This article is about dorm headboard options and how to attach your headboard to the bed or the wall. Don’t miss the other bedding topics, including How To Layer A College Dorm Bed and How To Choose A Dorm Bed Mattress Topper, plus a few additional important topics to have in mind while dorm shopping.

Now, let’s dive headfirst into headboards!

Do You Even Need A Headboard For a Dorm Room?

Do you need a headboard for dorm beds? Most students have an adjustable-height dorm bed and raise the mattress to the very top in order to create more storage space below. This leaves the mattress above the bed frame, and therefore, there is no headboard.

So do you NEED a headboard? No, it isn’t a necessity, but here are a few reasons to consider a dorm headboard.

1. The head of your bed may be up against a wall (often concrete block) wall or even partially in front of a window. In this case:

• You’ll likely want something between you and the wall/window.
• Headboards keep pillows from falling off the end into the space between the bed and the wall.
• Headboards make it more comfortable to sit up and lean back in bed.

2. The head of the bed may be ‘floating’ in the room with nothing behind it. This is more common with fully lofted beds and bunk beds. In this case:

• Headboards help keep pillows from falling to the floor while you sleep.
• Headboards give you the possibility to sit up and/or lean back in bed.

In a tiny space with many limitations on decor and comfort, a headboard is a great way to add style and comfort to your dorm room. They’re not all frilly, either. Keep reading to see more masculine options, too.

What Size Headboard Do You Need For A Dorm Bed?

For actual solid frame headboards with legs, here is what you should know. As you can see in the graphic above, Twin and Twin XL beds are the same width; therefore, both bed sizes will use a Twin Headboard. There is no such thing as a Twin XL headboard (some may call it that, but it’s really just a twin; don’t pay anything extra for a headboard that says Twin XL!).

• Twin or Twin XL Dorm Bed = Twin Headboard
• Full or Full XL Dorm Bed = Full Headboard
• Queen Bed = Queen Headboard

XL beds are 5″ longer, but the width of the beds is the same.

In addition to solid frame headboards, pillow and cushion headboards are also available and are not sold in a specific bed size. You’ll see what I mean as you read through the five headboard options below.

How Do You Attach A Dorm Headboard To A Dorm Bed (+ Supplies Needed)

Dorm beds do not have screw holes like a regular bed frame, but that doesn’t mean you’re out of luck. Use heavy-duty zip ties to attach the headboard legs to the bed frame. It is actually pretty simple. Give our quick video a watch and follow these instructions:

• Grab a bag of heavy-duty, longer zip ties – look for at least 18″ and 175lb tensile for the strongest hold. You can also find them on Amazon.
• Put your headboard together (attach the legs).
• Align the headboard legs with the back of the legs of the bed at the desired height.
• With one person holding the headboard in place, a second person can attach zip ties in several places around the best post & headboard legs until you reach the desired stability. If there are horizontal slats on your bed frame, attach zip ties just above them so that each zip tie rests right on a slat.
• You can cut most of the ends off the ties if desired.
• The legs won’t touch the ground (and that’s okay!). It’s still secure, and once your bed is made, you’ll never notice.

Dorm Headboard Options

1) Solid Frame Headboards With Legs

This is the same type of headboard you might buy for a bed at home. The legs have slots for connecting a bed frame. But dorm beds do not have these bed frames, and there is no way to connect them.

Dorm Headboard Recommendations & When To Purchase

A few popular options are below. These tend to come and go from the market fairly regularly, so if there is a broken link, my apologies. If you see something you like, this is a dorm item to buy early, as the popular ones first go way up in price and then sell out by summer. In general, before May, under $100 or even $80 is good pricing for these. Once we get into the summer, if they are still available, those still available will soar to over $100.

See our full list of dorm essentials that get more expensive and/or sell out each summer.

• Faux-Leather Tufted Headboard – easy-to-clean faux leather.
  
• Performance Velvet Vertical Channel Headboard – stain-resistant performance velvet.
  
• Performance Velvet Button-Tufted Headboard – stain-resistant performance velvet.
  
• Tufted Velvet Headboard – in four colors with deep button tufting for more texture and a more elegant look – also in the stain-resistant performance velvet.
  
• Linen Fabric Tufted Headboard – this is a good option for more masculine decor
  
• Warm Gray Horizontal Stitched Upholstered Headboard – another more masculine option.

Looking for more white headboard options? See our article with ten more of our favorites.

2) Solid Frame Headboard – No Legs

These traditional-looking, no-legs headboards come from a few dorm specialty retailers, particularly DormCo. These rest on the head rail of your bed frame and attach to the wall with adhesive Velcro strips. That works if you’re allowed to put adhesive products on the wall. The catch is the price tag. These are pricier than the traditional headboards above.

Please be aware that you may find some DormCo items on Amazon. Always check the DormCo site, too, because sellers have to pay a good bit to sell on Amazon and often set higher prices there. This applies to any DormCo product, not just bedding and headboards.

Dorm Co’s Traditional Headboards

These headboards are designed to wedge between the mattress and the bedframe, but some are also available with legs. You can always add legs on your own if you need them. Just have a couple of 1″x 4″s cut to length at Home Depot and screw them into the back of the headboard.

DormCo’s Tufted & Classic Headboards

DormCo’s Nail Head Trim Beveled Headboards

DormCo’s Fur Or Plush Headboards

3) Cushion & Pillow Headboards

In their freshman years, both of my boys had Twin XL beds with the head of the bed up against the wall.

Both of them decided against a solid frame headboard and opted for a headboard pillow instead.

You can see the ‘headboard’ in these pictures. They are solid, heavy enough to stay put, and the cover zips off and is machine washable. It wedged nicely between the mattress and the wall.

This pillow can be purchased at many retailers, and it is an absolute crapshoot as to who will have the best price on the day you are shopping. The best deal is usually around $60, and this is another item that sells out by summer.

Here are the retailers where I track the pricing. If you join our Dorm Shopping Facebook group, I’ll let you know when it goes on sale somewhere.

Target Dorm Headboard Pillow – Less likely to go on sale but is a great deal during coupon events.

Kohl’s Dorm Headboard Pillow – If it goes on sale, and you have a coupon, this can be your best price.

Walmart Dorm Headboard Pillow – This typically has the most frequent deals and sales out of the rest (as of 4.8.26, it is out of stock at Walmart – unsure if they will restock)

Amazon Dorm Headboard Pillow – This tends to go out of stock more frequently on Amazon, but it is worth a quick price check.

You can also go with this pillow as an option. 34” wide is almost the entire width of a Twin/TwinXL bed. It’s 26” tall and available in several colors, and it’s OEKO-TEX® certified.

Triangular Womax Wedge Pillow – Another pillow option, more supportive for sitting up in bed, but not as tall. Also good for a lofted bed. Note that there are other less expensive brands of this type of pillow, but we consistently hear that they slump down and are useless. This brand linked is the one that everyone loves.

4) Dog Bed Dorm Headboard!

This is unexpected but works great – a new use for dog beds. Yep, you can use a dog bed as a dorm headboard.

All you need to do is look for a thick but flat dog bed, not the kind with the raised-ledges around the outside. Keep in mind that your Twin/Twin XL bed is 38″ wide, so you’ll want something about 36″ wide and 2′-3′ tall. BUT, as with your dorm mattress topper, please be sure the dog bed is CertiPUR-US® certified to ensure there are no toxins if the bed is made with memory foam.

Sew some strong loops on the back (bottom) of the pillow. Install Command Hooks on the wall to hold those loops (if Command products are allowed).

Voila!

Leave it to one of my favorite bedding brands to have a CertiPUR-US® and OEKO-TEX® certified large flat dog bed. Several colors available, and that price!

You could also purchase one of these and cover it with your own custom fabric to match your dorm decor.

5) DIY Dorm Headboard

For a hybrid DIY solution, DormCo offers a plain headboard that you can use as is or cover with fabric to perfectly match your room decor.

Alternatively, you can visit YouTube to find tutorials on how to make a dorm headboard from scratch.

Conclusion

Choosing the right headboard for your dorm bed is a balance of style, comforter, and budget. I hope the information above has helped you narrow in on which direction you’ll go with your dorm bed. I hope you’ll join our Facebook group and show us your dorm move-in pictures!

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 to give you ideas and inspiration.

=> Please share this article with your dorm-bound friends and their parents using the share buttons on the left. I would love for everyone to understand all about headboards for dorm beds before they start dorm shopping!