College may be fun and exciting, but your budding student is there to learn. Once you’ve furnished all of your student’s dorm necessities, like bedding and a shower caddy, it’s time to turn your sights to where they’ll be spending the majority of their time: their desk. The best desk accessories will serve a daily function, whether that be keeping your student organized or helping them see in the dark, and hopefully brighten their day a little bit too.
I combed through customer reviews, reviews from trusted publications, and recommendations from major retailers, to find the best desk accessories for college students, ranging in price, style, and function.
Note: We are a reader-supported site and may receive compensation when purchases are made through these links.
Our Top Picks:
- Best Calendar: Hivillexun Magnetic Dry Erase Calendar Whiteboard Set – $23.99 at Amazon
- Best Cell Phone Stand: Lamicall Cell Phone Stand – $8.99 at Amazon
- Best Wireless Charger: Anker 315 Wireless Charger – $14.99 at Amazon
- Best Headphone Stand: EURPMASK PC Gaming Headset Hanger – $12.99 at Amazon
- Best Cute Desk Accessory: Post-it Pop-up Note Dispenser – $16.99 at Amazon
The Best Desk Accessories
1. Best Calendar: Hivillexun Magnetic Dry Erase Calendar Whiteboard Set
With all their project due dates and upcoming tests, the best thing you can do for your college student is to help them stay organized from afar. This dry-erase calendar is great for those who don’t like traditional notebook planners but need a physical (and a large visual) reminder of their to-do list. Plus, it gives them a way to customize their calendar and tasks all in one place.
2. Best Cell Phone Stand: Lamicall Cell Phone Stand
While cell phones may be the biggest distraction when they’re trying to get work done, it can be helpful to have them on hand for texting someone from class or multi-factor authentication. This cell phone stand can keep it out of their hands physically and can help keep it upright if they need to watch videos on it. This highly-rated acrylic phone stand comes with almost 99,000 reviews and 4.7 stars on Amazon.
3. Best Wireless Charger: Anker 315 Wireless Charger
There’s nothing worse than losing your phone charger, especially if your phone is your morning alarm. Make it easy to keep their phone at 100% with this wireless charger that they can keep on their desk at all times. With almost 3,800 Amazon reviews, this wireless charger is one of the best you can come by. It’s even recommended as the best cheap wireless charging pad by CNET.
4. Best Headphone Stand: EURPMASK PC Gaming Headset Hanger
For the avid gamer or the student who prefers headphones to earbuds, this headset hanger is a must-have organizational tool. The best part is that it won’t take up any valuable desk space since it hangs off the edge of the desk — dorm desks aren’t very big, after all.
5. Best Cute Desk Accessory: Post-it Pop-up Note Dispenser
When a college student sits down to hours of work at their desk, it’s nice to have some fun trinkets or cute accessories as a little pick-me-up, like this adorable cat-themed Post-It dispenser. It comes highly recommended by Business Insider and has a whopping 4.8-star rating and 13,438 reviews on Amazon. Plus, it may even remind them of their cat at home.
6. Best Planner: The Centered Student The Ultimate Grad Bundle
Created by a college professor, The Centered Student Planner will help keep your student organized and there are some gorgeous cover designs making it more aesthetically pleasing. You can buy the carefully curated planner separately, which features a calendar, budget and grade trackers, and stress management tools. We also like this bundle that has extra stickers and tools to make planning their year a little more fun!
6. Best Desk Organizer: Simple Houseware Mesh Desk Organizer with Sliding Drawer
Between test papers, notebooks, and homework, your college student has a lot of things that need to stay organized on their desk. With this comprehensive organizer, they’ll be able to keep everything right where they can see it, from important documents to writing utensils and more. It might take up a bit of space, but they’ll fill it with more than enough necessities that would otherwise be in a pile.
7. Best Desk Mat: PB Teen Scallop Slim Desk Mat
This cute acrylic desk mat will add a personal touch to their desk setup with their own initials printed on it. It’s a simple way to dress up a boring dorm desk and make it feel a little more like home since they’ll be spending so much time sitting at it. It’s easy to wipe down and can help protect their desk from spills and messes.
8. Best Pen Holder: PB Teen Metal Desk Accessories Set
While most work and assignments may be done on the computer these days, your student will still need pens, pencils, erasers, and more. And what better way to keep them all organized in the right place than this luxe four-piece accessory set featuring a sleek tray and three containers of different sizes? Available in either black or white, this is a stylish way to keep things corralled.
9. Best Desk Lamp: White Crown LED Desk Lamp
Many college students will find themselves studying through the night long after their roommate has gone to bed, and this LED desk lamp will make those late nights a whole lot easier without disturbing anyone. With 10 brightness levels and five lighting modes, they’ll be able to customize their light to avoid eye strain and save those settings. Plus, this lamp has a USB port for phone charging and an automatic shut-off timer if they accidentally leave the lamp on (or fall asleep while studying!).
10. Best Cord Organizer: OHill Cable Clips
With a desk lamp, laptop, phone, and whatever other devices they have, their desk is likely to be cluttered with cords. Help them keep everything in place and tangle-free with these cord organizers that they can stick to their desk, nightstand, dresser, and more. Named the best cable clips by Good Housekeeping, the OHill Cable Clips have almost 61,000 Amazon reviews.
11. Best Wireless Mouse: Logitech Signature M650 L Full Size Wireless Mouse
Sometimes a trackpad alone isn’t enough if your student is doing a lot on their computer. This wireless mouse can easily be transported to class, to the library, and back to their dorm. With silent clicks, they won’t be disturbing their roommate or study partners while working. Your student can conveniently customize the device’s two side buttons for quick, convenient shortcuts, and the included batteries should last for two years.
12. Best Fun Desk Accessory: Rockdoodles 2024 Punny Daily Desk Calendar
Desks don’t have to be that serious! Put a smile on their face when they’re missing home or gearing up for a long study night with this daily puns desk calendar, complete with cute little illustrations. Great for a care package or beginning-of-the-semester gift, this tear-off calendar will brighten their day and their desk.
13. Best Drawer Organizer: SMARTAKE 13-Piece Drawer Organizers with Non-Slip Silicone Pads
Desk drawers can quickly turn into junk drawers for a college student that is organizing their belongings on their own for the first time. Ease the process for them with these non-slip drawer organizers that can be configured to fill their desk drawers with pencils, tape, notepads, and more. If they have extras, they can outfit some for their dresser drawers as well.
14. Best Laptop Stand: Rain Design mStand Laptop Stand
Ergonomics are important, especially for a young college student who will be spending countless hours at their desk. Invest in this Wirecutter-recommended laptop stand that comes in six colors to keep their head, neck, and shoulders right where they need to be during long study sessions. They can even use it to turn their desk into a standing desk temporarily.
15. Best Whiteboard: PB TEen No Nails Dual Function Study Board
Dorm dwellers will have a lot of wall space to fill up and this dual whiteboard and pinboard is the perfect thing to hang above their desk. Part functional and part decoration, they can write out their to-do list for the week next to photos and reminders of home. It also uses 3M adhesive strips for damage-free installation that’s easy to pull off when they move out.
Why You Can Trust Us
Hi, my name is Grace! I’m a full-time writer and expert product tester. I specialize in writing buying and gift guides for the best home products you can find on the internet, from kitchen appliances to organizational tools.
Grown & Flown is the go-to resource for first-time and veteran parents of college students. Whether you need help navigating the college admissions process with your teen or shopping for their dorm room, they’ve got everything you need to know covered.
With my experience testing and reviewing products, I’ve learned a thing or two about what makes a product worth buying, from analyzing customer reviews to product specifications. For this article, I searched for the best desk accessories that would meet a variety of needs that college students have. Selecting well-rated products from a variety of retailers, I found desk accessories that are functional, convenient, and often very cute.
More Great Reading:
The 6 Best Places to Buy Dorm Stuff Online
The 5 Best Dorm Shower Caddies
The 5 Best Shower Shoes for College
Prices were accurate at time of publication.
