This Dorm IQ topic focuses on 3 things – why you might need a dorm safe, what you might put in a dorm safe and our recommendations for dorm room safes and how to keep them securely in your dorm room.

Before you shop for a safe, check your dorm provided furniture closely. Some dorms have a desk drawer with a lock or a lockable wardrobe unit for a closet.

As you read through this topic, keep in mind that that while this purchase is important to consider for a dorm room, it will also be useful for future years in off-campus housing and beyond.

You may also want to look into dorm insurance. It is quite inexpensive and something to consider to cover all of your dorm room belongings including electronics, jewelry and other valuables. While your home insurance may cover a short-term dorm residence, it is best to separate the two as primary home deductibles are often higher, and a claim may raise your home insurance.

Why You Might Need A Dorm Safe

Many assume that since your dorm room door locks, your belongings inside are protected.

Yes, in a perfect world, this should be the case.

Most people thoroughly trust their roommate, but there can be issues, especially when matched up with a stranger.

The biggest issues are not the roommate(s) taking items. Issues come with the door being left open when friends visit, or random or new to you people stop in or roommates hosting visitors when you are not in the room. Laptops, gaming devices and other small electronics can be quickly and easily removed from a room.

I’ve read several accounts of theft or even ‘excessive borrowing’. One roommate had to keep her Lululemon leggings locked away because her roommate kept taking them and then insisting they were hers all along. One dorm had a string of incidents where young thieves posing as students would wait outside the door for a resident to leave and then make their way into the building before the door closed and locked again. They then went through the halls looking for open or unlocked doors.

Hopefully, you won’t encounter struggles like this, but it is a good idea to safely store your personal items.

What Are Some Items That Your Student Could Keep In A Safe?

In addition to valuables, important documents such as social security cards, passports or birth certificates need to be kept secure. You may not need to bring these items to college, but if you plan to get a job or travel while in school, you probably will need to have them with you in the dorm room at some point.

Prescription medications should be stored securely. For refrigerated medications, you may be able to have your own mini fridge that you can secure from the outside or with a locking box kept inside the fridge.

Please Consider Keeping The Following Items In Locking Storage In Your Dorm Room.

1. Important Documents – Certified copy of the birth certificate, Social Security card, passport or passport card, copy of power of attorney documents.
2. Medication – ADHD, anxiety, and pain medications are among the top items stolen from dorm rooms.
3. Electronics – Laptops, iPads, gaming systems and AirPods are easy to pick up and easy to sell.
4. Credit & Debit Cards, Gift Cards & Cash – Your Student ID should work as a ‘credit card’ on campus, so you won’t need to carry cash or cards with you unless you’re leaving campus. If your student uses Apple Pay, these things should not be needed off campus either.
5. Jewelry – Any pieces that look real should be safeguarded. I recommend against bringing the diamond earrings from Grandma to dorm life.
6. Textbooks – It may sound strange to mention textbooks, but some specialty textbooks can cost $250+ to purchase and are easily resold for hundreds of dollars, so they can be easy targets.
7. Bicycles and Scooters are high theft targets – These probably won’t be allowed inside your dorm room, but you’ll want to get the strongest bike lock and chain possible for outdoor storage. Also consider a hidden AirTag such as in this faux bike reflector. Also consider an inexpensive bike for dorm life due to high theft incidents.

Dorm Safe & Locking Storage Recommendations

The first question we receive about safes in a dorm room is “wouldn’t someone just pickup a safe and walk away with the whole thing?” Excellent question. For each of the recommendations below, we recommend using a cable lock to tether the safe to a stationary object in the dorm room such as your bed frame or bed rail.

• Locking Medicine Box – 12.2″W x 7.9″D x 7.5″H, also available in alternate sizes.
• Small Locking Medicine Box – 10″Wx x 6.7″D x 6.7″H, also available in larger sizes.
• Small Locking Storage Box – 10.63″D x 7.5″W x 2.4″H Good for medications and small valuables. Comes with a tether cable so that you can attach it to your bed frame.
• Locking Storage Box – 6.5″D x 23″W x 13.5″H. Large enough for a laptop and other valuables.
• Locking Footlocker With Wheels – I love this one for the large size plus ability to roll it in and out from under the bed. Add a padlock to the front closure with the holes and a cable lock to attach it to your bed frame.
• Locking Storage Ottoman – A safe hidden inside an ottoman you can use to step up onto your bed or for extra seating. You can tether this to your bed to ensure it stays in the room.
• Locking File Cabinet – Offering more locking storage than a box, a filing cabinet gives you room to safely lock up even more personal items. It also provides more tabletop space for a microwave, printer or storage bins.
• Fireproof Waterproof Document Storage – Protect personal documents carefully. Be sure you have a printed copy of your Young Adult Power Of Attorney documents with you at college. Be sure your roommate can access these in the event of an emergency.
• BunkTrunk – An expensive but amazing dorm room solution. Good for any bed height, but especially useful for those high lofted beds or upper bunks. The locking trunk is large enough to hold all of your valuables and also serves as a desk with the opening flipped down. BunkTrunks are made by a small family business in California, and their customer service is amazing. You can use these after dorm life as a locking trunk by removing the legs.

See our Instagram Post for more on locking storage for your dorm.

Refrigerator Locks

Refrigerator Exterior Corner Lock – This connects around the outside of the door with a combination lock.

Locking Box For Refrigerator – This combination lock box is refrigerator-friendly. It has holes on the side to allow a cable lock to connect to a shelf.

Conclusion

An affordable locking storage option for college life can protect your valuables and bring peace of mind when you’re away from your dorm room. Be sure to check with your school to determine options provided in your room and also consider pricing out a dorm insurance policy for further protection.

For more information, these are popular dorm insurance posts in the Dorm Shopping Recommendations group.

More Dorm Information And Recommendations

Dorm IQ is a comprehensive learning series covering all of the questions frequently asked in our Dorm Shopping Recommendations & Deal Alerts Facebook group. The Facebook group is also a great source for prior years’ move-in pictures for decor and organizational ideas.

See all of the Dorm IQ Topics here.

Our complete Dorm Shopping Guide is available here.

Important Tips and tools for dorm and campus safety.

Have Questions?

Still have questions? Please comment below, or come ask us in the Dorm Shopping Recommendations & Deal Alerts Facebook group. So much great info in the group along with hundreds, maybe thousands, of move-in pictures from previous years to give you ideas and inspiration.

=> Please share this article with your dorm-bound friends and their parents. I would love for everyone to understand the topics in Dorm IQ before they start dorm shopping!

Next Topic

Planning for shared dorm items with your roommate(s).