Ultimate college student gift guide (from a parent who knows)

Are you looking for practical gifts for your college student? Or are you in search of just plain fun gifts for their dorm room? This ultimate college student gift guide is full of both.

There are so many changes for both parents and kids when the kids head off to college.

You want to prepare them for anything they might need. But dorms are very tiny spaces and shared with roommates and all their stuff, too.

So, how do you decide what is most practical for them to have in their dorm?

I’m a mom of 2 college graduates, as well as one in his senior year. I’m also a professional organizer. My kids have all attended different universities.

I have found, through trial and error over the last 9 years, the items that are both needed and wanted. This is my list of fun, useful, and must-haves for students to have a great dorm, both guys and girls.

If you’re struggling to find the perfect gift for your college student, this ultimate college student gift guide will help!

I’ve broken down the items in this college student gift guide by category, so it’s not quite so overwhelming. 🙂 They need/want a lot!

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The bed.

There isn’t much seating in the average dorm room. Therefore, their bed will be the most important area of a college student’s room. It’s usually where they spend most of their time. So make it as comfortable and functional as possible.

Use the bed for better functionality and storage.

Attaching a bed shelf with charging USB ports is a must! It’s a great place to store their phone, glasses, reading lamp, and other necessities, right within arm’s reach. It’s especially useful if they have the top bunk (and no place for a nightstand).

Or they can use a hanging bed caddy like this on the bed rails:

What if they have the bottom bunk? Most dorms don’t have nightstands. A great way to add handy storage is a bedside caddy that secures under the mattress. Plenty of pockets right within reach to store everything from clothing to school supplies to snacks.

Now that your college student is packing up, it’s a great time to do some decluttering all around your home. Grab my free list of 50 easy items to declutter today. Just click below. 👇

Other great bed accessory must-haves.

Are the beds single and not stacked as bunk beds? Using the space under the bed is great for storage. And another cool gift is a set of bed risers that have USB plugs built right in. Because there never seems to be enough power outlets in a dorm room!

Quilted mattress pad.

Make their bed feel luxuriously comfortable with a quilted mattress pad. Those dorm mattresses are pretty thin, and this adds some extra softness and padding.

Make sure it is waterproof or washable. As I said, they spend a lot of time on their beds, and so do their drinks and snacks. Spills WILL occur, so be proactive. NOTE: Most dorm beds are TWIN XL, so make sure you get the correct size bedding.

Comfortable pillows.

Both of my daughters have “boyfriend” pillows. But guys use them, too. These pillows are a great back and arm support for your college student. Especially while they are sitting on their beds. And they have storage pockets to boot! They come in so many styles, colors, and fabric textures now. Trust me, you’ll be able to find one that fits your student’s personality!

A sleep mask and earplugs.

Don’t laugh. A sleep mask is very helpful, especially if roommates want to stay up later or have to get up earlier! My kids were embarrassed at first to use one, but soon discovered that lots of students use them! 🙂 This one even comes with a set of earplugs!

Food, food, food.

Quite often, the only things available for preparing food in a dorm room are a microwave and a mini fridge. And these are to be shared by all the roommates. But they might not even have that. And for safety reasons, they are not allowed to have a hot plate or crockpot.

I highly recommend a small hot water dispenser with automatic shut-off. These were allowed by all 3 of my kids’ universities. And they used them A LOT! We use one at home all the time, too. These are so handy for a cup of coffee, hot chocolate, or hot tea, for sure. But also for mac and cheese cups or instant soup (and of course, the college staple, ramen!).

One of my daughters is completely addicted to mug cakes and still uses her dispenser for making them!

Along with the dispenser, don’t forget to include a couple of fun ceramic or microwave-safe mugs, too!

And give them a gentle reminder to keep in touch with this spoon! 🙂

A filtered water pitcher is a must.

College students just don’t drink enough water. Make it easy for them.

Often, dorm halls have only shared bathrooms at the ends of the floor. And there are very few water fountains.

Whether they have a mini fridge or not, a great gift is a space-saving Brita water pitcher.

These pitchers are very narrow and fit in a mini fridge nicely. They can fill it up and have clean, fresh water right in their dorm room. But even if they don’t have a fridge, it’s still more convenient than finding water fountains.

A durable water bottle (or two).

