Summer Storage for College Students – Student Summer Storage Services
Summer storage bridges the gap between spring move-out and fall move-in for college students across Southern California. When dorms close and leases end, students face a three-month window where their belongings need somewhere to go. Box-n-Go provides summer storage for students and student summer storage with pickup and delivery services designed around academic calendars, eliminating the need for truck rentals, parental travel, or trips to distant storage facilities during finals week.
We bring & pick up a storage unit, you load it
Storage by the box w/
in-room pick up
Why Students Need Summer Storage for Students Services
The academic calendar creates a predictable but unavoidable storage problem. Most university dorms require complete move-out within 24 to 48 hours after final exams, regardless of where students will live in the fall. Apartment leases often end in May or June while new leases don’t begin until August or September. This timing gap means students cannot simply move belongings from one location to the next—they need summer storage for students to hold everything until their next housing situation begins.
For out-of-state and international students, the challenge intensifies. Shipping furniture, mini-fridges, and dozens of boxes across the country or overseas costs more than storing items locally for three months. Many students discover that summer storage for students near campus is both more practical and more affordable than transporting everything home and back again.
Parents often underestimate the logistics involved. Flying in to help with move-out means booking flights during peak travel season, reserving hotels near campus at graduation rates, and renting trucks or cargo vans to transport belongings. These costs add up quickly—often exceeding the entire cost of professional storage with pickup and delivery.
The Storage Timeline Most Students Face
Understanding the typical storage timeline helps students and parents plan effectively. Most Southern California universities end spring semester in mid-May, with dorm move-out deadlines falling within days of final exams. Fall move-in typically begins in late August, creating approximately three months where student belongings need secure summer break storage.
This timeline creates pressure points that catch many families off guard. Students juggling final exams and papers cannot dedicate full attention to packing and moving logistics. Parents working full-time jobs struggle to arrange travel during weekdays when move-out deadlines fall. The result is often rushed decisions, forgotten items, and unnecessary stress during what should be a celebratory end to the academic year.
Summer storage for students services that include pickup solve the timeline problem by working around student schedules rather than requiring students to work around facility hours. Box-n-Go schedules pickups when students are available—before, during, or after finals—and handles all transportation so students can focus on academics until the very end.
Schools We Serve for Student Storage
Box-n-Go provides university summer storage services for students at colleges and universities throughout the greater Los Angeles area, Orange County, and the Inland Empire. Our coverage includes major research universities, liberal arts colleges, community colleges, and California State University campuses—anywhere students need storage over summer break.
In the Los Angeles area, we serve students at USC, UCLA, LMU, Occidental College, Caltech, and Pepperdine University. The Claremont Colleges—including Pomona College, Claremont McKenna, Harvey Mudd, Scripps College, and Pitzer College—have particularly high demand for summer storage for students given their residential focus.
We also serve CSUN, Cal State LA, Cal State Long Beach, Cal State Fullerton, and Cal Poly Pomona. In Orange County, students at UC Irvine, Chapman University, and Concordia University Irvine use our services each summer.
What Students Store During Summer Break
The contents of student storage vary based on living situation and what students plan to need in the fall. Dorm residents typically store bedding, mini-fridges, microwaves, clothing, textbooks, electronics, and personal items accumulated throughout the year. Apartment students often add furniture—desks, chairs, couches, and bed frames—to their storage needs.
Common items students place in storage during break include:
Bedding and linens: comforters, pillows, sheets, towels, and mattress toppers that won’t fit in luggage. Electronics: gaming consoles, monitors, printers, speakers, and cables. Appliances: mini-fridges, microwaves, coffee makers, and fans. Furniture: desk chairs, folding tables, shelving units, and floor lamps. Clothing: seasonal items, formal wear, and overflow that won’t be needed at home. Kitchen supplies: dishes, utensils, pots, and pans from apartment living. Decor and personal items: posters, photos, decorations, and sentimental belongings.
Students should avoid storing food (including sealed packages), liquids, perishable items, hazardous materials, and important documents. Passports, medications, and irreplaceable items should always travel with the student rather than going into storage.
