The Ultimate Checklist for Moving into a Dorm

Moving into a dorm for the first time can be daunting. What furniture will you need? When should you start packing? What should you do the night before? Luckily, we’re here to give you some guidance. When I first moved to college, it took some work: I went on multiple shopping trips before and after moving—and found I didn’t need a few of the things I brought! Drawing on experience, this article will go over items to put on your dorm moving checklist to ensure you don’t forget any essential steps. We’ll first give you a comprehensive packing list for your dorm room before going over other key college moving tips.

Packing Checklist

Figuring out what to bring to college is always tricky! We’ll get straight to the point and give you our comprehensive packing list for your dorm room. Remember that your college may provide some of these things so feel free to check things off before you even get started on your shopping list.

Bedding

• Bed sheets
  • Remember to check the size of your sheets! Most college dorms have twin XL beds. You don’t want to bring sheets and find they’re too small for your XL bed.
• Mattress topper
  • This crucial item can protect your back from hard dorm mattresses. (Editor’s note: This is the ONLY mattress topper you need. I ordered it again after college to fit my adult sized bed too.)
• Mattress protector
• Pillows
• Blankets
• Comforter
  • Most dorms are not known for their excellent heating!

Clothing and Laundry Supplies

• Shirts
• Pants
• Business-casual attire
  • For those final presentations or nights out!
• Light and heavy jackets
• Sweats
• Undergarments and socks
• Shoes
  • Expect to do a lot of walking.
• Hats, scarves, and gloves
  • These are essential for staying warm in the winter.
• Sunglasses
• Swimwear
• Laundry detergent and wool dryer balls
• Laundry basket
• Stain stick

Kitchen

• Mini fridge
• Microwave
• Paper towels
• To-go containers
  • For those days you need a quick meal on the move!
• Utensils
• Plates
• Bowls
• Water filter
• Baggies

Office and Desk Supplies

• Lamp
  • Sometimes you might need to work late without bothering your roommates.
• Notebooks
• Loose leaf paper
• Pencils and pens
• Highlighters
• Fan
  • Dorms can get stuffy and loud… They don’t always have A/C or white noise to block out floormates.
• Backpack
• Index cards
• Planner
• Trash bin
• Printer
• Stapler
• Scissors
• Tape
• Paper clips
• Flash drive
• Ruler
• Calculator

Toiletries and Cleaning Supplies

• Towels
• Shower caddy
• Shower shoes
• Toilet paper
• Shampoo and body wash
• Toothpaste and toothbrush
• Floss
• Lotion
• Hairbrush
• Hair dryer
• Disinfectant wipes
• Plunger
• Sponges
• Small vacuum or broom
  • This will depend on if your room has carpets or hard floors.

Electronics

• Laptop computer and charger
• Television
• Speaker
  • For dorm room parties!
• Extension cord or surge protector
  • An extension cord provides more outlets, while a surge protector provides more outlets and surge protection. Consider a surge protector if you’re plugging in energy-intensive items like a TV or A/C unit.

Miscellaneous

• Storage totes and bins
• Drawer trays
• Command hooks
  • These come in very handy for hanging decorations, coats, and towels.
• Reusable water bottle
• First-aid kit
• Toolkit
  • This is useful if you need to do any furniture assembly.
• Medicine (pain relievers, vitamins, allergy pills, etc.)
• Bicycle and lock
• Humidifier or aroma diffuser
• Important documents (birth certificate, passport, etc.)

Packing Tips

Even with our dorm room packing list, knowing where to start with your packing might be hard. Here are a few things you should put on your checklist for moving to college.

Packing Supplies

Gather key packing supplies like moving boxes or containers, packing tape, and other materials ahead of time. You’ll probably move very often as a college student, so consider investing in some reusable moving containers. It’s much easier to pack up the same duffel bags every year than to buy new boxes every time you move!

Important Documents

This was on our dorm room packing list, but we wanted to give your important documents a special shout-out. Make sure to bring cards and documents like your state ID or driver’s license, birth certificate, social security card, passport, transcripts, medical and vaccination records, etc. You’ll never know when you will need these documents! For example, if you ever get a new job or decide to take a spontaneous road trip to another country, they’ll be crucial to have around. Save yourself the time and expense of traveling to get them or having them mailed to you.

Prohibited Items

Before you pack anything, read over the list of prohibited items to avoid any trouble with your college. These items might surprise you! A lot of college dorms ban things like candles or tapestries that could be a fire hazard, along with equipment like rice cookers or A/C units. You don’t want to have to trash any valuable belongings.

Pack Light

Overpacking is a new college student’s biggest mistake—especially when it comes to clothes. There’s no need to pack your entire closet. Only pick your absolute favorites! If you have to second-guess bringing an item, you probably will not need it. And you’ll thank yourself when you visit home later on and already have some clothes in your closet.

