The Best College Dorm Packing List for Girls

Your college-bound daughter may already have been on Pinterest planning out her dream dorm color scheme and decorations, but as a parent, you want to make sure she packs everything she needs to smoothly transition into dorm life. Shopping and packing for college can be stressful, but, if you are organized, it can make this huge task, so much easier. We created a free printable Best College Dorm Packing List for Girls to help you minimize the risk of accidentally forgetting important college essentials. 

College Dorm Room Essentials

Let’s face it. Your young adult is going to be spending a lot of time in their dorm room over the course of their freshman year of college, and it’s all about maximizing their space and minimizing the clutter. It is important that their living space is both functional and has everything they need to be successful. This comprehensive list of College Dorm Room Essentials will help to keep your students from overpacking or underpacking by including exactly what they need for dorm life. Plus using this packing list will also minimize the risk of accidentally forgetting important items.

College Packing Checklist for Girls

If you have a daughter moving away to college, you might find that she is only focused on fabulous decor, forgetting all the practical things she may need for college. Girls also have a tendancy to overpack clothes or shoes, but the reality is, they probably won’t ever get a chance to wear it all or they will just wear their favorite clothes. Our free printable College Dorm Packing List for Girls was created to help to keep your daughters on organized and on track with packing what she actually needs for her move away to college.

What You Need for College

Before you begin packing for college, be sure you have a good understanding of how your daughter’s dorm room will be laid out and find out what will and won’t be provided by the school. One of my favorite tips is to try and join parent groups for your student’s college, to find out more information on the specific dorm needs and layout. You might also be able to find YouTube tours of the dorms at your student’s college and this can give you an idea of what will and won’t fit in the room. You won’t want your son to pack items that simply won’t fit in the room.

Begin by printing our College Dorm Packing List for Girls. Then, you can start marking off items that you may not need at all such as a TV, a mini fridge (if the school provides one), or your daughter may simply not want certain items. If possible, it is also helpful to coordinate with roommates so that you don’t have duplicate items in the room. It may also help to print a second copy of this packing checklist to use as a shopping list. Our checklist also has space to add must-have or needed items.

Flying vs. Driving

If you are flying to drop your son off at college, it may be cheaper and easier to purchase larger items, when you arrive at your daughter’s college town. You may also be able to take advantage of order pick-up at local stores such as Target and Walmart, for essentials such as bedding, bathroom items, storage items and more. Some schools have ship ahead programs that allow you to ship items directly from stores such as Amazon or Target to the mail room at the college. You should also consider the baggage policies on the airline that you are flying. For example, if you are flying Southwest, each person in your party is allowed two bags and this may help with bringing additional clothing or necessities.

If you are driving your student to college, you might be transporting more items, all in one trip and fitting everything for your son’s dorm, in your car. Large zippered plastic bags from IKEA or Amazon will help with keeping all of your essentials organized. If you are purchasing storage bins or plastic drawers, you can pack items directly in the bins or drawers to save space in your car. You can also save space in your card by ordering bathroom items, storage items or snacks for pick up at your son’s college town stores such as Target or Walmart and just pick them up when you arrive.

College Essentials: Extra Tips

Bathroom Items

We included every type of bathroom item that your college-bound student will need for dorm life. If your daughter’s campus has communal bathrooms, she will need a mesh shower caddy to organize their bathroom essentials, tall enough to carry large bottles of shampoo, body wash and more, plus a pair of shower shoes. Just make sure your caddy has plenty of drainage. Our list includes two sets of towels so your student can have one set dirty and have a clean set to grab. If your daughter has a private bathroom in her dorm, be sure to bring toilet paper and extra cleaning supplies so that she can keep that space clean. If your student has extra storage space in their room, I highly recommend picking up backups of bathroom necessities like shampoo, conditioner, body wash, deodorant, and storing them in a container so that your daughter isn’t constantly running out of the basics.

Electronics

Most college assignments are digital these days so a good laptop is a must-have for college. Mac or PC? Check with the software requirements at your daughter’s college and major requirements. Also be sure it has plenty of storage to support software, large files, presentations and more. A laptop can also double as a “TV” for streaming Netflix. We put a printer as an optional item on our list. Some schools have shared printers and some majors don’t print a lot in general. Other majors may need a small printer. Sometimes schools will request that you bring a corded printer vs. one that works off of wifi as the network can get overloaded in the dorms. If your student’s wifi connection isn’t strong in their room, she will sometimes need a long ethernet cord and, of course, a power strip to plug everything in! There is often not a lot of time to watch TV in college, so if your daughter is okay skipping a TV, then, that is one less large item to bring to college.

Clothing

It may be tempting for your daughter to overpack clothing items, but it is a good rule of thumb to bring two weeks worth of outfits to allow for laundry. Keep in mine that she will be wearing mostly casual, comfy clothing and if her classes are a far walk, she will want comfortable shoes for school. Many schools require a business, dressy outfit for presentations. If your daughter chooses to go through rush and join a sorority, she may need specific clothing. Most campuses have gyms, intramural or club sports, so be sure your daughter brings workout wear. Cold weather colleges may require additional clothing or boots. If your student’s dorm has a communal bathroom, consider a robe for her to get to and from her room to the bathroom.

Bedroom & Decor

Your student’s bed is a big part of their living space. Your college-bound daughter will study, eat, read and more on their bed. A good mattress topper is important, for comfort, and a waterproof mattress pad works great if your student spills a drink on her bed. A good reading pillow is also key to support their back while doing homework, reading or watching Netflix. Most college dorm beds require Twin XL bedding, but be sure to check your school’s bed size. If your student only plans to live in the dorms one year, you may consider getting a full/queen size comforter. It will drape over the sides of the twin xl bed, but if your student moves to an apartment their second year, they will most likely have a full or queen bed and can reuse their comforter.

