UPDATED: July 19, 2024

Ok, here we go. If you’re reading this, it’s getting real, and college move in day is probably fast approaching.

You’re likely exhausted from the past couple of months. College decisions, prom, graduation, dorm shopping, wild swings in emotions, arguments, tears, more shopping and fear of the unknown.

Let’s try to avoid the arguments and tears on move in day. The best way to do that is to plan ahead!

This article is focused specifically on preparing and planning for move-in day, not to be confused with shopping for your dorm room essentials!

While the list and steps in this article will be most relevant for those driving to college, those who are flying will also find helpful ideas and tips for a smooth move-in. Please also see this article for help with planning for a long-distance college move.

Here is your plan in reverse chronological order. Or you can jump to any of the following content:

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THINGS YOU NEED TO DO ASAP

Decide who is going with you

We did not bring our younger son (he had high school that day), but it was for the best. Between my husband, my son and myself plus his roommate and his parents, 6 was too many to have in the room at one time, especially with bags and bins and stuff everywhere.

Make Travel Reservations

Air Travel

If you have some time before you travel, you may want to setup an airfare alert to be alerted when prices drop. But you should definitely book far in advance especially if you’re headed into a smaller market.

Hotel/Lodging

If you’ll need a hotel and haven’t made a reservation yet, do it NOW. Or look at Airbnb depending on the city. Hotel reservations only get more expensive as we get closer to move-in time. Same goes for parents’ weekend, home football games, move-out and graduation.

Some schools offer hotel suggestions and even discounted rates for local hotels. Check your college website for this information.

If you haven’t yet, also consider booking hotel rooms for parents’ weekend and other busy visit times.

Make Dinner Reservations

If you will be in town the night before or staying the night of move in, consider making dinner reservations at a restaurant now as well, especially in a smaller town.

Finish Dorm Shopping

Need some inspiration or ideas? We have a few resources for you:

The Complete Dorm Room Essentials Guide: A Shoppable List

Our Amazon Storefront

Our Target Storefront

Our Walmart Storefront

Have dorm shopping questions? Join our /Dorm Shopping Facebook Group and ask away.

KNOW THE RULES

Be sure you know the rules for your dorm. For example:

• What can be used to hang decor on the walls?
• Requirements or restrictions for surge protectors and extension cords?
• Size or wattage requirements for appliances?
• Removal or rearrangement of furniture?

This article has the full list of dorm policies I hope you’ve researched already if you’re a few weeks from move-in.

Shop For A “Surprise” Move In Gift

If you’re considering a small gift for the new college student, now would be a good time to take care of that. Something sentimental? Something cute? Something from the dog? Better to get that ordered now especially if it will be a custom order.

Here is a creative list full of sentimental move in day gifts and little touches to quietly leave behind to be found later.

Check Your Insurance Policies

For the dorm room or other housing

Your homeowner’s policy may cover your child’s belongings in a dorm, but it may be a better option to pay for an inexpensive dorm/renter’s policy rather than make a smaller claim against your full home insurance policy. Given laptops, phones and other electronics and expensive items brought to campus, please be sure you are covered. Policies are typically very low in cost, starting at $5-10 per month. Also see our article on the best options for a dorm safe.

Car Insurance

If your child will not bring a car to college, let your insurance company know, and you may see a temporary rate drop. Ask for a ‘student away’ or a ‘student pause’ option. Some insurance companies require the student to be a certain distance for home such as 100 miles.

Get Important Documents In Place

Once our students become legal adults (18 in most states), we as parents do not have legal rights to any medical, academic or financial information or critical medical decisions without the student’s permission. If the student is unconscious or otherwise incapacitated and cannot give this permission, you may not be able to make medical decisions or handle their finances during that time. Please have your student strongly consider both a Healthcare and Durable Power Attorney.

Check with your college to see if they offer any type of legal assistance with putting these forms into place. BE SURE these are not just documents for the school medical center or FERPA (to access academic records) but actual Powers of Attorney that can be used in any medical facility or off-campus housing, not just those on campus.

Not many schools offer this service, so some choose to have their family attorney draw up these documents and others will tell you to just Google blank forms. The happy medium is to use Mama Bear Legal Forms where for about $63 (after our group’s 20% discount), you know you have legally valid Powers Of Attorney specific to your state. I also appreciated their online process walking my boys through the new and uncomfortable decisions about medical directives and final wishes. We had to do this with our younger son the summer before his senior year in high school as he has a summer birthday and is old for his grade!

Mama Bear also includes the opportunity to create forms for a second state if the student will attend college out of state, and they also provide an app so that all of you can Keep the signed documents on your phone and always have it with you in case of emergency. You can learn more on the Mama Bear website, and you can use our group negotiated discount code PSA20 to take 20% off your purchase.

Know The Move-In Situation

Check with your school to understand the move-in day process, for example:

• Do you need to start at a central check-in point? Do you need any special paperwork with you for check-in?
• You will likely have a certain timeslot for unloading & you may need to move the car after unloading. Decide who will move the car ahead of time and know where it needs to be parked.
• The school may provide large carts you can use to move the items from your car to your room.
• The school may even provide helpers to unload your car and bring your things to your room.
• Know that elevators will be in high demand and may have long wait times – you may decide to take the stairs more than you’d planned.

Pro Tip: If your school is providing student ‘helpers’ for car unloading and moving assistance, consider getting a few $5-10 fast food gift cards to have on hand as thank you’s.

Know The Parking Situation

If your child is bringing a car to campus, be sure to know the rules in advance in case you need to apply for a parking permit or park in a specific area for freshmen. While parking enforcement may look the other way on move-in day, they will probably not be lenient for long!

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START GATHERING the tools and supplies FOR MOVE-IN Day

• Moving bags – I recommend 6 to 8, 10 if you have a student who wants to bring all of their clothes or if you’re flying to college and need to double bag a few heavy bags. Do not spend more than $5 or $6 per bag, and be SURE they have the backpack straps. Walmart is linked here, but you can also check Amazon’s current pricing. Walmart is usually better but worth checking!
• Rubber mallet – Be sure to get one large enough to knock wooden bed slats in place. Some look large in the picture but are actually only a few inches long. The one linked here is the correct size.
• Wedge doorstop – Not just for move-in day. Prop the door open when you’re feeling social to invite your hall mates to stop in. This set of 3 will also allow you to loan one to others moving in who didn’t know to bring doorstops!
• Drawer liners – optional, but nice to have for the dresser and desk drawers. These are non-adhesive liners, and you’ll need scissors to cut to fit on move-in day. These are more decorative drawer liners if that’s of interest.
• Tape measure
• Pencil
• Level
• Sharpie
• Scissors
• Screwdriver – Phillips head and standard
• Just in case – pliers, allen wrench, standard wrench
• Step ladder – If you’re hanging wall art or organizing up high in a closet or over a wardrobe, you may need a step ladder. If there is room, you might leave it behind if decor needs to be adjusted or to reach higher storage.
• WD-40 – The door to my son’s room was SO squeaky that we had to run out and buy WD-40 even though we had a couple of cans at home.
• Zip ties – There are SO many uses for zip-ties when it comes to dorms. From keeping the moving bag zippers closed in air travel to attaching headboards or other items to the bed frame to corralling cords and helping things stay in place. The pack linked here contains various lengths.
• Small first-aid bag with Band-Aids, Neosporin, ibuprofen – This is for move-in day. This article details ideas and containers for a dorm first aid kit for your student.
• Trash bags – Have a few larger ones for all of the unpacking materials and leave behind a box of kitchen garbage bags for their kitchen-sized trash can (they need a big one!).
• Large yard waste trash bags or small tarps if there is anything that needs protection from rain while transporting from the car to the dorm (eg: a TV that is already out of the box).
• Optionally, a folding cart or utility cart. We did fine without these but had 2 18-year-old boys and their 2 ‘willing to lift heavy things’ dads.

If permitted:

• Command hooks, blue painter’s tape, poster putty, picture strips, whatever is needed to hang decor.
• Rubbing alcohol and a few cotton pads/balls to clean walls prior to command strips or other products.

Cleaning Supplies For Move In:

• Disinfecting wipes
• Paper towels
• Glass cleaner (Windex)
• Bathroom cleaning supplies (if attached bathroom)
• Vacuum cleaner/mop

For The Student & The Helpers

• Cooler with waters and cold washcloths
• Snacks
• Change of clothes after the move and unpacking is complete

Download or Print Our Dorm Move In Day Tools And Supplies List. Or Pin It!

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In The Month Before MOVE IN DAY

GET ORGANIZED. Do you have a big stash of items that you’ve purchased in one place? In lots of places? Start getting it together and put like things in piles. Bedding, office supplies, technology, storage items, furniture items, etc. Don’t start packing until you read the How To Pack The Car For College Move In below.

UNBOX: Open items that don’t need to transport in their packaging or boxes. It is so much easier to dispose of all of the packing materials at home than in a crowded dorm room far from trash facilities. Take pictures of the boxes and save the manuals until well after move in day.

ASSEMBLY TRIAL RUN: For items that will need to be assembled, consider taking the time to assemble them now. Even if you can’t transport it assembled, do a practice run. This has 2 big benefits. 1) You’ll know plenty early if anything is missing any parts. 2) Having assembled an item before move in day will cut assembly time and frustration by a good bit when assembling again with experience.

PACK SOME BAGS: Take a look below at the order to pack the car and start putting same phase items into your moving bags. Put items together that will be in the same “phase” of unpacking. Label bags, bins, boxes as you pack them if you can’t see inside. Label bags with individual items inside or with Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3 so you know where to start when you arrive.

PRE-LAUNDER: Wash all of the bedding and towels now – everything except the mattress topper which should stay sealed up for transport. I like these zippered storage cubes to store extra sheets, blankets and towels in the dorm room as well as off-season clothes. These have metal frames, so they stand on their own, also fold flat, and are great for under-bed storage behind the front-facing daily used storage.

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THE WEEK BEFORE MOVE IN DAY

Start gathering the clothes that will be moving to college. Leave clothes on their hangers, or move them to their dorm hangers. When you’re ready to pack them for the move, put them in the moving bag as pictured or through a heavy duty garbage bag if you aren’t using moving bags.

Moving bags make it so easy to carry heavy awkward items like these by using the backpack straps and carrying it that way.

Get familiar with the Notes app on your phone. Have it ready during move-in to jot down any quick shopping needs as you put the room together.

Pro Tip: Get some old washcloths, wet them, roll them up and stick them in a freezer baggie. These will go in your move in day cooler. Use them to cool off, clean items or clean hands.

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THE DAY BEFORE MOVE IN DAY (Or Day Before Travel Day)

Pack some snacks. You don’t need anyone getting hangry.

If you’re driving, prep a cooler. Lots of water. More than you think. Did you freeze those washcloths? Don’t forget those tomorrow. Put a sticky note on the cooler to remind you.

Hydrate today too.

If you’re making a day trip, pack a change of clothes/freshen up toiletries for the ride home or for dinner after move-in.

Put a small first aid kit together – band aids, neosporin, ibuprofen.

Pack as much as you can in the car today/tonight (important – see the order below).

Now is a good time to get everyone on the same page for tomorrow.

• Have dinner together as a family. Water glasses all around.
• Remind the student that this is their time, that you’re there to help with the move, but the decisions are theirs.
• It is their time….except for pictures. These are non-negotiable, and you don’t want to argue about it tomorrow. Just ask them to agree to photos as requested to help make the day enjoyable.
• Say your peace about staying safe, making good decisions, not taking any pills (they might be laced with something), treading lightly with parties and partying, never walking alone, practicing safe sex – whatever you feel you need to say. Better to do this now than tomorrow while you’re anxiously on the road, busy unpacking or saying goodbye.
• Agree on communication for the days and weeks after you leave. If your student prefers text over Facetime, let them guide it. Just ask for regular check-ins so you know they’re ok.
• Encourage them to seek help proactively whether it be academic, financial, physical, spiritual or mental health related. Get off to a good start, and don’t be afraid to ask for help – it is absolutely acceptable to do so!
• Agree to leave a little earlier tomorrow to help reduce stress. Especially if you have a specified move in time. Allow time for a little traffic, locating your check-in location and finding parking.

Pro Tip: Do you have the mailing address for your student at school? Go ahead and get that now, store it in your phone in case you need to ship a few things on your drive home. Also send it to grandparents or anyone else who may want to send notes or small gifts to the new college student.

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How To Pack The Car For Move In Day: The Order Is Important!

