33 Best Dorm Gifts to Give College Students

Dorm Gifts Every College Student Will Love

This post is all about the best dorm gifts for college students.

Moving into a dorm for the first time can be overwhelming, and it always seems like there are so many things you need!

These dorm gifts ideas are the perfect way to show a college student that you care, whether you give her one of these for high school graduation, before college move-in day, or at Christmas.

All of these dorm gifts ideas will be much appreciated by every college student!

1. Ugg Slippers

Ugg slippers are so cozy and warm, perfect for wearing around the dorm building on cold winter days! This is a gift every college girl is sure to love.

2. Cozy Blanket

Along the same lines as above, a soft fleece blanket makes a great dorm gift for staying warm and cozy. Dorm rooms can get notoriously cold and drafty during the winter months, so a blanket like this is the perfect thing to curl up with after a long day of classes on a cold winter day!

3. Mini Keurig

Perfect for any coffee-loving college student, a Mini Keurig coffeemaker is just the right size to fit in a dorm room.

4. Tile Mate

If you have a college student that is constantly losing her keys or phone, this is the perfect gift to get. A Tile Mate is a trackable keychain that uses Bluetooth and GPS to keep track of whatever you attach to it.

5. Towel Wrap

A towel wrap is something I consider a must-have for dorm living, especially if your dorm has shared hall bathrooms! It has a velcro strap at the top to keep the towel firmly wrapped around your body so you don’t have to worry about it slipping off while walking to and from the showers.

6. Mesh Shower Caddy

Continuing on with shared dorm bathrooms must-haves is a mesh shower caddy. Perfect for storing all your bathroom stuff, and the mesh makes it drain easily after bringing it into the shower with you.

7. Brita Pitcher

My roommate and I got a Brita water filtering pitcher as a dorm gift and we used it all the time! We simply filled it up in the shared hall kitchen once every day or two and then had enough purified drinking water to fill up our water bottles.

8. Mattress Pad

Dorm mattresses aren’t know for being the most comfortable, so a memory foam mattress pad can really help make them easier to sleep on and will be a dorm gift that is much appreciated!

9. College Care Package

This is the perfect gift to send to a college student when they’re stressed out about finals or you just want to make their day! Every college student will love to get a giant care package full of dorm-friendly snacks. (There are healthier versions of these snack boxes available too.)

10. Shower Speakers

I personally didn’t have these because I don’t listen to music in the shower but a lot of my friends did! These waterproof Bluetooth shower speakers are the perfect dorm gift for college students.

11. Hydroflask

Hydroflasks are water bottles that are super popular on college campuses (you’ll probably see 10 of these in every lecture hall!) They keep your water cold all day long and are easy to clean.

12. Makeup Mirror

For girls who are serious about doing their makeup every morning, a makeup vanity mirror is the perfect dorm gift. This one is great for small spaces like dorm rooms because it folds up!

13. Marquee Letter

These silver light-up marquee letters are the perfect dorm gift to get for both your college student and her roommate! These are a such a fun and cute way to personalize a dorm room, and can be displayed on a desk or wall.

14. Candle Warmer

Most dorms do not allow you to burn candles, so a candle warmer is a great dorm gift that will still keep your dorm room smelling good. I like this one because it’s small and doesn’t take up a lot of space in a dorm room and can just be plugged directly into a wall outlet.

15. Laptop

I got my MacBook Air just before starting my freshman year of college and it was honestly the best gift I’ve ever received! I got so much use out of it in college, and six years later the laptop is still going strong! MacBooks Airs lightweight, durable, and perfect for college students.

16. College Journal

This one line a day college memory journal is such a fun and thoughtful gift for freshmen. It only takes a couple minutes each day to fill out and is a nice keepsake to look back on. I had one of these in college and I loved looking back on all my previous answers over the years.

17. Memory Foam Pillow

A memory foam pillow is a simple but thoughtful dorm gifts idea that will help college students get a better night’s sleep.

18. Neon Signs

Neon signs are SUPER popular for dorm room wall decor right now! I love this “Good Vibes Only” sign which would look so cute hanging on a dorm room wall.

19. Travel Mug

Yeti travel mugs are super popular on college campuses and perfect for keeping your drink hot or cold all day long.

20. Clothing Steamer

This handheld clothing steamer is the perfect dorm gift due to its compact size and ease of use. So much easier and less bulky than bringing an ironing board and iron off to college! (Trust me, I made this mistake!)

21. Bedside Shelf

A bedside shelf is an awesome product for dorm living. They’re designed so you can store your phone, water bottle, glasses, etc. next to your bed at night. Perfect for lofted dorm beds that are too high up for a nightstand. I seriously wish I would have had one of these when I lived in my dorm!

22. Bedrest Pillow

These are great to have in a dorm room if you are ever sitting on your bed or even on the floor, so you don’t have to lean up against the hard wall. I like this bedrest pillow with memory foam filling.

23. Dorm Fridge Stand

For students planning to bring a mini fridge to college, a dorm fridge stand is something that is commonly forgotten but super useful to have! I like this one because it has two drawers perfect for storing dry goods and silverware.

24. Noise Cancelling Headphones

If you’re anything like me, you need total silence in order to concentrate. Here’s where a pair of noise cancelling headphones comes in handy! Perfect for drowning out the noise of loud roommates and dorm life in general.

25. Desk Organizer

Keeping my dorm desk clean and organized with a desk organizer always helped me be more productive and focus better while doing schoolwork.

26. Storage Ottoman

Dorm rooms are typically tiny, so maximizing every possible inch of storage space is a must! A cute storage ottoman like this is a great dorm gift that is super practical and provides extra storage space.

27. Day Planner

My planner kept me extremely organized throughout all of college! This is something I had out on my desk or in my backpack with me every single day. A day planner is a great gift for college students for the upcoming school year.

28. Amazon Echo

The Amazon Echo is a small speaker perfect for dorm rooms. It’s voice-enabled with Alexa meaning you don’t even have to get out of bed to tell Alexa to play music or tell you the weather or anything else.

29. Faux Fur Rug

There are so many dorm-related essentials to shop for that many college students don’t have the budget for “extras” like decor items. A trendy faux fur rug is a dorm gift that will definitely be appreciated. I like this one because it’s perfectly sized for dorm rooms (2×3 feet) and adds a stylish decorative touch.

30. Power Strip

Although it’s not the most exciting of the dorm gifts on this list, a power strip is super useful to have. Especially if your dorm room is anything like mine was and only has a couple power outlets in inconvenient places!

31. Weekender Bag

This super cute weekender bag makes a great gift for college students because it’s so easy to pack and take on a weekend visit home or to see a friend at a different school. It also comes with a travel makeup bag.

32. Clip On Fan

Dorm rooms can get super hot, especially in older buildings that don’t have great air conditioning. A clip on fan is the perfect dorm gift that will be super useful. You can just clip it to the side of your bed on those really hot nights!

33. Sound Machine

A sound machine is a great dorm gift because it helps with studying and sleeping. Perfect for drowning out the sound in noisy dorms.

Best Dorm Gifts for College Students

So these are the best dorm gifts for college students that they are guaranteed to love!

These gift ideas are perfect for giving to an upcoming college student at high school graduation, before college move-in day, or at Christmas/their birthday.

For more college ideas, be sure to check out the following posts: