The 5 best academic planners for college students

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  • Keeping track of homework assignments, events, and goals in college can be overwhelming.
  • A physical planner can make it easier to stay organized, set goals, and jot down quick notes.
  • Below are the 5 best academic planners for college in 2022, from brands like Moleskine and Blue Sky.

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When it comes to juggling classes, weekend plans, and long-term goals in college, using a paper planner is never a bad idea. For one, physically writing down information is shown to improve your memory , which comes in handy for keeping track of due dates and extracurricular events throughout the year.

The other benefit of writing in a physical academic planner is it gives you a screen-less space to reflect on your goals, cross off finished homework, and organize your life. With the variety of planners out there, you can find everything from simple daily planners for easy scheduling to journals focused on time management or habit-tracking. And if you decide to get one in the middle of the academic year, there are plenty of undated versions, too.

The 5 best academic planners for college students in 2022:

Best college academic planner overall: Blue Sky Academic Year Weekly & Monthly Planner, $20 at Amazon Of all the planners out there, we consider the Blue Sky Academic Planner the best one overall because of its weekly and monthly layouts, which are great for both quick calendar planning and more in-depth notetaking for each day of the week.

Best college academic planner for scheduling: PAPERAGE 17-Month Academic Planner, $14.95 at Amazon If you prefer to use your planner strictly for scheduling, the PAPERAGE 17-Month Academic Planner comes with weekly and monthly overviews as well as a class schedule tracker.

Best customizable college academic planner: Moleskine Spiral Academic Planner, $28.99 at Amazon While Moleskine is most famously known for its classic minimalist notebooks , this spiral academic planner boasts the same high quality but with more guidance on its pages.  

Best college academic planner for self-reflection: bloom daily planners Academic Year Goal & Vision Planner, $26.95 at Amazon When it comes to planners set around specific goals, bloom daily planners is our favorite for its themed planners, such as its Academic Year Goal & Vision Planner.

Best undated college academic planner: BK Undated Weekly/Monthly Planner 2022-2023, $14.50 at Amazon The Perfect Planner from BK makes it easy to jump in, no matter where you are in the year.

Best college academic planner overall

college student planner

Blue Sky 2022-2023 Academic Year Weekly & Monthly Planner, $20, available at Amazon

Of all the planners out there , we consider the Blue Sky Academic Planner the best one overall because of its weekly and monthly layouts, which are great for both quick calendar planning and more in-depth notetaking for each day of the week. It also comes with a yearly goal section to write down broader reflections.

Additionally, the Blue Sky Academic Planner comes in a huge variety of colors and sizes , making it feel more customizable.

Best college academic planner for scheduling

college student planner

PAPERAGE 17-Month Academic Planner 2022-2023, $14.95, available at Amazon

If you prefer to use your planner strictly for scheduling, the PAPERAGE 17-Month Academic Planner comes with weekly and monthly overviews as well as a class schedule tracker. Its lay-flat layout makes it easy to simply leave it open on a desk, and its 100 gsm acid-free paper is thicker than typical planner paper, so you're less likely to have any pen bleed-throughs that mess up your calendar.

There are also extra pages for miscellaneous notes such as holidays, birthdays, and other big events to remember.

Best customizable college academic planner

college student planner

Moleskine 2022-2023 Spiral Academic Planner, $28.99, available at Amazon

While Moleskine is most famously known for its classic minimalist notebooks , this spiral academic planner boasts the same high quality but with more guidance on its pages.  

On top of its weekly and monthly calendars, class schedule, GPA tracker, project tracker, and habit tracker, it also has select prompts like "this year, I will:" and "why was this year memorable?". 

The number of journaling options available in this one notebook makes it a great planner to customize. You can use it for remembering assignments and grades, or add elements of goal-setting and daily journaling to the mix, adding creative elements like sticky notes or drawing to truly make this planner your own.

Best college academic planner for self-reflection

college student planner

bloom daily planners 2022-2023 Hardcover Academic Year Goal & Vision Planner, $26.95, available at Amazon 

When it comes to planners set around specific goals, bloom daily planners is our favorite for its themed planners, such as its Academic Year Goal & Vision Planner. On top of weekly and monthly calendar pages, this planner includes pages for in-depth goal-setting in all areas of life, including relationships, fitness, finances, family, and fun. 

Beyond promoting a healthy balance between academic study and other important things like friendships and health, its layout encourages breaking down bigger goals into actionable steps so you're not overwhelmed with tasks during an already busy time.

Best undated college academic planner

college student planner

BK Undated Weekly/Monthly Planner 2022-2023, $14.50, available at Amazon

If you're months into college when you realize you could really use a planner, it can be frustrating to pay for one when you can't use all the pages. Undated planners, like the Perfect Planner from BK, make it easy to jump in no matter where you are in the year.

It has all the same benefits as a dated planner, including monthly and weekly pages. But it also has 68 extra pages for notes, with dotted paper that makes it great for bullet journaling . As an added bonus, it comes bound with a sleek vegan leather cover for a stylish touch.

college student planner

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GenTwenty

7 Best Academic Planners for College Students in 2024

By: Author Alyssa Towns (Swantkoski)

Posted on Last updated: March 12, 2024

Categories College

Take your pick of these 7 stunning planners that top our list for the best academic planners for college students! You can’t go wrong with any of these picks.

There’s nothing quite like the anticipation, excitement, and nervousness that fill your mind in the weeks leading up to a new fall semester. I wish I could bottle up the magical feeling of new classes, friendships (romances, perhaps), and cute fall outfits. Entering a new school year and semester is perfect for organizing and diving into new routines. 

As a college student, one of my favorite beginning-of-the-semester rituals always included a new planner for the academic year. Finding a school planner that meets your needs is one of the best ways to ensure you set yourself up for success. Effective time management skills start with tracking and planning how to spend your time and following through on those plans!

So many great planner options are available for college students, varying in layout, features, book size, and design. Whether you’re looking to plan and track your school assignments, extracurricular activities, social life plans , to-do lists, or some combination of the three, there’s a planner made for you that will help you have a successful academic year. 

Here are seven of the best planners for college students (many of these work well for high school students, too!), listed in no particular order. We focused primarily on paper planners, but an online planner is mentioned for those who prefer a digital calendar. 

This post may contain commissionable links. Thank you for supporting this resource.

7 Best Academic Planners for College Students in 2023

Emily ley academic year daily planners.

I’ve always loved Emily Ley planners. They’re beautiful , organized well, and have plenty of space for all the good stuff. This college planner runs from August 2023 through July 2024 and is a daily style. 

