your I-20 form with you. This shows that you'll be in the U.S. for a minimum of one year.

You do not need a social security number to apply for a driver's license. Instead, you will sign form MV3741 (SSN non-eligibility certification statement) when you apply for your license.

To learn more about safe driving in Wisconsin and to prepare for the driver knowledge test click here.

If you purchase a car, you must buy a UW Oshkosh parking permit in order to park on campus.  See the UW Oshkosh Parking Map.

If interested, please contact either your host at UW Oshkosh or the UW Oshkosh parking office (+1-920-424-4455 or parking@uwosh.edu).

• Avis (tel: 800-331-1212)
• Enterprise (tel: 800-325-8007)
• Hertz (tel: 800-654-3131)
• National (tel: 877-222-9058)

• Lamers Bus Company offers regular service through "Lamers Connect" between Wisconsin cities, with pickup and drop off in front of Gruenhagen Conference Center on campus.
• Wisconsin Department of Transportation guide to Traveling by Public Transit.

Review the State of Wisconsin "buying and selling guide" before you purchase a new or used vehicle.

Wisconsin law requires insurance for your new or used vehicle.  Review the Wisconsin car insurance requirements before you purchase a vehicle.

Wisconsin law requires that you register your vehicle when you purchase plus re-register every year.  Review information on how to register a vehicle in Wisconsin before you buy. 

If you want to park a car on campus during the day or overnight, you must buy a UW Oshkosh parking permit.  Contact the UW Oshkosh parking office (+1-920-424-4455 or parking@uwosh.edu).

Do you know someone who is moving to Oshkosh just as you plan to depart?  You can rent a “u-haul” for one day to move things from your apartment to their apartment.

Or, if your items aren't too big, consider donating these to Goodwill or St Vincent DePaul.  St Vincent DePaul may even send someone to your apartment to pick up your donations - if you call them more than one month in advance.

Another common way to get rid of furniture and items is to put it on the curb:

• If you are in an apartment in a house (so, not an apartment building), you can put the furniture and anything else you don’t want on the curb (be sure none of it is on a sidewalk, the street or a driveway) with a big sign that says “free”.  People driving by will pick it up. If you do this, you should also make a posting on Craigslist.  You can create an account on this site and then choose to post under the following category: “post to classifieds”  >  “for sale by owner”  >  “free stuff”.  You can keep your things on the curb for one day (not overnight, or you may get a ticket from the city).  So many college kids move to Oshkosh, and so many people like to pick up free stuff, that often it’s easy to get rid of things this way.
• If you are in an apartment building, your building may have rules about when you can place items outside and for how long.  You’ll need to check with your building manager to see whether putting things outside is allowed.