Moving out to study: what to take
Sorted by whether it can be bought there. Bedding and documents travel; a colander does not need to be carried three hundred miles.
45 items
Makes your own editable copy. No account needed.
The items
- Documents — do not pack these in a box
- Passport or ID
- Acceptance and accommodation letters
- Student finance paperwork
- Bank details and a card that works
- Medical records and repeat prescriptions
- Insurance documents
- Passport photos×4
- Bedroom
- Duvet and pillows
- Bedding sets, so one can be in the wash×2
- Towels×2
- Extension leadEvery student room has one socket in the wrong place.
- Desk lamp
- DoorstopHow you meet the people on your corridor in the first week.
- Coat hangers
- Laundry bag and detergent
- Kitchen — check what is shared first
- Plates, bowls, mugs×2
- Cutlery set
- A decent knife and a chopping board
- Saucepan and a frying pan
- Wooden spoon, tin opener, peeler
- Tupperware
- Tea towels
- Something to cook five meals you already know
- Study
- Laptop and charger
- Headphones
- Notebooks and pens
- USB stick or cloud backup set up
- Course reading list, checked against the library
- Health and safety
- First aid kit
- Painkillers and cold remedies
- Thermometer
- Register with a local doctor in week one
- Vaccinations up to date
- Admin, first week
- Register with the university
- Student card collected
- Bank account address updated
- Contents insurance checked
- TV or streaming licence, where it applies
- Bike registered and locked properly
Makes your own editable copy. No account needed.
Questions people ask
- What should you not bring?
- A printer, most of your books, a full kitchen and anything valuable. Halls have printers, libraries have books, and shared kitchens lose things.
- What gets forgotten every year?
- A doorstop, a first aid kit, an extension lead and the documents — passport, bank letters, medical records. The last group is the one that costs a trip home.