The Simplified Planner comes in a few different design options and is designed minimally to help busy people stay on top of their joyful lives . One of the best perks about purchasing the Simplified Planner is that you can access the Simplified Planner Coaching Video Library , complete with 12 videos from Emily Ley! 

Key features & specs for this 7” x 9.25” planner:

  • Monthly views, as well as daily pages (one day per page + weekends) 
  • Hourly schedule layout from 6:00 am to 9:00 pm for full-day planning 
  • Simple pops of color throughout 
  • Includes a colorful sticker sheet 
  • Colorful monthly tabs 
  • Double-sided pocket to hold notes & other small pieces of paper 

These planners typically cost about $64, but you can likely snag one on sale since they’re dated .

Click here to get $15 off your Emily Ley planner!

best academic planners for college

The Simplified Planner (Blush Magnolia)  Source: emilyley.com

Erin Condren Academic Planners

The Erin Condren Academic Planners are like the organized best friend in your backpack that you won’t be able to live without. It’s no wonder Erin Condren planners are so popular—they’re customizable, pretty, and easy to use. 

Build your all-in-one student planner for 2023-2024 with dated weekly, monthly, and yearly planning pages. You can also choose from one of four interior page designs, including Colorful Cosmos, Colorblends, Focused, or Star Wars™. Select your coil and personalize your cover with your name for a special touch. 

Key features & specs for this planner:

  • Available in two sizes: 7” x 9” or 5.8″ x 8.3″
  • Dated for 12 months (choose August 2023 through July 2024 or September 2023 through August 2024)
  • Coiled or softbound (lay-flat) options available to meet your needs
  • Monthly quotes , notes, and productivity pages
  • Detailed pages for daily scheduling, projects, and exam tracking 
  • Includes one sticker sheet

Softbound planners start at $32.50, and coiled planners start at $40.50. The total cost depends on your customization options and whether you add extra pages. 

college student planner

Erin Condren Academic Planner (Colorblends interior page design)  Source: erincondren.com 

Passion Planner Weekly ‘23-’24 Academic Planners

If you’re looking for a simple planner for your wildest hopes and dreams, Passion Planner is the one for you. This is a great option if you want to add more creativity to your life, as it prompts us to think bigger with white space for writing, doodling, and brainstorming. Additionally, it includes monthly reflection questions, so you can pause and ensure you’re on the path you hope to be.

Passion Planner includes a Passion Roadmap to define your short and long-term goals, monthly and weekly pages, monthly reflection questions, and blank pages. Choose from a handful of beautiful covers, including this year’s beautiful Celestial Blue Holo design. The Passion Planner Weekly Academic runs from July 2023 to June 2024, so you can dive in and use it immediately!

college student planner

Weekly ‘23-’24 Academic Planner (Celestial Blue Holo) Source: passionplanner.com

  • Available in three sizes: 5.8” x 8.3” or 6.9” x 9.8” or 7.8” x 11” 
  • Customize your weeks by choosing a Sunday or Monday start day 
  • Monthly layouts with space to include your top personal and work (or school) projects 
  • Daily breakdowns from 6:00 am to 10:30 pm for full-day planning
  • Space of Infinite Possibility is included in every weekly layout for writing, doodling, creating, or anything else you desire
  • Quotes and challenges to keep you motivated , along with a box where you can outline your focus for the day and month
  • Eight monthly reflection questions and an end-of-the-month checklist 
  • Blank note pages, to-do lists, project work, or anything else 
  • Includes five free sticker sheets (in the back pocket)

The plain black planners start at $40.99, with designed covers starting at $50.99.

college student planner

Weekly ‘23-’24 Academic Planner Source: passionplanner.com

Click here to get $15 off at Passion Planner!

Blue Sky Weekly Planner Notes Life

The Blue Sky academic planner and notes agenda is one of the most affordable options on the market. Not only are these planners affordable, they’re elegant and will help you stay organized and on top of your to-dos throughout the year. 

The Blue Sky planners run from July 2023 through June 2024 and include spacious weekly spreads and monthly calendar views for the year. Keep track of your schedule, daily reminders, goals, schoolwork, etc. 

  • Available in two sizes: 5.875” x 8.625” or 8.5” x 11”
  • Includes 50 lined sheets for notes, projects, and ideas
  • Space for your to-do lists and goals alongside your weekly view
  • Pages for yearly goals, contacts, and important events 
  • 2-sided storage pocket for your documents and small notes 

Grab a Blue Sky for $15-$20. 

college student planner

2023-2024 Bella 8.5” x 11” Weekly Planner Life Source: bluesky.com

Day Designer 2023-24 Academic Year Planners

The Day Designer planner includes monthly pages, daily schedules, to-do lists, and room for gratitude. This academic planner is a solid choice for college students obsessed with goal-setting, productivity, organization, and appreciation for the small stuff. There are tons of designs to choose from for a personal touch. 

Day Designer’s complete daily planners run from July 2023 through June 2024. They help you visualize your schedule, track assignment due dates, and break down big projects into manageable daily tasks. You can choose either a daily or weekly layout , depending on your preference. 

  • Available in two sizes: Original Daily and Original Weekly (9” x 9.75”) or Mini Daily and Mini Weekly (6.625” x 8.3”) 
  • Designed to track today, to-dos, gratitude, top three priorities , and more
  • Includes goal-setting worksheets so you can track and achieve your biggest dreams
  • Inspirational quotes for ongoing motivation 
  • Includes two gold foil sticker sheets 
  • Protective gold corners so your planner doesn’t bend 

Daily and weekly Day Designer planners run from $58-$68.

college student planner

2023-24 Daily Planner (Sunset) Source: daydesigner.com

bloom Daily Planners 2023-24 Academic Year Line

bloom offers over 70 dated and undated planners with cute, inspirational covers and designs. Some of their planners are designated as “ give back items ,” so your purchase will support others through one of four of bloom’s impact branches. If making a difference is one of your core values, you can’t go wrong with a planner from bloom.

These planners are designed to help you build and maintain a balanced , more fulfilling lifestyle. Use your bloom daily planner for 12 months, from July 2023 through July 2024.

  • Available in nine sizes, with 5.5” x 8.25” and 8.5” x 11” being popular options
  • Hard and soft cover options available to meet your needs
  • Spacious monthly and weekly views with weekly prioritization & a habit tracker 
  • Vision Planners include a unique, guided planning system with pre-month vision boards that encourage and inspire action in the following categories: personal growth, relationships, health, family, home, fun, school (or work), finances , and more
  • Many planners include a free sticker sheet and magnetic bookmark 

Planners range from $9.95 to $32.95. Here’s 10% off your purcahse at bloom!

