Do I need to bring a doona and pillow to a residential college?

It depends on the college. Some provide a doona, pillow and bedding, while at others you bring your own. Check the accommodation office website or the college rules before you start packing.

Can I have my own fridge or kettle in my college room?

A kettle is usually allowed; your own bar fridge often has to be registered, and some colleges charge extra for it. Hot plates, heaters and toasters are usually banned in rooms. You'll find the exact wording in your college rules.

How much food should a student take to college?

Enough for three or four days. Cooked food keeps in the fridge for about three to four days, and college fridges are small. A few simple recipes help more than a bag full of containers.

What shouldn't you bring to student accommodation?

A set of saucepans, kitchen gadgets, a printer, clothes for the whole year and a semester's worth of toiletries. All of it either has nowhere to go, isn't allowed in college, or can be bought in town.

What do first-years miss most on the first day?

A power board, thongs for the shower, toilet paper, a mug and earplugs. These are the things people forget most often, and they're hard to track down on the first night.

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What to Pack for College: A First-Year's Checklist

04/11/2026

A packing list for first-years moving into a residential college: what they really need, what just takes up space, and which home cooking keeps.

What to Pack for College: A First-Year's Checklist

Quick answer

Pack mainly what the college doesn't provide and what you can't buy nearby in five minutes: ID and paperwork, medicines, your own mug, plate and cutlery, towels, a power board, thongs for the shower, earplugs and food for the first three or four days. Before you start packing, read the college rules and find out what's already in the room — bedding, a bar fridge and a kettle are often provided, or banned outright. Buy the rest during the first week, once you see what you're actually missing.

Before you pack: four things to find out

1
Read the college rules
Look for the section on electrical appliances. Many residential colleges don't allow hot plates, toasters or heaters in rooms, and your own bar fridge has to be registered — sometimes for an extra fee. Bringing a microwave you then have to cart back home costs you a weekend.
2
Find out what the room comes with
Email the accommodation office or check its website: is there a fridge in the room, are a doona, pillow and sheets included, is there a kitchenette on every floor or only downstairs? The answer will cross off half your list.
3
Sort things out with your roommate
If you're sharing a room or a kitchenette, one kettle, one clothes horse and one toaster is plenty. A quick message before moving in saves you two of the same thing that won't fit on one shelf.
4
Measure the space
College wardrobes tend to be narrow, and only a flat storage box fits under the bed. Pack clothes for one season; a winter jacket can be posted later or picked up after the first weekend home.

What a first-year really needs at college

ID and paperwork
Photo ID, your Medicare card, the offer letter, the accommodation agreement and a passport-style photo for the student card. Anyone on regular medication needs enough to last until the first visit to a GP in the new town.
A small set of your own dishes
A mug, a bowl, cutlery, a sharp knife, a small chopping board, one saucepan or frying pan and two containers with lids. Dishes go missing in a shared kitchen, but anything with your name on it finds its way back.
Bathroom and hygiene
Two towels, thongs for the shower, a toiletry bag or shower caddy (you carry it down the corridor), toilet paper for the first few days and a small first-aid kit: Band-Aids, painkillers and a thermometer.
Electricals people forget
A power board with several sockets — there's usually one power point by the bed, and it's already taken. Add a long charging cable and a reading lamp for when your roommate is asleep.
Sleep
Earplugs and an eye mask. College never sleeps, and O-Week is one long party in the corridor. Bring your own pillow only if you can't sleep on someone else's; bedding only if the college doesn't provide it.
Cleaning and laundry
A dishcloth, dishwashing liquid, bin bags, laundry liquid and a folding clothes horse if the room has nowhere to dry washing. Washing machines at college are usually shared and cost money per load.

What just takes up space at college

Parents pack these most often “just in case” — and at the end of the semester they come home unused.

A fully kitted-out kitchen
A set of saucepans, a blender, a toaster. A first-year cooks the same three meals on repeat, and one saucepan and one frying pan cover them. College rules often ban extra appliances anyway.
Clothes for the whole year
The wardrobe is small, and every weekend home is a chance to swap one thing for another. Pack a suit or a dress only if you know about an event that calls for one.
A printer
Universities offer printing on your student card or in the library. At home a printer jams once a month; in a college room it has nowhere to sit, either.
A semester's worth of toiletries
Six bottles of shampoo and a tub of laundry pods take up half the wardrobe. Every university town has a chemist and a supermarket, and the prices are the same.
Textbooks for the first week
The reading list comes in the first lectures, and most books are in the library. Buying ahead from last year's unit outline doesn't pay off.
Decorations from a childhood bedroom
One photo or small keepsake from home does more than a box of posters. Many colleges don't allow drilling or sticking anything to the walls, either.

Bring from home or buy there

Item	Bring from home	Buy there
Mug, plate, cutlery	Yes — from home, with your name on	Only if something breaks
Saucepan and frying pan	One of each from home	A second one, depending on how often you cook
Bedding and pillow	Only if the college doesn't provide it	Sheets, if the mattress size doesn't match
Power board	Yes, you'll miss it on day one	No
Toiletries and laundry supplies	Enough for the first week	The rest at the nearest supermarket or chemist
Kettle	After checking with your roommate and the college rules	No, if the room already has one
Desk lamp, clothes horse	If you have a spare at home	After the first week, depending on space
Pantry staples	Pasta, rice, tea and oil to start	Fresh food in town

What to cook at home for your son or daughter to take along

The first days at uni are the busiest: enrolment, timetables, the student card, finding the dining hall. Food from home makes sense here — but for three or four days, not the whole semester. The fridge in the room is small and shared, and colleges often have no freezer space at all.

The dishes that travel best reheat in one pot or in the microwave: bolognese, beef stew, savoury mince, risotto, stuffed capsicums or a pumpkin soup in a sealed jar. Pack them in single-portion containers and label each with the day it was cooked. Cooked food keeps in the fridge for about three to four days, so whatever isn't eaten by Thursday goes in the bin, not into Friday.

For the trip, pack food that doesn't need chilling: a tin of ANZAC biscuits, banana bread, a slice or two, a loaf of bread and a jar of Vegemite. Sausage rolls are a classic, but they only keep a day or two chilled — make them the first night's dinner. Bring soups and sauces in an Esky with a frozen ice brick and put them in the fridge as soon as you arrive.

More than a box of food, a few simple recipes your first-year can manage alone will help: one pasta dish, one soup, eggs three ways. Write them down on paper or send them in a text — after the first week, they'll cook from what they know, not from what's left over from home.

A note for the food box

Tuck a short note into the box or bag. A few lines from Mum or Dad read differently in a college room than they do at home.

“Bolognese for Tuesday, stew for Wednesday, ANZAC biscuits whenever. On Thursday you're cooking — the pasta recipe is on the back. Thinking of you this first week.”

“You don't have to ring every day. One photo from the dining hall is enough, so we know you're eating.”

“If anything goes wrong, a weekend at home is still on offer. So is the washing machine.”

What to send with your first-year from the family

If you want to add something more than food for the send-off, think about what fits in a college room and won't just get carted around for nothing. A contribution towards the first month works well while the budget settles — how to give it thoughtfully is covered in How to give money so it doesn't vanish in a weekend. If moving into college comes straight after finishing Year 12, you'll find ideas based on where your school leaver is heading next in Gifts for finishing school, based on what comes next.

Keep the personal touch small: one framed photo, a mug from home, a handwritten letter. In a room where everything is unfamiliar, that small thing is what turns a bed into a little place of their own.

Sources

FoodSafety.gov — Cold Food Storage Chart — How long cooked food keeps in the fridge and freezer.