Girls usually are all about the decor. Getting the room layout can help and a large tapestry can cover a good portion of an empty wall. Be sure to bring plenty of Command strips to hang any decor items. Command products have a weight capacity on the package and come in so many types – hooks, knobs, velcro and more. Be sure to bring alcohol wipes to clean the wall and enough command strips, by weight, to hold each decor item.

Cleaning

Your student will need the typical laundry supplies to wash and dry their own clothes, along with a hamper and/or a laundry tote. A stain stick will help them remove standard stains, but color catcher sheets will allow them to wash a variety of colors together to save time. Many girls hang their nicer clothing to dry. A small, foldable drying rack can help with saving space and can easily fit into a small space in her room.

Your college-bound daughter will also need typical supplies to keep their space clean. You would be shocked at how much debris and crumbs will build up on their dorm floor. A small, stick vacuum is a great way to easily clean their dorm carpet. Your student may also need to wash their water bottle, mugs and few small dishes, so be sure to pack a sponge, dish soap and few other supplies to keep her dorm room clean. If she will have their own bathroom, you may need to add a few cleaning supplies for their toilet and shower.

School Supplies

Many schools have a good portion of their homework and classwork online now. You might even hold out until they figure out what they will really need for their classes. Your student may only need minimal school supplies and a backpack. Be sure their backpack has room for bringing their laptop to class.

Kitchen

Many schools encourage students to have a fridge or microwave in their room and some even rent them to students for the year. Your college-bound son may need to heat up a quick meal or stock drinks and basic foods in their room. If your daughter drinks coffee, a pod coffee maker is perfect for dorm rooms and will save money on buying coffee out. If there is room, a metal rolling cart is great for dorms. It will hold the pod coffee maker on the top shelf (use a placemat to catch drips) and the lower shelves will hold snacks or kitchen items. Your student will only need a small amount of dishware and a few items like a knife in a sleeve to cut food items like fruit or a bagel and a can opener to open soup or chili. Snack clips are a must to keep their snacks fresh.

Organization

You can maximize your college-bound daughter’s space and minimize clutter by organizing their room. There are so many great space saving tips like slim or collapsible hangers, plastic storage set of drawers that fit under the bed, an ottoman/step stool that will also hold shoes, under-the-bed storage and more. Your daughter may also like a full-length mirror or an accessory organizer if they wear a lot of hats or have a lot of purses, belts and scarves. A bedside organizer is a nice-to-have items for students. It is a little tray or pouch that clips onto the bed to hold their phone, computer and other essentials. I also recommend bringing simple storage bins to hold extra bathroom essentials and extra snacks. You would be surprised how much will fit under most dorm room beds.

First Aid & Medicine

Many students get sick easily in the dorms. There are a large amount of students, living in tight quarters. Minor illnesses get passed around quickly. Be sure to send your daughter with simple over-the-counter medicines as if they find themselves sick, it may be hard to obtain what they need to feel better. Let’s face it, they may also get an upset stomach from the dining hall food or need basic wound care items for a cut. It is better to send them prepared for unexpected illnesses. 

Important Random Items

We added a lot of random items that your student may need, in this packing category. When the weather turns, they may need an umbrella or they may need a lockbox for important documents or valuables. There are a lot of nice-to-have items on this part of the packing list.

Important Documents

We listed out lots of important documents that your student may need at school. It is highly recommended to get your student a small lockbox to keep them safe and organized. They may not actually need everything on this list. If they are getting a job, you can fill out your Social Security Number on the tax forms, but don’t necessarily need the actual Social Security Card. If they are living without a car, auto insurance paperwork may not be needed and if they aren’t traveling, they can leave their passport at home. You would be surprised how things go missing, lost or misplaced during a college move.

College Move-In Day Tips

1. Use a Dorm Checklist

A checklist will keep your college-bound student organized. Our free printable checklist includes literally everything your student will need for dorm life.

2. Eat a Meal Before You Head to Move-In

From unloading the car, to setting up, to organizing your dorm room. You would be surprised how long all of this takes, on move-in day. It can sometimes be multiple hours before move-in is finished. Waiting until you are hangry or grumpy makes move-in a lot harder of a job.

3. Try to Arrive Before Your Roommate(s)

With the dorm room being so small, it can be uncomfortable to have both you, your roommate and all of your family member helpers all squeezed in one tiny space. You don’t want to be almost tripping over each other, trying to organize your areas of the dorm room.

4. Clean Before You Unpack

Before your unpack your things, it is recommended to grab a few disinfecting wipes and wipe down surfaces. Dorm rooms often aren’t cleaned as good as we would like or they collect dust over the summer months. It only takes a few minutes to wipe down door knobs, handles, light switches and other high-use areas.

5. Put Up Your Wall Decor Before Making Your Bed

It is recommended to begin putting up wall decor first. You often have to stand on your bed to begin putting up your command strips and wall decor and you don’t want to be standing on your clean sheets or comforter.

6. The Evening of Move-In is Often Bonding Time

Many Schools have dorm floor meetings the same day as move-in or get-to-know you activities planned, after everyone is moved in. It is important that your student begins meeting new people right away. Respectfully, leave your student and head back to your hotel after move-in. If you are staying overnight, you can go back the next day to see what other items your student may need, before you head back home. You want your student to be able to bond with their peers as soon as possible, so they can start their new school year with friends and classmates.

7. Consider Dorm Insurance

There are a few companies that offer great dorm insurance for a low price and they are independent of any homeowner’s insurance that you may have. Depending on the coverage you choose, they run about $125 for the year and it will cover the loss of clothing, a laptop, phone and more. Your student or her roommate may forget to lock their dorm room door or items can get stolen or lost.