And if paper planners aren’t your jam, try a bloom digital planner for $11.95.  

college student planner

2023-24 Hard Cover Vision Planner® (Poppy Meadow, Blue) Source: bloomplanners.com

Papier Academic Planners

Papier’s academic planners help students and professors make the most out of their school year semesters. Keep track of exams and assignment deadlines, write down marks for improvement, set goals throughout the year, and split big projects into smaller tasks. Choose a hardback or spiral-bound planner and a fun cover design. 

Papier academic planners run from August 2023 through July 2024. 

Key features & specs for this 6″ x 8.5″ planner :

  • Includes a timetable so you can lay out your weekly class schedule each semester, complete with classroom numbers and other details
  • “My Deadlines” tracker for assignments, exams, and grade tracking
  • Monthly overview to plan for the month ahead, along with weekly trackers for more detailed weekly planning
  • Finance and recipe tracker so you can stay on top of other personal areas in life

Papier’s academic year diaries start at $32. Get $10 off Papier with this link!

college student planner

Papier Academic Year Planner (Joy) Source: papier.com

Which one is the right planner for me?

The good news about having so many academic planners to choose from is that there’s bound to be one that works best for you. And while there’s no special formula and certainly no “right” answer when choosing the perfect planner, below are three of the most important things you should keep top of mind to help you find the best fit. 

First, do you prefer to plan by month, week, or day? Think about the level of detail you want to capture in your planner. For example, I was always a big fan of using daily planners to lay out my schedule hour-by-hour. Others may only need to see a weekly view for a higher level, big-picture understanding of their responsibilities and tasks. Be sure to pay attention to which layouts are included in the planners you choose to explore. 

7 Best Academic Planners for College Students in 2023

Secondly, are you a minimalist planning type or someone who loves the extra bonuses of using a planner? I’m talking about motivational quotes, inspiration, space to add stickers and other memories (similar to a bullet journal) , and all the good stuff. If you prefer clean pages and using space strictly for planning purposes , look for a planner that won’t distract you with extras so you can focus on what truly matters to you. If you prefer the fluffy stuff, keep that in mind when reviewing planner options.

And finally, think about what size planner works best for you! I loved 8.5” x 11” sized planners because I had extra room to write and take notes. One semester I tried to move to a smaller size and hated it. Determine what makes the most sense for you, and if anything, go bigger than you think you need so you have extra room. 

Get your planning on!

Grab your planner and get ready for a great semester! You’ll be off and tackling your busy schedule in no time. We hope this blog post helps you find the best planner for you. Which one will you be trying out this semester? Let us know in the comments!

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About the Author

Alyssa Towns (Swantkoski)

Alyssa graduated from the University of Colorado Colorado Springs in 2016 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice. Early in her career, her interests shifted, and she works in communications and change management. She lives in Denver with her husband, and they love going on adventures together. She lives for summers in Colorado and enjoys hiking and stand up paddleboarding. She also enjoys collecting plants and stationery sets, reading self-help books, and is obsessed with the Yoga with Adriene YouTube channel. No matter where her career path leads her, writing, and sharing her experiences to help others will always be a part of her plans.

Website: https://www.wordswithalyssa.com/

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27 Best College Planners For Students To Stay Extremely Organized

This site contains affiliate links, view the disclosure for more information.

Looking for the best college planners that will keep you insanely organized? This post is all about the best college planners.

college planners

Staying organized is extremely important in college. One of the key ways to stay on top of everything is by having the perfect planner. 

There are so many different college planners out there. For me, I love time-blocking so that's something I looked for in a planner. Some people are goal-oriented so having goal planning pages is important to them.

No matter what kind of planner you are, there is definitely something out there for you! Here are our favorite college planners that are sure to keep you on top of your A-game.

This post is all about college planners.

Best college planners:, 1. bsl college planner.

college student planner

The BSL team wanted to come up with something to keep you extremely organized and make sure no assignment or to-do is forgotten. As obsessed organizers, the BSL team is in love with this planner and we know you will be too. 

This has it all - from time-blocking, semester schedule, 4-year course planning sheets, weekly overviews, monthly goals & budgeting sheets, and so much more. This would have saved my life in college!

Looking for an iPad version? We've got you covered...  click here.

2. Erin Condren Life Planner

academic planner 2021

I have heard amazing things about Erin Condren planners. If you are someone that loves having a college planner that has everything laid out for you - full day pages with time blocking, to-do lists, notes, etc. - this is the planner for you. 

My sister has the Life Planner and has nothing but good things to say about it. Definitely one that comes highly recommended! 

Erin Condren also has other planners that aren't as intense. If you aren't someone that time-blocks, they have more simple planners as well. They also have a ton of designs that you can customize too! 

3. Ponderlily Weekly Planner

cute academic planners

The Ponderlilly Planner is simplistic in the best ways possible. Each month has a “roadmap” where you can layout your wellness, relationship, finance, home, and project goals to really ensure you're on the right page for the coming month!

The week is set up into timetables which are amazing and they have a to-do list on the side. If you need a to-do list for every day of the week you’ll definitely need to use sticky notes but that’s not too big of a deal. If you are looking for a small planner that still gets the job done, this is it!

4. 2021 Year Task Planner

custom college student planner

I went out of my way to see if Nordstrom had any planners and I’m so glad I did! This planner is amazing if you have your schedule down and you just need a place to write your to-do lists. I know for me there’s a point in the semester where I stop using the scheduling part of the planner because most days look the same every week. Love this planner a lot!

5. My Daily Planner by Papier

high school student planners

The name of this planner speaks for itself - it’s all about making it happen daily. I love this planner because it really implements all the best productivity tools into one. I also love that the planner incorporates goal-making. I think this is an amazing planner whether you’re in school or not. 

6. Full Focus Planner Planner

academic planners

The Full Focus Planner  is all about staying on task and getting into the “zone” to ensure you accomplish as much as you can in a day. There is a section for annual goals and goal details - here you can really hone in on what you want to accomplish and how you are really going to make that happen. There’s a daily page(s), weekly preview, and quarterly preview. These sections will keep you on top of everything! I highly recommend this planner! 

7. Papier Customized Planner

college planner

I have this planner and have loved it. It is super straightforward so if you’re the type of person who wants to quickly jot down a few thoughts for each day, this is the planner for you. 

8. Goldie Floral 2021 Planner

high school student planners

This planner is absolutely beautiful and makes me smile every time I look at it! If planners are supposed to make you extremely happy then this one hits the hammer on the nail.

