Ultimate List of Dorm Room Essentials | 38 Dorm Room Items You NEED

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This post is all about dorm room essentials.

Dorm room shopping is stressful, and requires a ton of planning. What if I bring too little? Too much? Not the right stuff? Forget something?

As a college student who lived on campus for two years, I can help you! I brought way too much stuff with me both years, even after learning my lesson the first time. I also didn’t bring a bunch of stuff that I definitely needed.

In this post, I show you exactly what you need in any dorm room. All of these items are essential dorm room products! I didn’t only use these products myself, but I noticed that my friend’s dorm rooms had them as well. These popular dorm room products will make your dorm life as functional as possible.

Here are 38 dorm room essentials.

DORM ROOM ESSENTIALS

This list does not include everything that you need to bring to your dorm room, but covers stuff that I find almost all dorm rooms contain. So, I can almost guarantee that these are items that you will be using a ton! I highly recommend getting these items in advance, in the months leading up to your move in, since the stores in college towns around college move-in days are essentially empty.

BEDDING

MICROFIBER SHEET SET

Some nice, quality sheets can go a long way in providing comfort in your dorm room. My mom got me some really nice microfiber sheets for my freshman dorm room, and I couldn’t wait to crawl into them every night.

THROW PILLOWS

Throw pillows really add a lot to your dorm room bed. Need your dorm bed to be converted into a couch for when friends come over? Throw pillows do the trick! I included some of my favorite throw pillows below, but check your local TJ Maxx or Target for some other great options.

*All the pillows below are listed as throw pillow covers, so I included my favorite inserts. Having separate throw pillows and covers is great for changing the look of your throw pillows at any time.

SLEEPING PILLOWS

High quality sleeping pillows are an absolute essential! College may be a lot of fun, but it’s also a lot of work. Take this new opportunity to get some new, nice pillows if the ones you have at home aren’t amazing.

THROW BLANKET

You’ll (hopefully) have your bed made throughout the day, making a throw blanket a must for daytime naps and Netflix binges.

COOKING AND EATING

ORGANIZATION

BED RISERS

Bed risers are great for making sure that you have enough space under your bed for storage. If you have the option to loft your bed, this is the best option. I was only able to half loft my bed, and some dorms don’t allow any lofting at all. Bed risers are recommended to make the most out of your storage space!

STUDYING

ESSENTIAL OIL DIFFUSER

This is not an absolute essential, but it’s something that’s nice to make sure your room is always smelling good. I added it under the “studying” category since certain scents can be associated with studying and give you a little brain boost! Who knows if it works or not, but in the middle of finals, I can guarantee you’ll be willing to try anything.

PENS AND PENCILS

Pens and pencils, obviously! Here are my ride or die selections –

HIGHLIGHTERS

And, my favorite highlighters! Highlighting in textbooks is a fantastic way to make quick notes that you can look back to.

STICKY NOTES

I use sticky notes while I’m studying to expand on core concepts and stick them right into my textbook or notebook. This is a great option for saving space in your notes.

PENCIL POUCH

A pencil pouch is necessary to keep your pens and pencils from just being thrown into your backpack. Make sure you get one that’s big enough – I had to buy a bigger one during the school year. I recommend the one below! It pops into a stand when you’re studying and zips into a bag when you’re not using it.

BEAUTY

DRY SHAMPOO

Rushed college mornings of sleeping in and early classes call for dry shampoo! My favorite is the Batiste dry shampoo. It comes in just the normal dry shampoo color, or the color of your hair.

OIL CONTROL MOISTURIZER

This Cetaphil oil control moisturizer is perfect for keeping any excess oil at bay if you’re not wearing makeup. Plus, it has sunscreen in it. It’s really the perfect daytime moisturizer!

BLACK MASCARA

I’ve tried so many black mascaras, and I still only come back to this one – the L’Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black! It stays in place better than any other mascara I’ve used and is a total bang for your buck. It’s fantastic!

QUALITY CHAPSTICK

College’s can be pretty dry, and a few quality chapsticks are essential for keeping in your dorm room and in your bag. Here are a few of my go to chapsticks.

UNSCENTED HAND LOTION

While scented hand lotion is great and can offer additional benefits, it’s important to remember that a lot of people have sensitivities to artificial scents. Therefore, make sure that you use an unscented hand lotion when you’re around other people – like in class!

CLOTHING

RAIN JACKET

I forgot to bring a rain jacket to my freshman year of college, and I had to buy one on the fly. Luckily, I got a super nice Eddie Bauer one as a gift. Invest in a nice rain jacket now! It’ll last you.

JOGGERS AND CREW NECK

If you don’t have a nice set of sweatpants and a sweatshirt that you’re able to wear on a run to the food court, you need to invest in some new ones! These sweatpants and joggers are my favorite and have lasted over two years.

EVERYDAY SHOES

Pick out a pair of shoes.. or two.. that you can wear regularly. You’ll be doing a lot of walking to get from class to class, so make sure that you break in these shoes! Here are my favorite ones.

WATERPROOF SHOES OR RAIN BOOTS

Just like forgetting a rain jacket, I also forgot rain boots. Remember to pack for all the weather you might encounter while living in your college town. Here’s some super popular rain boots I always see people wearing.

DECOR

CARPET

Even if your dorm room has a carpet, remember that it’s probably the carpet that they use in hotel rooms, too. Getting a nice fluffy carpet is a huge upgrade to your dorm room, and it helps make it feel a lot more homey.

WALL ART

Wall art takes every dorm room to the next level. Remember that you’re working with bland, most likely cement walls. I personally love buying art locally – it’s important to support artists! If you look hard enough, you’ll find some super affordable and one of a kind pieces right in your town.

PLANTS

Plants literally breathe life into your college dorm room. I get all of my plants from my local co-op, which sells plants from our local greenhouse. This is another great way to support local businesses! Plus, we end up finding some super unique plants and learning a ton about them from the staff at the co-op.

DECOR FIGURES

Decor figures are another thing that you can find pretty cheap at antique shops, thrift stores, etc. Really use your decor to make your dorm room your own!

THIS POST SHOWED YOU 38 MUST-HAVE COLLEGE DORM ROOM ESSENTIALS.