Looking for gifts for a college student but don't know what to get? This college student gift guide has ideas from a mom of 2 in university.

Looking for practical or just plain fun gifts for your college student but you’re not sure what they need or want? This ultimate college student gift guide is full of items like dorm decor and storage ideas that I have found useful for my 3 kids.

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, yet dorms are very tiny spaces and shared with roommates and all their stuff, too.

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

As a mom of 2 college graduates and 1 in their junior year (who all attended different universities), I have found, through trial and error over the last 6 years, items that are fun, useful, and needed for students, both guys and girls.

So if you’re stumped on finding 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 so overwhelming. 🙂

(Just so you know, this page contains some affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, I may receive a commission (at no additional cost to you). As an Amazon Associate, for example, I earn from qualifying purchases. However, I only ever mention products I love and would recommend whether I was being compensated or not. Thanks for your support in this way. Click here to see my full disclosure policy.)

The bed

Their bed will be the most important area of a college student’s room because it’s usually where they spend most of their time. So make it as comfortable and functional as possible.

Attaching a bed shelf with charging USB ports built in is 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).

Looking for gifts for a college student but don't know what to get? This college student gift guide has ideas from a mom of 2 in university. Get them this bunk bed shelf with USB port to keep everything in reach and charged.

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

Looking for gifts for a college student but don't know what to get? The ultimate college student gift guide has terrific ideas from a mom of 2 college kids! Hanging bed caddy

If they have the bottom bunk, a great way to add extra handy storage is a bedside caddy that secures under the mattress. Plenty of pockets right within reach 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. 👇

Overwhelmed? Tired of the clutter but don't know where to start? Get the FREE list of 50 items to declutter RIGHT NOW!

Other great bed accessory must-haves

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!

Looking for gifts for a college student but don't know what to get? The ultimate college student gift guide has terrific ideas from a mom of 2 college kids! bed risers with USB port

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 sized bedding.

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

Looking for gifts for a college student but don't know what to get? The ultimate college student gift guide has terrific ideas from a mom of 2 college kids! Boyfriend pillow

Don’t laugh. A sleep mask is very helpful, especially if roommates want to stay up later or have to get up earlier! My girls 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!

Looking for gifts for a college student but don't know what to get? The ultimate college student gift guide has terrific ideas from a mom of 2 college kids! Sleep mask

Food, food, food

Quite often the only things available for cooking and storing food in a dorm room are a microwave and minifridge, but they might not even have that. And for safety reasons, they are not allowed to have a hot plate.

I highly recommend a small hot water dispenser with automatic shut off. We use one at home all the time. This is so handy for a cup of coffee, hot chocolate or hot tea, but also for mac and cheese cups or instant soup (and of course ramen!).

Looking for gifts for a college student but don't know what to get? This college student gift guide has ideas from a mom of 2 in university. A quick boil water dispenser is great for cooking up ramen noodles or hot cocoa.

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

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

Looking for gifts for a college student but don't know what to get? The ultimate college student gift guide has terrific ideas from a mom of 2 college kids! Mug and mug cake mix

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

Looking for gifts for a college student but don't know what to get? The ultimate college student gift guide has terrific ideas from a mom of 2 college kids! "Call your mom" spoon

Whether they have a minifridge or not, a great gift is a space-saving Brita water pitcher. Because they only have shared bathrooms at the ends of the floor and very few water fountains, college students just don’t drink enough water. Make it easy for them. These pitchers are very narrow and fit in a minifridge nicely. But even if they don’t have a fridge, they can still fill it up and have clean fresh water right in their dorm room.

Along with the pitcher, get them a sturdy water bottle or two, AND a small bottle of dish soap and a bottle brush to clean them. There are so many styles and designs to choose from. Get one with their college mascot, or favorite book (like this Harry Potter one) or a reminder that mom is thinking about them. The possibilities are endless.

Looking for gifts for a college student but don't know what to get? The ultimate college student gift guide has terrific ideas from a mom of 2 college kids! Water bottle

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 so they are handy but not taking up valuable floor or desk space.

Shoebags 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 shoebags:

organized college closet wardrobe using over the door shoe bags to hold all the items.

The possibilities are endless! As a professional organizer, I believe in using them so much, I wrote a post showing you 25 ways to use shoe bags in your home.

Shoe bags are inexpensive and so very versatile.  Here are 25 ways to use shoe bags to organize all kinds of things (even shoes)!

Decor to make their room feel like home

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

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.

Looking for gifts for a college student but don't know what to get? The ultimate college student gift guide has terrific ideas from a mom of 2 college kids! Combo cork and dry erase board.

Add some fun pins (like these flowers or narwhals) and magnets (like these potted cactuses or llamas) to liven it up!

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

Looking for gifts for a college student but don't know what to get? The ultimate college student gift guide has terrific ideas from a mom of 2 college kids! Wire photo hanger
Looking for gifts for a college student but don't know what to get? The ultimate college student gift guide has terrific ideas from a mom of 2 college kids! Hanging photo display

Both of my daughters’ dorm rooms had concrete walls, so no using thumbtacks to hang items! Give them a package of Funtack putty (which will last FOREVER) and a variety pack of Command hooks and strips so they can easily hang up posters and pictures.

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

Looking for gifts for a college student but don't know what to get? The ultimate college student gift guide has terrific ideas from a mom of 2 college kids! Folding bungee chair

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.

Looking for gifts for a college student but don't know what to get? This college student gift guide has ideas from a mom of 2 in university. A desk lamp with USB chargers is very handy.

Dorm rooms are small (and sometimes stinky since laundry doesn’t get done as often…) spaces. 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! 🙂

Looking for gifts for a college student but don't know what to get? The ultimate college student gift guide has terrific ideas from a mom of 2 college kids! Clean the air with easy air plants

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

Looking for gifts for a college student but don't know what to get? The ultimate college student gift guide has terrific ideas from a mom of 2 college kids! Dorm sweet dorm sign

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.

If they have a bed on the floor that is allowed to be raised, add some inexpensive stackable drawers underneath for extra clothing storage. My daughter also has 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:

Looking for gifts for a college student but don't know what to get? The ultimate college student gift guide has terrific ideas from a mom of 2 college kids!

When they have to trek down to the end of the floor to get to the bathroom and showers, they really need a shower caddy. It makes it so much easier to carry shampoo, soap, razor and shave gel, toothpaste and other toiletries and keep them all together back in their dorm room, too.

Looking for gifts for a college student but don't know what to get? The ultimate college student gift guide has terrific ideas from a mom of 2 college kids! Handy shower caddy

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, and we’ve learned over the years which things are worthwhile and which aren’t.

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:

Know someone who is chronically messy and disorganized? Here's your ultimate gift guide for the unorganized, put together by a professional organizer!

And here are organizing items just for him:

Looking for the perfect gift for the guy in your life? Why not give him some fun and fabulous gifts to get him organized, like these 10?

Looking for gifts for a college student but don't know what to get? This college student gift guide has ideas from a mom of 2 in university.

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

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *