After months of applications, exams, Results Day and conversations about where they might end up, your child is going to university this September. Exciting? Definitely. But a bit terrifying when you realise how quickly move-in day has arrived? Also definitely.
There’s a lot to think about in these final few weeks, from accommodation and money to packing up half their bedroom. So, here’s a simple parent’s guide to getting them ready without turning the whole of September into one enormous university checklist.
Right now: get the boring bits out of the way
Before you start debating how many towels one student actually needs, make sure the important admin is sorted. Your child should know their accommodation move-in date, have completed any university enrolment they’ve been asked to do and understand when their first rent payment or deposit is due.
Student finance is another one worth checking now. For students starting in September 2026, Student Finance England applications are still open. Students expecting their first payment should also make sure their bank details are correct and that they register on their course, as this helps make sure payments arrive properly and on time.
Accommodation for Students has a useful checklist that you may want to check out at this stage. It covers the things students themselves need to sort before leaving, from finances to packing, so you don’t have to remember absolutely everything for them.
Then comes the great packing debate...
This is the point where the spare room or the garage suddenly fills with boxes.
When your child is moving into university accommodation, it’s tempting to prepare for every possible situation. Before you know it, they’ve got four pans, twelve plates and enough cleaning products to open their own supermarket aisle.
Start with what their accommodation actually provides, then work from there. Bedding, towels, basic kitchen equipment, toiletries, clothes and a few home comforts will cover most of it.
If the thought of spending a Saturday dragging a trolley around three different homeware shops fills you with dread, Uni Kit Out is worth knowing about. They offer ready-made student kits containing things like bedding, kitchenware and bathroom essentials. They currently work with more than 350 universities and accommodation
providers, which means they can often deliver directly to halls before your child even arrives.
BONUS: Accommodation for Students currently has the code AFS10, giving students 10% off Uni Kit Out kits.
Have the money chat
It’s not the most exciting pre-university conversation, but definitely one of the most important. For many students, this will be the first time they’ve had a fairly large amount of money land in their bank account and then had to make it last for months.
Talk through the basics together: How much is their rent? Are bills included? Roughly how much will they have left each week for food, transport, socialising and everything else?
You don’t need to create a 14-tab spreadsheet and request weekly financial reports. Just helping them understand what they can realistically spend will make those first few months much easier.
We also recommend getting finances organised before arriving, including student bank accounts and making sure funding is in place.
A week before: stop buying things
Seriously. By this point, they probably have enough.
Use the final week to check what’s already packed rather than adding another trip to the shops because someone on TikTok said every fresher needs a mini waffle maker.
It’s also a good time to make sure your child knows a few very basic life skills such as...
Can they use a washing machine?
Can they cook three or four meals?
Do they know not to put washing-up liquid in the dishwasher?
Do they know what to do if they lock themselves out?
Nothing advanced. Just enough to get through the first few weeks without phoning home because their white T-shirts have suddenly turned pink.
Move-in day: embrace the chaos
Move-in day is almost never calm.
There will be cars everywhere, parents carrying boxes up stairs and at least one person who has forgotten something quite important.
Give yourselves plenty of time
Once you arrive, encourage your child to check their room and photograph any existing marks or damage. Work out where reception, laundry facilities and bins are, and make sure they know how to contact the accommodation team if there’s a problem.
Then help them make the room feel like theirs. Photos and a few bits from home can make a fairly plain student room feel much nicer much quicker.
And then comes the slightly awkward moment where you realise you have to actually leave...
Try not to drag the goodbye out for three hours. They’ll probably be nervous too, even if they’re pretending they’re not.
What happens after you leave?
This can actually be the strangest bit for parents. Your house suddenly feels quieter and you’re trying very hard not to message them asking what they had for dinner... or every meal of the day.
There’s no perfect rule for how often you should call. Some students will phone every day. Others will disappear into Freshers’ Week and pop up four days later with a message asking how long chicken lasts in the fridge.
Give them a bit of room. Starting university is about becoming more independent, and that includes making a few mistakes without somebody immediately stepping in. It doesn’t mean they don’t need you anymore.
And finally...enjoy it
It’s very easy to spend the run-up to move-in day worrying about everything that could go wrong. But this is a really exciting moment too.
Your child is about to meet new people, experience a new city and learn how to look after themselves properly, even if their definition of “properly” occasionally involves cereal for dinner.
Help them prepare, make sure the important things are sorted and then trust that they’ll work the rest out as they go. You’ve got them this far.
Now you just have to let them figure out the washing machine!
