This post is all about college stationery supplies.
Nothing will motivate you more in college than having the best and cutest college stationery supplies!!
After 4 years of college, I finally landed on all the BEST college stationery supplies that are the perfect mix of cute and functional. This is a list of all the must-have stationery supplies to help you complete your daily to-dos and stay motivated even through long study sessions.
What school supplies do college students need?
You might think that you don’t really need many school supplies for college. After all, most materials are online these days, aren’t they? Yes and no!!
While you probably don’t need as many school supplies as students used to, there are still several items that are SO helpful to have. I graduated college recently and I do not think I could have made it through without these supplies!!
Here are all the items you need for peak academic performance throughout college.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll earn a commission if you purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you. Our full disclosure policy is pretty boring, but you can read it here.
COLLEGE STATIONERY SUPPLIES:
Muji pens are one of the top stationery must haves according to almost any college student (at least the ones I know)!!
They seriously write so well, last so long, and they’ll make your notes look so pretty (that’s really all that matters, isn’t it?).
You never know when you'll need a good sticky note to write a quick thought or reminder that you want to keep right in front of you.
Sometimes, bright neon sticky notes can be a bit much... which is why I love these gorgeous pastel sticky notes instead!
You’ll NEVER get tired of a nice, neat, pastel highlighter — especially if you’re the bullet journaling type. I use these throughout my college planner and study notes to help me organize information and remember important due dates.
This seems so random, but you never know when you'll need a stapler or some tape. I love the acrylic style of these college stationery supplies. They look so aesthetic sitting on a dorm room desk!
The easiest way to make your notes look really good is by getting a minimalist notebook.
You have GOT to add these minimalist dotted notebooks to your stationery supplies list!
Book tabs will SAVE YOUR LIFE in college when you have a million spots in your textbook that you don’t want to lose sight of! I used these all the time to keep track of important pages and topics in my textbooks.
Every college student needs a good pencil case, but you definitely don't want one that's too bulky or heavy to carry around. That's why I love this minimalist pencil case!
These gold wire binder clips are so cute! They're another one of those items that you'd think you'd never need, but I always have a little jar of these sitting on my desk and I've randomly needed them multiple times.
Of course, you could always go with regular pencils and a sharpener, which is great, too. But if you’re looking for aesthetic stationery items, you’ll want to add these Muji mechanical pencils to your list.
While we’re on the whole pastel theme, these pastel erasers are fitting and obviously useful! Since you need erasers in college, why not at least get pretty ones?
Index cards can be so helpful when you're studying for exams. If there's something you're trying to memorize or facts you want to repeat to yourself, write them on note cards and then use them in study groups to test each other!
Paper clips are another one of those items that don't always feel necessary, but when you need them, you'll be so glad to have them around.
The most annoying thing is getting a package or delivery and struggling to open it. These retractable box cutters can even go on a keychain so you always have them on hand.
It's REALLY important to have some protection for your laptop, especially if you'll be carrying it around from class to class.
My boyfriend didn't have a laptop sleeve when he first started college, and he got some dents on his laptop, which is why I swear by laptop sleeves!! This laptop sleeve is a great way to offer your laptop some extra protection.
Every once in a while in college, your professor may give you a loose piece of paper. It might be notes, or a rubric for an assignment, or some other information on a sheet of paper.
If you have a binder, you can put it in there... but if you're like me and hate carrying around a bunch of binders, just get a loose paper case instead!
This will give you a way to carry around loose papers without them getting crumpled in the bottom of your backpack.
USB flash drives feel so outdated at this point, but I was surprised that I actually needed them on a few occasions throughout college!!
I had times in my college experience where I had to print assignments. I'd go to the library to print something, and for some reason, logging into my student account was NOT working. So, I'd end up having to put my assignment on a flash drive instead just to print it!
So annoying, but that's the reality of academic life sometimes.
Speaking of flash drives, if you have a modern laptop, you might not even have a USB port to plug it in!!
That's where I swear by these adapters. I carried this adapter around EVERYWHERE with me in college, and you have no idea how many times it came in handy.
You can use it for USBs or even SD cards!
I debated whether to add noise-canceling headphones to this list because I wouldn't put it in the category of "college stationery supplies," but noise-canceling headphones are seriously so helpful for studying.
If you really want to make sure you have the right college school supplies, add these headphones to your list. They're perfect for keeping you focused during busy library days, afternoons at a coffee shop, and any other last-minute focused study sessions you may have.
If you're like me then you LOVE a physical planner. I seriously can't live without my physical planner.
With everything being so digital, sometimes it feels so rewarding to write down a physical to-do list and check items off one by one. This simple college planner has what you need for academic success, including day planners, week planners, and even spots to track your well-being!
An external hard drive is another item that seems so excessive for college stationery supplies, but it's actually so important.
You can store important documents, important information, and large files on an external hard drive so that you don't take up all the space on your actual computer.
Plus, if your computer ends up getting lost or broken, you'll have a backup of all your files (if you keep up with backing up your laptop).
This is one of those things that you won't normally think about, but in an emergency situation you'd be so glad you had it!
Desk organizers are SUPER important for college students working from a small dorm room desk. You won't want to study if your desk is a mess, so having an easy system to keep it organized is key!
Since you'll be staring at your laptop so much, get a laptop riser!! This will help prioritize your posture and make you more comfortable overall when you study.
If you love to color-code your lecture notes and make them pretty, then you NEED colored gel pens!
You can get this set which comes in a bunch of different bright colors that will help make your study notes more fun.
When in doubt, some white erasers are super reliable. I can't tell you how many times in college I needed an eraser SO badly, but I couldn't find one anywhere. Best to stock up on these!
Okay, this pretty notebook might not exactly be an essential, but if you're going to get notebooks they may as well be cute!
A portable charger is one of those additional items you cannot skip in college!! You may have long days of class and studying, and the worst thing is being out all day and realize your phone is quickly dying.
Keeping a portable charger on you at all times will come in handy, especially if you live on campus!
A desktop stationery organizer is super handy to keep your variety of pens, writing instruments, highlighters, and other basic stationery all in one place on your desk. This way, they don't have to take up valuable space in a desk drawer and they're always at arm's reach.
Since you'll be staring at screens for SO much of your academic career, you should get a pair of blue light blockers! These will help protect your eyes and your brain from the harmful effects of being exposed to blue light all day, every day.
I've seen lots of college students with these white board calendars, which are so helpful for keeping track of your week.
At the beginning of every week, you can take a few minutes to write down due dates and important events going on. This can live on the wall above your desk or near your bed so that you never forget what's going on!
It’s SO important to have the right supplies in college, and even the small items can make a big difference. I hope this list of college stationery supplies helps you crush your to-do lists going forward!!