Label Your Boxes

Label your boxes! Do this as you pack so you don’t forget what’s inside each box. Put the labels on your boxes’ sides so you can see what’s in each box even when they’re stacked. Labeling your boxes will not only save you time when you unpack, but will also help ensure your things don’t get mixed up with someone else’s or go missing.

Coordinate With Roommates

Before you make any large purchases or pack communal supplies, communicate with your roommates about common spaces. This will prevent an overload of furniture or any duplicates in your living room or kitchen. Maybe you can split the cost of a mini-fridge or cleaning supplies to reduce the burden on everyone.

Double-Check, Triple-Check

Packing everything you’ll need to live on your own is not a simple task. Make sure to double-check your dorm room packing list multiple times before you leave for the move. Starting your packing early will give you time to remember anything you may have forgotten.

Planning Tips

Even before you move into your college dorm room, there’s a lot of planning ahead to do. Make a checklist of tasks for moving to college so you don’t forget anything.

Map Your Room

Colleges often have a dorm floor plan on their website with measurements of the room, as well as a list of included furniture. If you know what furniture your college will provide, you can cross some items off your dorm room packing checklist.

Consider making an easy room design to help you visualize how to set up your room and aid you in buying the right size furniture. It can also help you think about ways to optimize your living and work set-up in a small space.

Choose Moving Option

Common options for moving into a dorm include using your own vehicle, renting a van or truck, or hiring local movers. Since most colleges provide large furniture in their dorms, the largest vehicle a new college student will need is a small hook-up trailer. You can attach these trailers to your own vehicle.

If you’re moving out of your state or country, you probably want to ship your items. You can also consider buying most of the items from your dorm packing list when you reach your destination.

If you’re moving off-campus into an apartment, you might need larger pieces of furniture. Waiting to buy these larger pieces near your college area can help save the stress of transporting heavy items.

Check Documentation

Confirm all your student account bills are paid on time and that you’ve submitted all other necessary documentation. Imagine you get to your new dorm and can’t move in yet because you haven’t finished your paperwork! Add this to your college moving checklist.

Set Time

Most colleges require students to sign up for a moving time slot. This prevents an overflow of people trying to move in at the same time. Plan a time to move, and grab your time slot a few weeks in advance. Doing this will allow whoever is helping you to clear their schedule ahead of time.

Day Before Prep

Get plenty of sleep the day before you move into college; you’ll probably spend the whole next day on your feet. If you’re traveling from far away, consider renting a place near your school the night before.

Before move-in day, have your vehicle packed and ready to go. If you’re shipping items, double-check that they’re on their way. Check in with any moving companies you’re using to verify your plans are set. Finish any last-minute packing that you may have delayed such as toiletries. Don’t forget to bring snacks and water for the long day ahead!

Moving Tips

The long-awaited day has come: you’re off to college! By this time, this dorm moving checklist should have you in a good position for your move.

Heavy Lifting

To save time and effort, grab a hand truck or dolly. On a busy college moving day, you can’t expect to find parking right in front of your dorm, so these items can help you avoid strain. A lot of colleges will provide them for free—but you might want to add a hand truck or dolly to your dorm room packing list just in case.

If you have to move heavy furniture, get someone to help you out! And even if you don’t have a lot of stuff, moving goes much faster with friends. You can enlist relatives or people you already know on campus—but if you don’t have anyone familiar around, your roommates will probably help you out. Everyone’s in the same boat!

As you move, create a system with whoever’s with you. Someone can transport items from the vehicle to your place while someone else carries the items upstairs.

Damages

Before you unpack, an important item on your dorm moving checklist is to check your room and common areas for damages. Take pictures of any scratches, stains, peeling wallpaper, etc., and save them on your phone for later. You don’t want to be fined for someone else’s bad behavior after you move out.

Cleaning

One of the best moving tips is to do a deep clean before unpacking. Dorms rooms constantly have people moving in and out, and college students aren’t known for their cleaning! Vacuum, or sweep and mop the floors. Wipe down your desks and countertops. Dust the corners to prevent build-up later on. Cleaning before you unpack will make it much easier to get rid of all the grime, and will help keep your things clean when you start to unpack.

Relax!

Once everything is in its place, relax! You’ve gotten over a major hurdle. Now it’s time to have some fun before classes start. Spend some time getting to know campus, and say hi to your new roommates and dorm friends!

Conclusion

We’ve gone over a lot. You now have a comprehensive packing checklist for your dorm room, with everything from office supplies to bedding and toiletries. You also have some tips for your college packing, like remembering your important documents, checking your college’s list of prohibited items, and coordinating with roommates. And finally, you have an idea of what to put on your dorm moving day checklist, from heavy lifting to deep-cleaning and documenting damages.

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