Along with the pitcher, get them a sturdy water bottle or two. Also, get them a small bottle of dish soap and a bottle brush to clean them.

There are so many styles and designs of water bottles to choose from. Get one with their college mascot. Or a favorite book (like this Harry Potter one). Or a reminder that mom is thinking about them. 🙂 The possibilities are endless.

Storage for food and more.

A great way for the roomies to store their snacks is to use an over-the-door shoe bag. Get one with clear pouches so it is easier for them to see what they have. It’s a great way to store packets of oatmeal, granola, or power bars, fruit snacks, and other snacks. They are handy, but do not take up valuable floor or desk space.

Shoe bags can be used to store all kinds of things, from toiletries to desk supplies to socks and undies.

Here is how we organized my son’s wardrobe closet using shoe bags:

The possibilities are endless!

As a professional organizer, they are one of my favorite organizing tools. Here are 25 more ways to use shoe bags in your home.

Fun and functional decor to make their room feel like home.

I tell my organizing clients all the time to use their walls and doors for storage. And it’s even more important in a small dorm room.

Multipurpose hanging items.

Get your student a nice, big dry-erase/ bulletin board combo. They can use it for reminder notes, displaying favorite pictures, or just for doodling.

Add some fun pins (like these potted cacti or adorable little animal faces.

Or magnets (like these llamas with inspirational quotes) to liven it up.

More wall hanging suggestions.

A hanging art display wire or a collage photo display are also great ways to display photos.

Having lots of places to hang items makes those walls more functional, instead of boring, wasted space.

Not allowed to use nails or tacks?

Both of my daughters’ dorm rooms had concrete walls, so no using thumbtacks to hang items!

Give your college student a package of Funtack putty (which will last FOREVER). And invest in a LARGE variety pack of Command hooks and strips.

I have a full post on ways to use Command hooks to organize your whole home. See it here.

All of these make it so much easier to hang up posters and pictures.

More seating.

Give them a folding web chair. It’s a comfortable spot for them or guests to sit. And, even better, it folds up and tucks into a wardrobe or under a bed.

More task lighting.

Dorm lighting is definitely not the best. Give your student a desk lamp that has a USB port built right in. It gives them great task lighting and another way to charge their electronics.

Or a reading light that attaches right to the bed frame.

My son uses his all the time.

Easy care plants.

This might be controversial. But hear me out.

Dorm rooms are small, cramped spaces. And, ahem, sometimes pretty stinky, since no one’s laundry seems to get done as often…

An easy-to-care-for aloe, pothos, or air plant is a great gift. They help clean the air, and in the case of aloe, help soothe a sunburn or cut.

The pothos needs watering a bit more often. But hey, reminding them is a great excuse to send them a text or give them a call! 🙂

And to help them feel more at home, here is a great little picture.

Organizing their stuff (boring but necessary).

Since dorm rooms are pretty small, students really have to make use of every bit of space they have.

As mentioned earlier, do they have a bed on the floor that is allowed to be raised? Add some inexpensive stackable drawers underneath for extra clothing storage.

One daughter also had her towels and extra sheets, first aid kit, and sewing kit in there, too. (Because they need to start doing “adulting things” like sewing on a button.)

Here’s what hers looks like:

It’s vital to use ALL the space they have available.

And, finally, bathrooms.

A shower caddy.

They have to trek down to the end of the floor to get to the shared bathroom and showers. That’s why they really need a shower caddy. It makes it much easier to carry shampoo, soap, and toiletries. They can also keep their razor, shave gel, and toothpaste neatly organized in their dorm room. It makes it easier to have everything they need when they do go.

Water shoes.

Both of my girls were required to have water shoes to use in the showers. Which makes sense, because they have to walk all the way there and back. And wearing them keeps their feet clean. There are many styles available, from slip-ins to pull-ons.

Final thoughts.

Well, I hope you have found this ultimate college student gift guide helpful!

It can be hard to figure out what kids really need and want for their dorm rooms. Especially when it’s the first time for you and for them. We’ve learned over the years which things are worthwhile and which aren’t through lots of trial and error.

So give your kids an extra hug and enjoy this new adventure! They’ll do great!

P.S. Want some more organizing ideas?

Help your favorite unorganized people with these:

And here are organizing items just for him: