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What to Bring to College: The Ultimate College Packing List

College Packing Guide Printable Version
Click this picture to download a printable version of the guide.

This page is your go-to guide for figuring out what to bring to college in 2023.

Whether you’ll be living in a dorm, an apartment, or in the steam tunnels that run underneath campus, this list will provide you with all the college essentials, plus a few fun extras that can improve your life or help you make new friends (Pro-tip: be the person who has a tool kit). We’ve put a ton of work into this packing list; we hope you’ll find it helpful.

To make it easy to navigate, everything is broken down into categories. We’ve also marked certain items as “essential” to help you prioritize.

Most links here go to Amazon. Full disclosure: College Info Geek participates in the Amazon Associates program, and we’ll earn a commission on qualifying purchases made through the links on this page (at no extra cost to you). We’ve worked hard to recommend items that are both high-quality and inexpensive.

Do note that you also can also buy many of these things locally, and we’ve put together a printable checklist that you can take to the store if you like. Click the picture to download it!

P.S. – Having a properly set-up calendar, task manager, and file system before I started classes saved me a ton of stress. If you want to make sure you’re really prepared for college, consider taking my 1-hour productivity systems course:

Productivity Essentials: Create a System That Works

With a proper productivity system, nothing ever slips through the cracks. In just one hour, you'll learn how to set up your to-do list, calendar, note-taking system, file management, and more — the smart way.

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Bedding/Bed Stuff

Computer Gear

Desk and School Supplies

General Stuff

Cooking/Kitchen Supplies

Laundry Supplies

Personal Items and Toiletries

Decorations

Fun Stuff

The individual items in this category are totally, completely optional. We just thought it’d be cool to suggest some of the games and other things that work really well for bringing friends together or for relaxing after a huge study session.

More Back-to-School Guides:


The links on this page are affiliate links; as an Amazon Associate, I earn a commission on qualifying purchases made through them (at no extra cost to you).

Original feature photo: MacBook on desk