The Traditional Storage Approach and Its Problems
Without dedicated student storage services, families typically resort to one of several approaches—each with significant drawbacks. The most common involves parents flying in to help with move-out, renting a truck or large vehicle, driving to a self-storage facility to rent a unit, loading belongings, and then reversing the entire process in August.
This traditional approach creates multiple pain points. Parents must take time off work and spend money on travel during an already expensive time of year. Students lose study time during finals to pack and coordinate logistics. Self-storage facilities require driving to their location, which students without cars cannot easily do. Monthly rental contracts often lock families into paying for units they don’t need once fall arrives.
Shipping items home presents its own challenges. Boxes shipped via parcel services cost significantly per package, and large items like mini-fridges or furniture require freight shipping at much higher rates. Students who ship everything home in May face identical costs shipping everything back in August—effectively paying twice for transportation.
The Real Costs of DIY Storage
When calculating the true cost of handling storage without professional services, families often underestimate total expenses. A parent flying from the East Coast to Los Angeles in mid-May might pay several hundred dollars for a round-trip ticket booked on short notice. Hotels near campus during graduation week command premium rates. Truck rentals require deposits, insurance, and fuel for trips between campus, storage facility, and return location.
Self-storage facilities near popular universities often raise rates during peak student move-out season, knowing demand exceeds supply. Administrative fees, required insurance, and security deposits add to the monthly rental cost. Students who forget to cancel units or miss move-out dates face additional charges that continue billing until addressed.
Beyond direct costs, there’s the value of time and stress. Parents using vacation days for move-out logistics aren’t using those days for actual rest. Students cramming packing between final exams sacrifice study time and sleep. The mental burden of coordinating trucks, storage units, and schedules adds unnecessary stress to an already demanding period. Student storage with pickup and delivery eliminates most of these hidden costs and complications.
How Box-n-Go Student Summer Storage Works
Box-n-Go designed its storage services specifically for the realities college students face. Rather than requiring students to transport belongings to a facility, we bring storage to them. This fundamental difference eliminates the need for trucks, reduces physical labor, and allows students to focus on exams while knowing their belongings will be handled professionally.
Our approach serves both students and parents effectively. Students manage the process independently—scheduling pickup, preparing belongings, and arranging fall delivery. Parents coordinate remotely if needed and have confidence that their student’s possessions are stored securely without requiring expensive travel or time off work.
We offer two storage options because student situations vary. A dorm resident with primarily boxes and small items has different needs than an apartment student with furniture who wants to share storage costs with roommates. Both options include pickup from the student’s location and delivery when they’re ready for fall move-in.
Summer Storage Options: A La Carte and Self-Load
Box-n-Go offers two storage solutions designed for different volumes of belongings and levels of involvement. Understanding which option fits your situation ensures a smooth experience from spring pickup through fall delivery.
A La Carte Valet Storage works on a by-the-box model, ideal for students with primarily boxes and portable items. Self-Load Flex Container Storage provides a portable storage unit for students with furniture or those sharing storage with roommates. Both options offer pickup and delivery service.
A La Carte Valet Summer Storage for Students
A La Carte Valet Storage offers by-the-box pricing based on what you actually store rather than renting a fixed-size unit. This approach means you pay for 10 boxes if you have 10 boxes—not for empty space in an oversized unit.
The process begins before pickup day. Box-n-Go mails a customizable box kit to your campus address, including Box-n-Go U Boxes designed specifically for student storage, packing tape, and markers. You can request additional boxes, different sizes, or use your own boxes and containers.
The Box-n-Go U Box uses thicker cardboard and full overlap flaps to resist collapse when stacked. This reinforced construction protects contents even when boxes are overpacked—a common occurrence during rushed end-of-semester packing.
On pickup day, our team comes directly to your dorm or apartment. We label every item, handle all lifting, and transport belongings to our secure indoor facility. You pack; we handle everything else. When fall arrives, we deliver everything to your new address—whether that’s the same campus, a different dorm, or an off-campus apartment. Storage over summer has never been easier.
Self-Load Flex Container Summer Storage Unit
Self-Load Flex Container Storage uses Box-n-Go’s portable summer storage unit containers—8-foot by 5-foot by 7-foot delivered to your location. The container is placed as close to your residence as building rules allow. You load at ground level on your schedule, without ramps or overhead lifting.
Once loaded, you schedule pickup. Box-n-Go retrieves the sealed container and transports it to our indoor facility, where it remains until you request delivery. When August arrives, we deliver the container to your new address for unloading.
This option works well for students with furniture or those sharing storage with roommates. Several students from the same building can combine belongings in a single container, splitting costs significantly. The container holds multiple students’ items or one student’s complete apartment contents.
Campus restrictions on container placement vary by school, so confirming logistics with your housing office is recommended. Our team advises on what’s typically possible at your campus based on years of experience serving Southern California students.
Short-Term Storage for Seasonal Student Needs
Summer break creates the largest seasonal spike in university summer storage demand, but short-term storage needs arise throughout the academic year. Students transitioning between housing situations, waiting for new leases to begin, or dealing with unexpected gaps between move-out and move-in dates all need flexible storage options that don’t require long-term commitments.
Traditional self-storage facilities often require minimum rental periods of one month or longer, with contracts that auto-renew unless cancelled. Students storing belongings for just a few weeks end up paying for time they don’t need. Box-n-Go’s approach to short-term storage accommodates the unpredictable nature of student housing transitions—store for exactly as long as needed, whether that’s six weeks or six months.
When Students Need Short-Term Storage
Common short-term storage scenarios include: lease gaps when one apartment ends before the next begins, waiting periods between dorm move-out and summer housing or travel, brief storage during apartment renovations or roommate transitions, and holding belongings while searching for permanent housing after graduation. Each situation benefits from storage that adapts to student timelines rather than forcing students to adapt to rigid rental contracts.
Self Storage Facilities Near Southern California Campuses
Students researching storage options will find self-storage facilities throughout the region. While Box-n-Go’s pickup and delivery eliminates the need to visit these locations, understanding traditional alternatives provides context for comparing approaches:
Near USC: Public Storage – 3625 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90007
Near UCLA: Public Storage – 1606 Cotner Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90025
Near LMU: StorQuest Self Storage – 12821 W Jefferson Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90094
Near UC Irvine: SecurCare Self Storage – 2960 Main St, Irvine, CA 92614
Near Claremont Colleges: Extra Space Storage – 775 S Mills Ave, Claremont, CA 91711
Near Cal Poly Pomona: A-American Self Storage – 2157 Murchison Ave, Pomona, CA 91768
Near CSUN: Public Storage – 18440 Oxnard St, Tarzana, CA 91356
Near Chapman University: Extra Space Storage – 1722 W Katella Ave, Orange, CA 92867
Traditional facilities require driving to the location, renting a unit, and transporting items yourself. Box-n-Go serves students at all these campuses with pickup and delivery that eliminates the transportation burden.
What Students Say About Box-n-Go
★★★★★ “Storage for the summer was exactly what I needed at Caltech. Box-n-Go picked up my stuff at the end of spring semester and brought it back before fall classes started.” — Caltech Student
★★★★★ “As an out-of-state student at UCI, shipping everything home wasn’t practical. Box-n-Go’s storage kept my belongings local and ready for fall move-in.” — UC Irvine Student
★★★★★ “The summer break storage from Box-n-Go was perfect for my situation at Occidental. I didn’t have to rent a truck or find a storage unit—they handled pickup, storage, and delivery.” — Occidental College Student
★★★★★ “We didn’t need to fly in to help with move-out. Box-n-Go coordinated everything directly with our daughter, and we could track it all from home. Huge relief for out-of-state parents.” — Parent of UCI Student
Storage Tips for Students
Proper preparation ensures your belongings remain in excellent condition throughout the storage period. These tips address common issues that cause problems during three months of storage.
Keep boxes under 50 pounds. Overloaded boxes cause injuries during lifting and collapse when stacked. Use more smaller boxes rather than fewer heavy ones, especially for books.
Remove all food completely. Food attracts pests regardless of packaging. Empty all cabinets, desk drawers, and backpacks before storage pickup.
Don’t store liquids. Shampoo, soap, drinks, and cleaning products can leak during transportation or temperature changes. Take these items with you or dispose of them.