9. 2021-22 Sugar Paper Academic Planner

ultimate student planner

This planner has all the necessities you could want to be laid out in a simple, easy-to-understand format!

10. Retro Custom Planner

high school student planners

Minted has a customizable section of notebooks that can be turned into planners which is amazing! I love the cover of this planner and how you can personalize it with your name.

11. Leopard Print Personalized Planner

erin condren student planner

This is another super simplistic planner that gets the job done in the most straightforward way possible!

12. Elegant Notes Weekly Planner

erin condren student planner

Another planner from Minted that I had to show because I am so in love with the cover! The inside is super straightforward and allows you to get your thoughts out.

13. 2021 Weekly Planner

high school student planners

Target has a wide array of planners and they get the job done! With weekly and monthly calendars, notes sections, and a space to write out your daily to-do’s it’s super easy to use.

BEST PRODUCTIVITY PLANNERS:

14. productivity planner.

academic planner 2021

If you're struggling most with staying productive, definitely look into this productivity planner. This is made my the same company that created the Five Minute Journal  (also an amazing product!) and they really know what they're doing. 

The planner is "based on historical leading Productivity Principles and Supported Goals Research that are proven to increase productivity." People are raving about this productivity planner .. I might get myself one too! 

15. Make It Happen Planner

online college planner

Planners that really focus on productivity are my absolute favorite. I honestly think that’s what planners should be all about! This planner is 16-weeks long and really allows you to fully focus on your personal growth goals.

16. Pastel Brilliant Weekly Planner

best college planners

MochiThings is an extremely well-known company, specifically for its planners. Including a yearly, monthly, and weekly plan you can really get into the nitty-gritty of your routine.

17. Daily Greatness Journal and Planner

college student planners

“How we start our days determines how we spend our days.” This is the beginning description for the Dailygreatness planner and I think it’s so true. For those looking for a planner that incorporates your physical and mental health, along with the normal daily planner pages, this planner is for you!

This planner has daily pages, as well as places to write things like personal goals - both physical and mental - gratitude, successes, etc. which I found really cool.

18. Five Minute Journal and Productivity Planner Bundle

college stickers for planners

I already discussed the productivity planner a little before this, but I wanted to show you that they offer a bundle that includes The Five Minute Journal which I absolutely love. 

19. Panda Planner Pro

Panda Planner Pro - Best Daily Planner for Happiness & Productivity - 8.5 x 11" Softcover - Undated Day Planner - Guaranteed to Get You Organized - Gratitude & Goals 6 Month Journal (Blac...

For a simple, no-frill planner, the Panda Planner is your guy. People rave about this planner. And it's also pretty inexpensive which is always a plus! 

With space for goal setting, gratitude, and focus, as well as weekly and daily agenda sections, this college planner will definitely ensure you're as productive as humanly possible.

PLANNING ACCESSORIES:

While having a good college planner is a great step towards an organized life, you're definitely going to need the right tools to go with it! From color coordinating notes and schedules, to having the perfect pen, these are some of my go-to supplies for staying organized in college.

20. Gold Page Markers

planner accessories

I wanted to start with these gold markers because I think they’re so cute and will elevate any planner (but there are more useful items below). There are so many little sections in my planner I constantly go back and forth to, so having these markers makes it a whole lot easier. 

Uniball Signo 207 Gel Pen 12 Pack, 0.5mm Micro Black Pens, Gel Ink Pens | Office Supplies Sold by Uniball are Pens, Ballpoint Pen, Colored Pens, Gel Pens, Fine Point, Smooth Writing Pens

22. Highlighters

TWOHANDS Highlighter,Chisel Tip Marker Pen,6 Assorted Pastel Colors,with Large Ink Reservoir for Extra Long Marking Performance 20079

I love highlighters. They make me feel so much more put together and organized. If you know, you know. 

23. Colored Pens

Paper Mate Profile Retractable Ballpoint Pens, Bold (1.4mm), Assorted Colors, 12 Count

Something else I love to do to keep organized is use colored pens in my college planner. Every time I would get a syllabus at the beginning of the semester, I would go through each big date (like exams or projects) and put them in my calendar. For the next class, I would do the same but with a different colored pen. Basically I would color coordinate depending on the class! 

Colored pens are nice to have when making notes or edits to things too. Definitely a must in college! 

24. Sticky Notes

Post-it Super Recyclable Sticky Notes (4423-15SSMIA), Assorted Sizes, 15 Sticky Note Pads, 2x the Sticking Power, Supernova Neons Colors Collection

Ahh... sticky notes. I love sticky notes! Whether you're making a note in a book, or giving your future self a reminder, sticky notes are great to have on hand. 

BOOKS ON PRODUCTIVITY:

Productivity books are my absolute favorite and I have read so many under the sun. They are the cherry on top to really ensuring you get the most out of your day and know exactly how to utilize your college planners. 

25. Atomic Habits

cute college planners

Atomic Habits is one of my favorite books ever written. It shows you just how easy creating a habit can be. And yes, I said easy. Just a 1% change in your life can catapult you in a completely different direction. Whatever you want to be, he gives you the exact steps to making it happen. 

26. Getting Things Done 

agendas

The author of this book, David Allen, is a veteran coach on management consultant and basically knows everything about productivity. From his personal experience, he gives the go-to guide on how to stay focused and achieve ultimate success in your day.

27. The Power of Habit

productivity planners

The Power of Habit goes into all the science behind the habit. The insane amount of knowledge packed into this book is incredible and you’re guaranteed to learn something you never knew before!

28. The 12 Week Year

full focus planner

The 12 Week Year is a book all about reframing how we look at goal planning and reframes our entire outlook. The book creates clarity on what truly matters most and how to get it done!

Other Posts You May Like:

  • 8 Essential Productivity Tips You Need to Know
  • What I Wish I Knew Before Going to College
  • 21 Items Every College Student Needs to Survive

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Simplifying College

Simplifying College

College and University Blog for Young Success

Best Planner for College Students: Top 6 Reviewed

The best planner for college students in 2022.

Looking for the best planner for college students?

I have rounded up the top five college student planners and reviewed them all to help you find the perfect planner for yourself.

Quick little confession I have to make: I’m planner-obsessed.

My planner pretty much never leaves my sight. When I was in college, I had my planner with me basically every second of the day and I was always using it.

I credit my planner obsession with keeping me extremely organized during college. I kept track of  everything  in my planner during college, whether it was academics, activities, internships, or general life.