Be sure to plan ahead for what you will wear on move-in day and put that aside so that it doesn’t get packed. Definitely wear sneakers, so have socks too. No flip flops or slides. If you’re bringing a change of clothes for after the move, put them in a small bag that you can keep at your feet in the car so you’ll know where it is.

Pack things in the car in the reverse order that they will be needed when you arrive at your dorm. Note that this order is for those who are unpacking their own car a little at a time. If your school offers move-in helpers who bring it all to your room, then labeling your bags will be more important than the order they go in the car!

Put In The Car First (Last To Come Out Of The Car) – Move In Day Phase 3

• Electronics – Laptop, TV, clock, speakers, monitors, charging stations
• Appliances, coffee, food, snacks, drinks meant to stay in the dorm (not for move in day)
• Small storage containers of school supplies, jewelry, makeup, etc.
• Decor (except for large wall-hangings and rug) – lamps, ottoman, framed pictures, tabletop decor
• School supplies/desk needs
• Laundry and cleaning supplies
• Clothes, accessories, shoes
• Toiletries (except the few that may be needed to freshen up for lunch or dinner)
• Lounging chairs or futons

Put In The Middle – Move In Day Phase 2

• Air Purifier
• Step stool or step ladder
• Headboard (if you are bringing one that needs to be attached) and zip-ties or other attachment tools/supplies
• Curtains
• Wall hangings
• This bedding => mattress pad, sheets, blankets, comforter, pillows/cases
• Closet organizers
• Carts, storage drawers and other storage/organizing furniture

Put In The Car LAST – Move In Day Phase 1

• Cleaning supplies for move-in
• Door stoppers
• Vacuum (or small dust pan/broom or Swiffer mop) and Cleaning Supplies
• Mattress encasement
• Mattress topper
• Fan
• Rug
• Refrigerator – if you have room to keep it in the box, great. If not, do your best to keep it standing upright during transport.
• Surge protectors and if allowed, extension cords
• Drawer liners
• First aid kit
• Toilet paper (if attached bath)
• Patience – it will be a long, hot, crowded day. Everyone will be in your way, and despite A/C and a million WOOZOO fans going, it will be hot. And emotional.

Download or Print Our How To Pack The Car Printable. Or Pin It!

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MOVE IN DAY | Our 4-PHASE Plan

Deep breaths. Patience. Here we go. It is their day. You’ve got this. Smile. Breathe.

Finish loading the car and head to the college. If it is early, have a plan for coffee and breakfast.

If you don’t need to unload everything out of the car immediately and can park relatively close to the dorm, just bring in the first phase of stuff. It will be easier to accomplish Phase 1 without everything in your way. Phase 1 = the items listed above as Put In The Car LAST list above.

If you do have a limited window and have to bring everything in the car to the room quickly, hopefully you can keep the less urgent items in the hall or close to the door to keep it out of the way until you’re ready for it. This is where labeling will be really important to help keep you organized and not digging through bags to find things.

PHASE 1: Quick Clean and Important Item Prep

1) Plug in the WooZoo or whatever fan you have and get it going in the room.

2) Clean off the mattress with a Clorox wipe, let it dry quickly (the fan should help). If you brought an encasement, put it around the mattress and zip it closed.

3) Open the mattress topper and let it expand on top of the mattress. These may say 24-48 hours, but give it several hours today without sitting or lying on it, and it will be fine. You may have to move it later to hang wall art, and that’s ok.

4) Grab the rest of the cleaning supplies. Wipe down surfaces – desk, chair, bed rails, dresser, inside of drawers, inside of closet. Run the vacuum around the entire room. If there is an attached bathroom, definitely give that a good surface or even deep clean.

5) Unpack and plug-in the refrigerator – someone can be working on the fridge while someone is cleaning. NOTE: If you had to lie the refrigerator on its side for transport, DO NOT PLUG IT IN. It must stand upright for at least as long as it was lying down. This will allow the fluids in the coils to return to where they need to be.

Don’t put the rug down yet until the next phase in case you need to move furniture around to hang items. The rug will make it harder to move things.

Grab some water, take it all in and move on to Phase 2.

PHASE 2: Hang High Decor, Setup Rug, Furniture And Closet

1) Hang things that need to be reached with a step stool or ladder while you can move the bed and desks out of the way. This may include flags, posters, strip lights, curtains, lofted beds and bunk beds. Be sure you know the dorm rules for adhesives long before you arrive for move in.

