NEW YORK (AP) — From $300 studded headboards and $100 coffee table books to custom cabinets to hide your mini-fridge, students are spending big on decorating their dorm rooms, adding to the rising cost Costs of studying even further.
Some even go so far as to hire interior designers to spruce up their 12′ x 20′ room.
18-year-old Lesley Lachman and her roommate planned to decorate her dorm room immediately after she decided to attend the University of Mississippi in May. The Rye, New York, resident scoured websites like Pinterest and designed her room herself, using pinks, purples, and greens, chosen from a mix of expensive brands like Essentials with Eden, as well as cheaper items from Ikea and Facebook Marketplace. Total design cost? About $3,000, covered by her parents.
“So much work had to be done because it felt lackluster. “It didn’t feel homey,” said Lachman, who posted a “before” and “after” video of her room on TikTok.
The “before” video shows stark yellow cinder block walls, a mustard-colored built-in desk, and an open closet. The “After” video shows a complete makeover, with lace curtains to cover the closet, embroidered pillows and a comfy white headboard to dress up her bed, as well as custom framed heart art.
“I’m so in love with the space,” Lachman said after her redesign. “I want to leave the door open and want everyone to come and admire it.”
Overall, freshman season is big business: Families are expected to spend an average of about $1,367 per person, a 14% increase over the previous year, according to an annual survey conducted this summer by the National Retail Federation and market researchers Previous year corresponds to Prosper Insights & Analytics. More than half of the increase came from spending on expensive items like electronics and dorm furniture, as well as essentials like food, according to the NRF.
Meanwhile, the total cost of college — including tuition, fees, room and board — has nearly doubled between 1992 and 2022, increasing from an inflation-adjusted average of $14,441 per year to $26,903 for all types, according to the National Center for Education Statistics of universities increased, the statistics department of the Ministry of Education. Residence hall costs saw a similar increase over the same period, rising from $3,824 to $7,097.
Sara Hunt, 19, a sophomore at New York University from Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, wanted her dorm room to look cozy, but her budget was $100. That’s because it accounts for 30% — or nearly $30,000 per year — of NYU’s annual college bill. Financial aid takes care of the rest.
“I definitely try to work on being positive and not comparing myself to other people because I’m so lucky for what I have. But it’s really stressful,” said Hunt, who worked more than 60 hours a week last school year and took a job as a pastry chef this summer to help pay for college costs.
To decorate her dorm, Hunt searched Goodwill stores Dollar Tree, TJ Maxx and Five Below for deals on neon lights, wallpaper decals and bedding. She also browsed bins of returned items from major retailers at a discount bazaar in her hometown.
Jamel Donnor, a professor at William & Mary College in Williamsburg, Va., and a leading expert on inequality in education, said the wide gap in dormitory design shows an “unspoken reality of the haves and have-nots.” He pointed out the stark differences in dorm decorating between those who have money and those who don’t, which can leave some students wondering if they should be at their college at all.
“There’s this impostor syndrome,” he said.
Dorm supplies e-tailer Dormify plays with both ends of the budget. For the first time this fall, various bundles of essential items are being offered, including a pack of 19 items for $159, including bath towels and a comforter for those who are more budget-conscious. For those with a lot of money to spend, Dormify introduced an interior design service with interior designer Jen Abrams for $450; The plan is to launch the offering next year alongside other designers.
Amanda Zuckerman, co-founder and president of Dormify, noted that TikTok has raised the bar for dorm decorating, creating “the opportunity to become famous or go viral on TikTok because your room is so well decorated.” The Average orders are up 15% this fall, she said.
Dawn Thomas started an interior design service — After Five Designs — for college students 20 years ago in Jackson, Mississippi, after designing dorm rooms for her own school-going children. She said she has seen many other designers now working with students in recent years.
Thomas noted that parents spend up to $10,000. One of the most popular items is a $1,900 custom-built cabinet that covers the dorm refrigerator.
But she also notices that parents are starting to hold back on certain things.
“The economy didn’t do so well this year,” she said. “And I realized that the sky isn’t the limit.”
Emma Kirk, a native of Grenada, Mississippi, and a first-year student at the University of Mississippi, enlisted Thomas’ services and purchased, among other things, a gold-studded headboard, custom pillows and a bedspread. She didn’t know how much the total bill was since her parents had paid for it. But she said her parents held her back whenever she chose something too expensive.
“(Thomas) would work something out where we could get something similar,” she said.
Despite her tight budget, Hunt — the NYU student — says she’s happy with the way her dorm room is set up.
“At NYU, so many parents pay for everything. But I’m not here to judge,” she said. “The truth is, even if I had all the money in the world, I would probably still decorate my room the way I have it now.”
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