A planner is one of the best organizational tools you can have during college.

Below you will find my detailed reviews of the best planners for college students, along with the best planner accessories and my tried-and-true tips for getting the most out of your planner in college.

1. Lilly Pulitzer Agenda

The Lilly Pulitzer Agenda is the planner I used throughout the last year of high school, all of college, and now into my post-grad years!

Yep, I have been using this planner for over six years now and I love it!

Best Planner for College Students

Since I have personally used this planner for years, I can confidently recommend it as what I would consider to be the best planner for college.

Here are some important details about this planner:

Specifications

  • Dimensions: 6 3/4″ x 8 7/8″ (Large Agenda)

What’s Inside

  • 17-month agenda
  • Weekly and monthly calendar pages
  • Dates to remember pages
  • Travel journal and note pages
  • 2 sheets of stickers
  • Reinforced interior pocket

My Thoughts

This is my number one pick for the best planner for college students .

One thing to note, the Lilly Pulitzer agenda comes in three sizes: Jumbo, Large, and Medium. I always get the Large (dimensions listed above) and have found it to be the perfect size to slip into my purse or backpack. It’s also their best-selling size. The Jumbo seems a little too big and the Medium seems too small.

Here’s a video comparing the sizes and showing what’s inside the planner:

Another thing I love about this planner is the design. It might sound crazy, but the seeing the classic, colorful, beachy Lilly Pulitzer designs throughout the pages of my planner just makes me feel happy and energized.

The layout of this planner is very straightforward and easy to use. I stayed soooo organized in college thanks to this planner and I think it’s the perfect choice for all college students. Not to mention it’s just super cute!

2. Erin Condren Academic Planner

The Erin Condren Academic Planner is my second recommendation for the best planner for college students.

Best Planner for College Students

This planner is extremely popular and one of Erin Condren’s best-selling planners. It’s specifically designed with college students in mind.

While I did not personally use this planner in college, I know some of my fellow organization-obsessed friends had it and they really liked it. Erin Condren planner fans REALLY love their planners and they have a big fan base.

Here are the basic details about this planner:

  • Dimensions: 7″ x 9″
  • Class schedule pages
  • Detailed pages for projects and exams
  • Inspirational quotes and notes pages throughout
  • 12-month dated calendar spreads
  • Weekly spreads for each week of the year
  • 4 note pages after each monthly calendar
  • Sticker sheet (60 stickers total)
  • Optional 40 additional lined pages

Overall, this is a great college student planner.

One thing I really love about this planner is that you have the option to personalize it with your name embossed on the front for no added cost.

This planner also has SO many cover options to choose from so you’re not limited with the design (and you can even use your own cover at no added cost.)

You can choose between spiral-bound and soft-bound. I personally recommend spiral-bound. You can choose the color of the spirals for an added cost.

Oh, and one last thing – STICKERS! You get a whole big page of stickers to add to your planner pages, which is a biggie for me.

3. Day Designer for Blue Sky Academic Planner

The Day Designer for Blue Sky Academic Planner is a great option for college students who want a planner oriented around “designing” their days.

Best College Student Planner

The weekly pages in this planner have a section for writing your schedule and to-do list each day, along with writing your top three goals for the week.

Day Designer is a really popular planner brand, and they have collaborated with Blue Sky to create this affordable planner specifically for students.

Here’s some details to know about this planner:

  • Dimensions: 8.5″ x 11″ (Large Size)
  • 12-month agenda
  • Monthly and weekly pages
  • Dedicated goal-setting and planning pages
  • Holiday calendar
  • Additional note pages

This is a really nice college student planner that isn’t too pricy.

While the regular Day Designer planners cost around $60, these Day Designer for Blue Sky academic planners cost about a third of that! It’s a good budget-friendly option, but you are still getting a high-quality planner.

This is another planner with different size options. You can go smaller than the 8.5″ x 11″ dimensions listed above if you want a more pocket-sized planner.

4. Student Happy Planner

If you love all things colorful and stickers, then the Student Happy Planner is for you. This is a customizable planner that is almost like a scrapbook.

Happy Planner sells extension packs so if you wanted to add more pages to your academic planner (such as budgeting pages) then you can do that.

Academic Planner for College

Happy Planner fans rant and rave about these planners, which include specific planners for life, budgeting, fitness, meal planning, etc. This particular planner is designed specifically with students in mind.

Here’s the low-down on this planner:

  • Dimensions: 7″ x 9 1/4″
  • 12-month agenda 
  • Detailed pages for course details
  • Overview pages for each month with notes
  • Inspirational quotes throughout

This is a great choice if you really want to customize your planner.

Happy Planner sells all kinds of accessories like extension packs with extra pages you can add to your planner. For example, if you wanted to add budgeting pages to your academic planner, you could do that.

They also have a crazy amount of planner stickers you can add on.

5. Bloom Academic Planner

The final planner I recommend for college students is the Bloom Academic Planner. This is a simple and cute academic planner.

Best Planner for College

Here are the details on what’s included with this planner:

  • Dimensions: 6″ x 8.25″
  • 13-month agenda 
  • 20+ additional life planning pages
  • Sticker sheet (93 stickers total)
  • Reinforced interior pockets

If you’re looking for an affordable planner that comes with a ton of extra pages, the Bloom Academic Planner is really the perfect option.

I love all the additional “life planning” pages that come with this planner, including pages for goal setting, creating a vision board, habit tracking, purposes and values, spending tracker, and more.

Plus all the free stickers are a great bonus! I love me some planner stickers.

College Student Planner Accessories

Some people like to go all out with accessories for their planner.

I kept it pretty simple. I wrote everything in pencil (so I could easily erase and change things) and I used a ton of stickers, but that’s about it.

However, some people like to use a color-coding system with colored pens and sticky notes, or they go all out with stickers and washi tape in their planner. Whatever helps you stay organized, go for it!

Here are some popular planner accessories:

  • Colored gel pens
  • Planner stickers
  • Mini Post-It notes
  • Post-It flags
  • Pen storage pouch

How to Get the Most Out of Your Planner

Here are some of my top tips to help you get the most out of your planner!

At the end of the first week of classes once you have your schedule finalized, take some time to sit down with the syllabi from all your classes. Go through and write down every date from the syllabus in your planner – dates for tests, quizzes, projects, extra credit, and the final exam.

In the note pages of your planner, write down the course information (course name and number, class days and times, professor name and contact info, TA name and contact info, time and location for office hours.)

Do this for every class you’re taking. I promise this makes a huge difference and you’ll never be surprised by a deadline you were unprepared for.

