The College Apartment Checklist
Your first off-campus apartment needs everything the dorm provided: kitchen gear, cleaning supplies, utilities in your name — plus a roommate plan for what's shared versus owned.
A dorm quietly handled a lot for you: furniture, a meal plan, custodians, utilities baked into housing costs. An apartment hands all of that back. The good news — most of it can be covered cheap if you know which items are fine from the dollar store and which few are worth real money.
What's actually new (vs the dorm)
- A kitchen. The single biggest change. You need gear, groceries, and at least three meals you can cook.
- Cleaning. No custodians. Bathrooms, floors, and trash day are yours now.
- Utilities in your name. Electric, maybe gas and water, definitely internet — set up before move-in, split with roommates in writing.
- Furniture. The dorm bed and desk stay behind. Budget for a mattress before anything decorative.
- Renters insurance. Many leases require it; student stuff (laptop!) is exactly what it covers.
Kitchen (the big new frontier)
Dollar-store version first; upgrade only what you actually reach for.
- One skillet + one saucepan (dollar-store fine; upgrade the skillet if you cook daily)
- Chef's knife + cutting board (worth paying for: the knife — a sharp $20–40 one, not a block)
- Plates, bowls, cups, silverware — 2–4 of each per person, thrift store is perfect
- Spatula, big spoon, tongs, can opener
- Baking sheet (doubles as a pizza tray, which is its real job)
- Food storage containers (free version: washed takeout containers)
- Dish soap, sponges, dish towels
- Trash can + bags (nobody remembers the bags)
Bedroom
Your dorm bedding may not survive the move — check the mattress size first.
- Sheets that fit the new bed (apartments are usually full/queen, not twin XL)
- Pillow + comforter (worth paying for: the pillow)
- Hangers — the closet comes empty this time
- A lamp (dollar-store fine)
- Curtains if the windows are bare — streetlights don't do quiet hours
- Under-bed bins for the stuff that had a dorm drawer
Bathroom
No more magically-restocked hall bathroom. It's all you now.
- Shower curtain + liner + rings
- 2 towels per person
- Toilet paper — buy it before you need it, forever
- Plunger + toilet brush (dollar-store fine, non-negotiable to own)
- Bath mat
- Basic first-aid kit
Cleaning (also new)
The dorm had custodians. Your apartment has you.
- All-purpose cleaner + sponges
- Broom + dustpan (dollar-store fine)
- Vacuum if there's carpet (worth paying for: a used stick vacuum beats a broken cheap one)
- Laundry basket + detergent — and quarters or the laundry app, ask early
- Mop or floor wipes for hard floors
- Toilet cleaner (see: bathroom is all you now)
Living / study space
- Somewhere to sit — secondhand couch, folding chairs, floor cushions all count
- A table you can eat and study at (worth paying for over a lap desk era)
- Wi-Fi router — order internet 1–2 weeks before move-in
- Surge protector power strips
- A lamp or two — overhead lighting alone is rough for study sessions
Roommates: share vs own
Have this conversation before anyone shops, or you get the classic: one apartment, one fridge, four toasters, zero can openers. The split that works:
Share (buy one, split it or take turns)
- Fridge, microwave, toaster, kettle (one each — the four-toaster apartment is real)
- Couch, TV, coffee table
- Vacuum, broom, mop, cleaning supplies (with a plan for who buys refills)
- Wi-Fi router and the internet bill
- Shower curtain, bath mat, plunger
- Trash cans and a shared bag stash
Own (yours, labeled if it comes to that)
- Everything in your bedroom
- Your towels (trust us)
- Your own plate/bowl/cup/silverware set — dish disputes end here
- Laptop, chargers, desk stuff
- Anything you'd be upset to lose when the lease ends and everyone scatters
Lease fine print worth reading
- 9-month vs 12-month: some student leases run the school year, most don't. A 12-month lease means paying (or subletting) all summer.
- Subleasing: check whether it's allowed and what approval it needs — before you count on it for summer.
- Joint vs individual liability: on a joint lease, a roommate who bails leaves everyone else covering their rent. Ask which kind you're signing.
- Co-signers: most student leases want one — line up the parent paperwork before application day.