First Year University Packing List: The Newest Checklist for New Uni Students.
September is coming soon! Many of my schoolmates will also be celebrating their uni year at the beginning of next month. But I’ve noticed that they have no idea what they should bring to university and are worried about it. As a results, I wrote this packing checklist for first year UK university students based on my previous experiences. I hope it will help you, who are new students too, to start your university lives smoothly 🧡.
The packing list suits both UK students and International Students around the world. You can find information in following aspects: packing DDL, documents, clothing, kitchen, home comfort, study essentials, electrical items, and medicines (for international students). Some information about tuition fees and shopping will also be mentioned.
When Should I finish packing?
It is important to know your deadline of packing your uni luggages. And that, depending on whether you went to school in England or Scotland.
Usually, universities in Scotland tend to start earlier than those in England — The former generally open Freshers’ Week and academic registration at the beginning of September; while the latter generally start at the end of September, even the beginning of October. For example, the University of Glasgow always opens Freshers’ Week in the second week of September, while the University of York will start in the last week of September.
Depending on these times, the University’s student residences will allow students to move in ONE week early. Therefore, it is necessary to pack your stuff before this time!
What Should I Pack for Uni?
1.Pack for Important Dorcuments 📃
During your first week at the University, you will have to go through the required new student registration (Enrollment).
Since these are essential, I’ve put them in the first part.
- ID, such as driving license or/and Passport.
- BRP card (if you have) and other Digital Visa Letters (As rules have changed, you may only have an eVisa. Check here to see if you meet the policy ➡️ https://www.gov.uk/get-access-evisa ).
- ASTA Documents (Some international students will need this).
- University acceptance letters.
- CAS Documents — International Students only.
- English language test certificates (International Students only) and Academic certificates for application – if the certificates are in a non-English language, they must need to be translated into English officially.
- Proof of fee payments – International students will need this, HM Customs will check this randomly.
- Accommodation contract – International students will need this, HM Customs will check this randomly.
- Sponsorship Statement – if you are being sponsored by a third party.
- Extra passport photos – 2″ photos with white and blue backgrounds (for visa applications if you want to travel abroad on holiday).
2. Pack for Clothes
The weather in UK is unpredictable. Sometimes it is still sunny in the morning and the sun is very pleasant. But then it starts to rain heavily in the afternoon. Yet the BBC weather forecast doesn’t predict rain. This causes it to be cloudy and cold most of the time in England. Summer can be very short — especially in Scotland (even in June can be snowy🤯).
My hometown is from a coastal city in the north-east of China. The overall climate there is very similar to the UK. Temperatures can reach below zero in the coldest winter days. But even so, I found Scottish winters cold, while England was ok (I lived in York for 3 years, then 2 years in Glasgow). According to my friends who are from southern cities, they think it’s unbearably cold 🥶. So if you’re coming from a warmer area, I highly recommend you read the following clothing packing advice carefully. They are summarised from multiple suggestions 🙂
Winter temperatures are typically 0-9 degrees. In spring and autumn, it is cooler in the morning and evening and hotter in the middle of the day. Summers are short but usually around 20-25 degrees. So, I would suggest you to bring:
- Some necessary underwear
- Nightwear
- Socks
- T-shirts
- Hoodies
- Gym clothes
- Pants/Jeans
- Jackets
- Hats
- Gloves and scarves
- Winter coats – feather jackets or parka
- Tweed Coats
- Rain coats — or any coats waterproof (sometimes it’s too windy to hold an umbrella)
- Umbrella — sometimes the rain is so heavy and you will need one
- Slippers – if you’re sharing a bathroom
- Trainers
- Backpack
Formal dress and shoes – will be needed for balls and graduations
3. Pack for Daily Use
When I was still a student, I tried almost all types of student accommodations: the single room that share bathroom and kitchen with other 9 students, the ensuite room (have own bedroom) which just share the kitchen, and the studio which have all equipments you need.
So, depending on the type of room you’re staying in, you’ll have to decide if you need to bring some kitchenware and bathroom supplies that you’ll be sharing with other students. Therefore, I will summarise this in four sections: bedroom, kitchen, bathroom and study equipment.
3.1 Bedroom 🛏️
The bedroom is the best place for you to relax. Make sure to dress it up the way you like it 🥳.
It is worth noting that on-campus student accommodations usually have single size beds (0.9 x 1.9 m), while off-campus student accommodations usually have small double size (1.2 x 1.9 m) , and some luxury accommodations are equipped with double size beds (1.35 x 1.9 m) and king size beds (1.5 x 2.0 m).
Unless it is necessary, I would recommend you to go to the neighbourhood supermarkets after you move in and buy it according to your needs, instead of bringing it with you (especially for international students.). For example, bed sizes in Asia are different from the UK. It is therefore more difficult to buy the right size bedding in advance).
But, you can bring:
- Table Lamp
- Super comfortable Duvet
- Duvet Cover
- Pillow
- Pillow case
- Sheet (Fitted Sheet or Flat Sheet)
- Mattress if you need
- Laundry basket
- Coat hangers
- Earplugs — you have no idea how noisy the student dormitories are !