At the beginning of every semester, you should also take the time to write down important dates for personal things. If you’re in a sorority or any other type of club or extracurricular activity, get the dates for meetings and events.

Weekly/Daily

On Sunday night, I always take a look at the weekly page ahead in my planner and review what’s there already to get an idea of my schedule. I also go ahead and write down anything else I know I have for the week. This only takes a few minutes and helps me get prepared for the upcoming week.

On a daily basis, I will add things to my to-do list as they come.

My favorite thing to do is cross off something after I’ve accomplished it or after the event has passed. Nothing is more satisfying than the feeling of physically crossing something off in my planner!

More College Tips

I hope this guide helped you find the perfect planner to use during college!

For more college tips about all things organization, you may be interested in reading the following blog posts:

  • 7 Dorm Desk Essentials to Keep You Organized
  • 10 Dorm Room Organization Essentials You Need
  • The Ultimate College Packing List
  • The Ultimate Dorm Cleaning Schedule

Related Posts

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  • COLLEGE PLANNING SIMPLIFIED — Stay ahead of your coursework and achieve your academic goals with a year's worth of weekly and monthly planning pages. Our Undated College Planner lets you plan your days your way, with a simple and intuitive layout that puts you in command of your time and productivity.
  • EASY-TO-USE DESIGN — This undated planner features a straightforward and intuitive layout so you can dive right in and get planning! The pages lay flat and open at 180°, so you can get the most out of your planner by using every inch of the page.
  • SELF-CARE & ACADEMIC FOCUS— This daily, weekly and monthly planner includes academic-specific sections like course schedules, exam tracking, and assignment tracking. It also includes a dedicated self-care corner that helps you prioritize your personal well-being alongside your academic and other commitments. Because taking care of yourself is essential for academic success.
  • BUILT TO LAST — The planner's sturdy cover with soft-touch lamination, and rounded corners make it a durable and convenient option for students on the go. Its lightweight design and compact size of 7" x 8.5" makes it easy to toss in your backpack or bag and bring with you wherever your academic journey takes you.
  • BOOST YOUR ACADEMIC PRODUCTIVITY — Class Tracker specializes in planners designed to help students stay organized and achieve their academic goals. This Undated College Planner is just one of many productivity planners we offer to help students stay on top of their academic game, no matter what challenges come their way.

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Customer Review: So expensive, huge let down with only ONE!!! Redeeming quality

college student planner

Class Tracker College Edition

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Product information, technical details, additional information, warranty & support, looking for specific info, customer reviews.

Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.

To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.

Customers say

Customers like the space provided in the planner, saying it keeps them organized and has spaces for assignments, quizzes, and daily plans. They also appreciate the simple design and the fact that it has nearly everything they were looking for. However, some customers feel the value is disappointing, with the content being decent but the book as a whole being a big no.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Customers find the planner has space for assignments, quizzes, and daily plans. They also say it's simple and has nearly everything they were looking for. Some customers say the content is decent, but the book as a whole is a big no.

"...It fits in any of my bags and allows me to organize perfectly !! I will be buying another one, as soon as I finish thing one! A college must have!" Read more

"...it keeps me organized and the fact that i can personalize it the way i want makes me more motivated to actually do my assignments...." Read more

"...First things first the planner is simple and has nearly everything I was looking for, it has pages for the 12 months and the 52 weeks of the year...." Read more

Customers are disappointed in the value of the planner. They mention that it's a little pricey and not worth the quality.

"...It is a little pricey but it’s very resourceful for what it’s worth ! ◡̈" Read more

" So expensive , huge let down with only ONE!!! Redeeming quality..." Read more

" Disappointed in Quality versus Price ..." Read more

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11 College Planners To Help You Get Organized

11 academic planners for an organized & focused school year, more from work & money, r29 original series.

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Planners.org

Keeping your big picture goals on the right daily track.

The 6 Best Planners for College Students

As a student, time is the most valuable and important resource you have at your disposal. Learning how to plan and manage your time effectively will help you gain the most from your academic life and create habits to help you in your future career.

For a college student, effectively planning out your days, weeks, and months can mean the difference between the success you dream of and falling short of your goals. Although our world is becoming increasingly digital, there are many benefits to using a more traditional planner.

Planners allow you to map out due dates, daily activities, important appointments, projects, tests, and more. Sure, typing this information into your phone notes or sending it as an email to yourself sounds good in theory, but how many times have you done this, only to forget it later?

Even individual sheets of paper don’t cut it for this. Your planner is a product designed specifically for organization and keeping track of your schedule, and offers you a space free from digital distractions and notifications. Let’s look at some of the qualities a great student planner should possess.

What to Look for in a College Student Planner

  • A Customizable Book: Your planner will be the space where you organize not just your school-related activities, but your life. It should, therefore, reflect your personality. Some may prefer a personalized cover, while others benefit from something more simple and plain. Find an option that gives you options, so you can buy what suits you best.
  • Portability: Plans can change at any moment, so having a planner that is portable enough to bring along with you everywhere you go is a must. That way, you can pull it out of your purse or bag any time and won’t forget to mark down important changes or dates as you find out about them.
  • Easy Organization: An effective and useful student planner will be well-organized, allowing you to retrieve information the moment you need to do so.

Considering the qualities above, we’ve compiled a list of the best available student planners on the market. Let’s take a look at them.

Erin Condren LifePlanner™ Stylized Organizer

Emily ley weekly simplified planner, plum paper me planner, ban.do 12-month compact view planner, passion planner (academic), kikki.k leather weekly diary.

erin condren lifeplanner teacher planner

There are two included color themes to choose from; colorful or neutral, and you can customize the design even further.

Pick between a black, gold, rose gold, or platinum coil, and a non-personalized or personalized cover design. Each of the four cover options is permanent, leather-like, and hard bound.

Recommended by Katelyn McAdam at College Raptor, who said “If everything in your life is organized by color, this is the planner for you,” this product is designed and crafted in the U.S., so you can expect superb quality.

best planner for college students

Some benefit from busier, more active designs, while others find that too distracting and prefer something simple and to the point.

For those in the latter category, The Weekly Simplified Planner is an ideal choice.

Terra Brown at Earn Spend Live said, “The lined section is great for class times, work schedules, and campus events, and the to-do list has plenty of room for assignments, chores, and errands…”

plum paper me planner

Plum Paper offers you a few different choices in addition to their student planner options, including traditional and family planners. Pick between three different layouts; evening, afternoon, or morning, hourly, or blank lines.