Defrost mini-fridges 24 hours before pickup. Unplug the fridge, remove all contents, leave the door open, and wipe out moisture. Wet fridges develop mold during storage.
Clean microwaves thoroughly. Food residue and crumbs create odors that intensify over months of storage.
Label boxes on multiple sides. Write your name, phone number, and contents description on at least two sides. Stacked boxes hide top-only labels.
Start packing 2-3 days early. Finals week packing takes longer than expected. Don’t wait until the night before pickup.
Do a final room sweep. Check under beds, behind doors, inside closets, and in desk drawers. Forgotten items are common during rushed move-outs.
For a complete preparation guide, use our printable move-out checklist to ensure nothing gets overlooked.
Frequently Asked Questions About Summer Storage
What do college students do with their belongings over the summer?
Most students need to remove belongings when dorms close or leases end. Common options include taking items home, renting storage units, or using storage services that keep items during break and return them for fall move-in. Local storage with pickup and delivery is often more practical than shipping everything home.
Do dorms allow students to leave belongings over the summer?
Most dorms require complete move-out at the end of the academic year. Items typically cannot be left behind, even in closets or storage areas. This policy creates the need for student summer storage solutions that bridge the gap until fall move-in.
Is storing locally cheaper than shipping items home?
For many students, summer storage and shipping near campus is more cost-effective than shipping items home and back. When you factor in the cost of shipping heavy items like mini-fridges and furniture both directions, storage with pickup and delivery often costs significantly less. Summer storage and shipping services combined through Box-n-Go eliminate the need to coordinate multiple providers.
How do students without cars use storage services?
Students use storage over summer services that include pickup and delivery, like Box-n-Go. Items are collected directly from dorms or apartments and delivered back in fall—no truck rental or vehicle required.
Can roommates share storage?
Yes. Roommates frequently share Self-Load Flex containers for summer break storage, combining belongings and splitting costs. This approach reduces per-person expenses significantly while keeping everyone’s items together for easy fall delivery.
Do parents need to fly in to help with storage?
With full-service options like A La Carte, parents typically don’t need to travel. Students manage the process independently while parents coordinate remotely. This eliminates flight costs, hotel expenses, and time off work.
What items should not go into storage?
Do not store food (including sealed packages), perishable items, liquids, hazardous materials, or important documents. Keep passports, medications, and irreplaceable items with you.
When should I book storage?
Book storage over summer early—ideally several weeks before finals. Peak demand occurs during the last two weeks of spring semester, and scheduling fills quickly. Early booking ensures you get your preferred pickup date and time.
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Valet
Explore Summer Storage for Students
Box-n-Go provides storage throughout Southern California. Visit our school-specific pages for information tailored to your campus:
Los Angeles Area: USC | UCLA | LMU | Occidental College | Caltech | Pepperdine
Claremont Colleges: Claremont Colleges | Pomona College | Claremont McKenna | Harvey Mudd | Scripps College | Pitzer College
Cal State Universities: CSUN | Cal State LA | Cal State Long Beach | Cal State Fullerton
Orange County: UC Irvine | Chapman University | Concordia Irvine
Explore Our Services: Student Storage | Dorm Storage | Student Discounts | Pickup & Delivery | Study Abroad Storage
Before finals arrive, download our student storage move-out checklist to prepare for a stress-free summer transition.
Local Moves
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Out-of-State Move
Get Started with Summer Storage Today
Don’t wait until finals week to arrange storage. Whether you need full-service A La Carte valet storage or a Self-Load Flex container to share with roommates, Box-n-Go makes seasonal storage simple across Southern California. Our services handle pickup, secure indoor storage, and fall delivery—so you can focus on exams, enjoy your break, and return to campus ready for a new year.
Call 877-269-6461 to discuss your storage needs, get pricing, or schedule pickup. You can also visit our Google Business page for reviews, hours, and directions.
Box-n-Go Service Area
Box-n-Go serves students at colleges throughout greater Los Angeles, Orange County, and the Inland Empire. Our service radius covers 45 miles, reaching all major campuses from Malibu to Irvine.