2) Put together any furniture items. If possible, have someone do this out of the room in a common area.

3) Move furniture around (if allowed) to reach the desired layout. When we moved my son in, we tried it with the beds bunked, but they decided on unbunked. Tried them in the traditional one on each side but then determined they could fit foot to foot (thank you tape measure), and that’s what the boys decided. Then we raised them to the highest notch (ask: raised height, captain height, semi-lofted) so that they could get their dressers underneath. You’ll want the rubber mallet for adjusting the bed heights – if allowed. Check with the school.

4) Plug in the air purifier if you brought one.

5) If you have a headboard, set that up now. Here is where zip ties come in handy if you have the kind of headboard with legs to connect to the bed.

6) Do a quick vacuum run where the rug will go to pickup any debris from the moving and unpacking so far.

7) Unroll the rug, tape the corners down if necessary to get through the day without tripping!

8) Install the drawer liners if you’re using them.

9) Place any storage furniture in the room and move the mini-fridge if it was just temporarily put somewhere earlier. Be sure it ends up plugged directly into a wall or on a surge protector. Do NOT plug a mini fridge into an extension cord.

10) Install any closet organizers you may have brought – special hanging racks, shoe storage, etc.

11) Make the bed with all of the layers.

Take a water break, and maybe a quick snack.

Phase 3: Unpack

If you haven’t yet, it is time to bring in the last of what is in the car and start unpacking.

If your roommate is there unpacking too, try to work in a different part of the room from each other. In my son’s dorm room, the closets were next to each other, and the desks were next to each other. It worked out to have one organizing his desk and one organizing the closet, and then switching.

1) Unload clothes into the closet and into the drawers. Fold up the bags they traveled in and put them inside one of the blue bags (still opened up).

2) Setup any food appliances and food storage.

3) Find a home for toiletries and laundry supplies.

4) Organize desk accessories and school supplies.

5) Setup lamps, clocks, charging stations and other tabletop decor and devices.

Phase 4: TECHNOLOGY SETUP

I would save this for last because there could be issues, and you don’t want to hold up everything else because you can’t get a gaming device or TV connected to the WiFi. That can be solved for later.

Setup and plug in the electronics. Be sure to use surge protectors (if allowed), especially for the more expensive items.

Please note that smart items may not be able to attach to the college network for security purposes. This includes printers, Alexa devices, appliances with apps, smart plugs, etc.

DOCUMENT YOUR VALUABLES

Once the tech setup is complete, take pictures of the valuable items in the room along with a close-up of their serial numbers.

Don’t forget other valuable non-tech items such as jewelry, golf clubs, bikes, furniture, appliances and other items of value. It can’t hurt to have pictures of these items in the dorm room in case they are ever needed for a claim or for proof of ownership.

If you’re storing items in a safe with a key, take a picture of the key so that you’ll know what you’re looking for when it goes missing. If you’re using a combination lock, get that setup and store the combination in a shared note on the phone.

Store these pictures in the cloud or a shared album with parents. Call it Dorm Move In Day!

Quick Clean Up

Once everything is in place, find a place to store the empty bags and bins that are staying in the dorm, and take the collected move-in trash to the trash chute or dumpster.

Leave at least 2 of the blue moving bags folded up with the student. These are great for travel home, laundry, beach trips, tailgating, you name it. They’ll come in handy.

If you have time, help out with one last run through with the vacuum cleaner or the Swiffer mop.

Download or Print Our College Dorm Move In Day Plan. Or Pin It!

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Mission Accomplished

If you don’t have plans for lunch or dinner after you’re done, a word of advice….don’t hang around. Take a few pictures (get some good ones of the room to share with us in our Facebook group). Say your goodbyes. And let them get started on this adventure. You can do it!

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AFTER THE DROP OFF

If you’ve been in our Dorm Shopping Recommendations & Deal Alerts Facebook group, and this is your last child to go to college, don’t leave us! We’d love to stay in touch in our After The Drop Off: Parenting Through The College Years group. Join us there as we all adjust to having a college student, supporting our kids through their new adventures, discussing their challenges, roommate situations and more. This is a helpful group for moms to manage through new experiences, not a helicopter group trying to manage the student! It’s their time!

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