Kayla at KaylaBlogs.com recommends this planner, saying “The way the student planner was laid out worked perfectly to keep track of my many classes and activities.”

bando floral planner

There isn’t space for daily journal entries, so keep that in mind.

This is a good choice for planning out your academic goals, or even future events unrelated to school, such as parties or weddings.

The planner is 8 by 10 inches, has a laminated, matte hard cover, an elastic closure band, sticker pages, and a pocket with double sides.

Rebecca Evans at Her Campus had this to say about the planner, “The Ban.do Agenda is definitely the cutest out of these picks! Each monthly section starts off with a cute drawing and a quote to get your month started out on a good note.”

passion planner academic planner

Since it’s made from thicker-than-average paper, you can use any type of pen on it without having to worry about bleeding. It’s about the same size as a standard piece of paper and comes with around 190 pages.

Inside, you will find ample space for your weekly and monthly goals and thoughts. The booklet snaps close with elastic. This planner is recommended by Melanie Yates over at BestProducts.com, who described it as “a planner that’s perfect for the goal-oriented student who excels in time management.”

best planner for college student

Inside, you will also find ribbons for marking pages, and an elastic band for closing the book. You will find pages suitable for tracking your websites, notes, wish list, books, movies, bars and restaurants, addresses, and personal expenses.

On the pack of the book, there’s a pocket for added storage. This choice is recommended by Virginia Van Zanten at Vogue.com.

How to Improve Your Time Management

A great planner is an effective first step for improving your time management skills, but there is more you can do for ensuring you’re using your time wisely.

  • Get Specific : It’s too easy to slack off on goals that are not clearly defined. Use your planner to track your objectives, and get as specific as you can. Instead of achieving something “later,” state the exact date it will occur and get it down in writing.
  • Make Lists : Making lists will help you make good use of your time, but there’s a right way to do it. Start with listing the three most important tasks for your day, then don’t let yourself relax until you achieve them. That means no Facebook or Twitter until you’re done.
  • Stay Healthy : Establishing healthy habits is great for reasons beyond looking better. When you’re well-rested, getting enough exercise, and eating right, you are more likely to do things right the first time around. This saves you tons of time to dedicate to more important tasks, such as excelling at projects and acing upcoming tests.

10 Best Academic Planners That'll Help You Stay Organized Throughout the School Year

college student planner

By Iman Balagam

best academic planners

With the demands of classes, extracurricular activities, and a social life, some may find that staying organized during the school year can be quite a challenge. That's why it's so important to find the best academic planners when shopping for back-to-school supplies (along with the best backpacks for school and pens for note-taking !).

Academic planners can assist you in remembering important dates, keeping track of your classes, and experiencing the satisfying feeling of physically crossing off tasks on your to-do list – it just doesn’t hit the same on a phone. And if you haven't used a planner before, let us introduce you to a whole new and super-organized world. We happen to think that planners are incredibly useful and can aid in developing organizational skills regardless of whether you're in high school, college, or pursuing a Ph.D.

Plus, there are a lot of daily academic planners to choose from. You can opt for dated planners, which come pre-printed with dates, or go for undated planners, which provide more flexibility as you can fill in the dates yourself. The binding of the planner is another consideration. Spiral binding (how cute is this floral-print Erin Condren planner ?!) allows for easy flipping of pages and provides a flat writing surface, while hard binding (we love the chic look of this popular Artfan Amazon pick ) offers durability and a more professional appearance.

Check out our top picks for the best academic planners 2023-24 for high school and college students for the upcoming semester below, complete with detailed explanations and pros and cons.

Our Top Picks:

  • Best academic planner for college students: Aimpeak Academic Planner 2023-2024 , $10
  • Best academic planner for grad students: Lilly Pulitzer Daily Planner , $30
  • Best academic planner for teachers: Tullofa Store Academic Planner , $12
  • Best planner for students with ADHD: The Everygirl x Day Designer 2023-24 Academic Planner , $20
  • Best planner for high school students: Blue Sky 2023-24 Academic Planner , $13

All products featured on Teen Vogue are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

college student planner

Lilly Pulitzer Daily Planner

Lilly Pultizer

There are few relationships that last longer than the one you embark on with your Lilly Pulitzer daily planner. Perfect for the type A crowd (grad students), this adorable planner comes with weekly calendars featuring lined sections for planning out each day of the week. With the major holidays listed and ample space for daily tasks and activities, it keeps you organized and on track with ease. Plus, it includes a travel journal, making it the perfect companion for the “catch flights, not feelings” crowd.

Dating : August 2023 - December 2024

Page types : Paper

Binding : Wired

Colors : Multiple design options

Pros : Hand painted art, Laminated tab dividers

Cons : Elastic strap is loose for some

college student planner

Tullofa Store Academic Planner

A teacher’s best friend is his... planner? This academic planner is not only visually appealing but also sturdy, well-made, and designed with round edges, making it durable enough to toss in your bag without fear of damaging the cover or crinkling the pages. Moreover, it features tabs to easily separate each month, thick paper to prevent pen bleed-through, and an elastic closure band to ensure your planner stays securely closed. In addition to keeping track of your schedule, this planner offers a range of useful features. It includes a gratitude planner section, space to track your workouts, meal plans, budgeting, jotting down ideas, and even writing wish lists.

The length : 136 Pages

Dating : July 2023 - June 2024

Colors : One design

Pros : Back inside pocket, Elastic closure band

Cons : Reviewers say that the inside has no design or color

college student planner

The Everygirl x Day Designer 2023-24 Academic Planner

This academic planner is simple, well-made, and built to withstand the demands of social butterflies. It offers lined weekly calendars, monthly overviews, and ample space for to-do lists. But that's not all. It also includes goal-setting worksheets that empower you to plan for a more productive school year. With these worksheets, you can set meaningful goals and track your progress, ensuring that you stay focused and motivated throughout the semesters. So, when you need that extra boost beyond inspirational quotes and “pain is temporary, GPA is forever” pep talks, this planner has got you covered.

The length : 90 pages

Colors : Mutiple designs

Pros : Lined notes pages, Storage pocket

Cons : May be a bit large for some students

college student planner

Blue Sky 2023-24 Academic Planner

Get your life in order with this academic planner from Blue Sky. It contains both weekly and tabbed monthly calendars, allowing you to achieve capital O organization. The planner's wire binding adds a convenient touch, allowing for easy flipping (important when cramming for exams) and laying flat on any surface. Additionally, there are lined note pages, holidays, a contacts sheet, important dates, and a yearly overview. There's even a page dedicated to states and capitals because you never know when someone might quiz you on the capital of Maryland.