3.2 Kitchen 🍳
Well, you might need to consider if you need to share with your flatmates. But I have to say, I quiet enjoy the times we cook together. We share our foods from different countries, and sometimes we hang out for bubble tea 🧋🧋and local foods too =) Kitchen is a great place to start a friendship.
Anyway, for kitchen stuff, I would suggest you to have:
- Mugs
- Cutleries
- Chopping knives
- Chopping board
- Peeler
- Bowls
- Plates
- Frying pan
- Baking tray
- Oven gloves
- Kitchen foil
- Cling film
- Grocery bag
- Food container
- Ice cube maker
- Rice cookers — Check if you need a voltage converter plugs.
- Coffee maker — if you love coffee and tea.
- Beer bottle opener — if you fancy a bottle of cider before sleeping
If you don’t want your luggage toooo heavy, buy them in the market 💰!
3.3 Bathroom 🛀
It is recommended not to bring a lot, usually just for the first two weeks after you move in your accommodation. Because you can easily buy them at supermarkets and pharmacies.
- Shampoo
- Conditioner
- Shower gel 🧴
- Soap 🧼
- Handwash
- Hairdryer — remember to bring power adapter plugs if you are an international student!
- Bath towels
- Towel
- Toothbrush + toothpaste 🪥
- Facial wash
- Makeup — if you prefer products from your own country (for example, I’m a big fan of using Japanese lipsticks 💄 and Korean facial masks, which are hard to come by in the UK. They’re even expensive on Amazon)
- Contact lens case and solution
- Sanitary towels -for girls
- Razor + shaving foam – for guys
3.4 Study Essentials 📓
- Laptop and charger.
- Portable hard drive or USB stick — trust me, they will be used when you have presentations.
- Pens and nice notebooks — if you’re like me and like to handwrite down points of knowledge 🙂
- Headphones
- Mobile phone and its charger
- Portable charger —
- Stapler and staples
- Folders
- Sticky notes
- Highlighters
- Planner — if you like to keep things organised too.
4. Medicines --- Not necessary
Medicines are not essential. Boots and Superdrug are two of the largest drugstores in the UK and they sell almost everything from toiletries to medicines. Paracetamol, Ibuprofen, Lemsip (for colds), Vitamins, Nail clippers… you can buy almost all non-prescription medicines here.
However, if you have any allergy preventative medication, make sure you bring some with you. Also, if you’re more used to using medicines from your own country, then bring English-language versions of the instructions and boxes – sometimes, UK Customs may randomly check your luggage.
Note: For international students from China, there are a number of Chinese herbal medicines that are not allowed to be brought into the UK ❌.
More details can be viewed here ⬇️
https://www.gov.uk/bringing-food-into-great-britain
https://www.gov.uk/bringing-plants-and-wood-into-great-britain/from-outside-the-eu
Check Before You go 🙂
1. Is every necessary fee paid?
Although it’s not essential, have you paid your tuition and accommodation fees yet?
Most off-campus student accommodations, apart from the university’s own accommodations, require residents to pay rent before moving in.
So, make sure everything is paid if required. Or they may cancel your accommodation, even send your information to those Debt Collection Agencies. I still remember that during the lockdown period (2020), some international students are unable to return to Uni in the UK. They hd to cancel their accommodation. It is their rights to cancel that during that period. However 😨 their information was submitted by the out-campus student accommodation to a debt collection agency, which kept sending harassing emails to the students…
Thus, it is necessary to check if you paid all necessary fees before you come to the uni. You can pay them by :
Credit Cards
- Debit Cards
Bank transfers
Trusted third-party payment platforms if you’re international students – such as Western Union, Flywire and EasyTransfer (depends on where you live; and the exchange rate might be different between platforms; check carefully before you use).
2. Bring some cash💷with you --- International Students Only.
If you are international students, remember to bring some cash with you (no more than 10k 💷). Because some countries’ credit cards do not support you to make payments outside your own countries. Besides, it will take you about 2-4 weeks to apply your own british credit cards. As a result, I highly recommand you to bring some cash with you.
3. 📲Do you need a new SIM Card? --- International Students Only
When you’re in a totally new country, it’s important to stay connected. If you don’t want to spend a lot of money on data roaming, it’s a good idea to have a UK SIM card before you go. For example, telecoms companies such as O2, EE, GiffGaff and others offer pay as you go SIM cards. You can buy them online in advance or when you arrive at the UK airport. They will allow you to chat to your family online as soon as you can!
Where to buy
After moving into your student accommodation, you will have plenty of time to decorate your dorm 🎉🎉 If you still need anything, go to your local markets to get them! Usually you can find some super-large markets around the university. The following stores are quite common: Waitrose, Marks & Spencers, Tesco, Sainsbury’s Morrisons, and Lidl. Just Google them on Maps! I’m sure you can find them 😁
Ps. These markets are ranked by the Price High to Low ^-^
At the end ...
WOW 🎉🎉🎉 Congratulations on reading this far! I’m sure you have a good idea of what you need to pack to start your unique university life with you.
But please remember this is just a reference. Don’t bring too many things. Because you still have to empty your dormitory during the summer holidays 😉
I hope this packing list is helpful, especially for the undergraduates who will be attending the University of Glasgow. And, if you know someone who would benefit from this? Share it with them!
Ps. Wants to know more tips about starting your university life? Register today ⬇️