The length : 72 pages

Colors : Multiple designs

Pros : Lightweight, Enough space to write

Cons : Might be too big for some students

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college student planner

Rifle Paper Co. 2024 12-Month Academic Planner

Anthropologie

Where some people prefer a heavy-duty planner to meticulously track every second of their life, others seek something pretty and lightweight to capture the essentials. With this option, you can easily view the entire month at a glance using the calendar pages, or you can jot down notes and appointments on the lined pages that follow. The best thing about Rifle Paper Co is that if you really wanted to commit to the bit, you could. They have matching pens, sticky notes, and blank notepads in the same or similar designs.

The length : N/A

Dating : August 2023 - July 2024

Page types : Canvas paper cover with white text paper interior

Binding : Thread-stiched

Colors : Two floral designs

Pros : Designed so that you can see the entire month at a glance, Extra pages for notes

Cons : The design may be too floral for some

college student planner

ban.do Daily Planner 2023-2024

Why settle for a planner that you aren't proud to post on Instagram everyday? With this adorable option from Ban.do, you'll be eager to show off your planner to everyone. There are various designs available, each equipped with all the bells and whistles to enhance your planning experience. This planner also comes with fun extras like stickers, a coloring sheet to help you destress, a ribbon bookmark, and color-coded laminated tab dividers. It spans across 17 months, making it an item that brings you daily joy—take that, Marie Kondo!

The length : 314 pages

Page types : Hardcover

Binding : Thread-stitched

Colors : Three graphic designs to choose from

Pros : Comes with three pages of stickers, Lightweight and compact

Cons : Some reviewers find it to be too small

college student planner

Erin Condren 2023-24 Academic Planner

The best thing about this planner is that it’s easy to get the hang of, with weekly, monthly, and yearly planning spreads. There’s ample space to write down your daily schedule, priorities, to-do list, and other notes and ideas. The planner is thoughtfully designed with high-quality paper, so you don't have to worry about your pens bleeding through. It even includes inspirational quotes inside and space for doodling, which is essential for sparking creativity throughout the school day.

Dating : July 2023- June 2024

Colors : Watercolor stripes

Pros : Wet erase cover, comes with stickers

Cons : Doesn’t allow for a full day of planning

college student planner

AIMPEAK Store Planner 2023-2024

If you're looking for an affordable introductory planner, this is the one for you. And it's not just for schoolwork either. With dedicated sections for gratitude, habit tracking, and major holidays, this planner helps you stay organized in both work and personal activities. What's more, it features a waterproof cover, providing added peace of mind. So, if your water bottle happens to leak through your backpack (we've all been there), you can rest assured that your precious planner and all your hard work won't be affected.

Colors : Mutiple color options

Pros : Waterproof, Pen-loop

Cons : Some people report missing pages

college student planner

Thinkable To Do List Planner

If you consider yourself to be laissez-faire, try your hand at an undated planner. That way, you don't need to worry about wasting pages, and you're free to use it every day or only when you need it. The brand offers both hardcover and softcover options, so pick your poison. Plus, rest assured that your pens won't bleed through the pages, as the paper is super thicc.

The length: 160 pages

Dating : Undated

Colors : Two designs to choose from

Pros : Cute designs, Thick paper prevents bleeding through

Cons : May be too large for some bags

college student planner

17-Month Academic Planner - Be Nice to Yourself

Besides including weekly and monthly at-a-glance pages, this planner also has two sheets of stickers. We're sold!

Dating : Dates

Page types : 100 GSM wood-free paper

Binding: Elastic band closure

Pros : Cute stickers, Plenty of space to write weekly dates and tasks

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college student planner

  • For students

6 Best Planners for College

Custom Built Student Planner

What do you find to be your biggest challenge as a college student? Studying? Working on projects? Keeping up with the class? Doing assignments? Whichever the case may be, you're ultimately looking to have it all together. Of course, there's no doubt that every college student wants to have a super successful academic year — that has been the plan from the start!

But as we know, the road to academic success is not as smooth as we think it to be; there are just so many things to do at a time! Of course, at this point, your best bet is to figure out exactly how to get and stay organized. Because busy students are not always good students. The good time management in college becomes a necessity you’re unlikely to succeed without. In essence, you'll want to get your hands on something that can increase your chances of staying productive all day every day.

So what could this be?

Well, for the most part, your journey to the outstanding productivity starts with you making a big switch to analog options (paper planners). In other words, you won't be wrong to ditch the electronic calendars in your phones/laptops and of course, stick to some of the best planners for college students. Yes, the old-fashioned paper planner can make you much more organized than an advanced productivity app.

Why? Because the physical act of writing is all about structuring your thoughts, ideas, and tasks so they become easy to use and execute. Moreover, a planner gives you more room for creativity. That’s why so many successful people prefer to use planners and notebooks to write everything down and plan their lives.

And if you're ready to make the big switch to the perfect planner for you; we'll recommend you keep up as we explore our top five picks for 2024 and beyond.

Let's get started!

Custom Built Student Planner

college student planner

Studying at a high school or college can often be overwhelming. Thankfully, great tools make it much easier to manage your time, stay on schedule and finish your assignments on time.

Meet Custom Built Student Planner that features your personalized design and comes with a bunch of great pages that are made to make you less stressed and more organized.

You can enjoy thick 100gsm paper that works perfectly well with most types of pens and highlighters so you’ll never deal with bleeding through or ghosting. The sturdy spiral makes sure the planner doesn’t fall apart and lasts as long as you use it.

The pages offers you a great set of tools to get things done including weekly and monthly spreads, project task trackers, blank pages for note-taking etc.

To sum up, a nice planner to help you with your studying.

  • You can choose the cover design and dates of the planner
  • Thick paper
  • Made of durable materials that will last
  • No signiifcant cons

Product details

Blue sky 2024-2025 academic planner.

college student planner

Taking the first place is this well-made option that's sure to surpass your expectations. For the most part, Blue Sky 2024 to 2025 Academic Planner comes with just enough space to keep every information you need in one place. Talk about your to-do list, reminders, appointments and more. Super perfect for your day-to-day planning!

Essentially, this academic planner runs from July 2024 to June 2025. It comes with the full 12 months of monthly and weekly planning. That said, you can rest easy knowing that your college life will be as smooth as can be. It's also good to point out that the planner is printed on premium quality white paper that makes writing a breeze. In essence, you can write down your plans and of course, worry less about ink bleeds and impressions. And lest we forget, Blue Sky Planner beautifully designed inside and out. The exterior of this planner is also worth talking about — it's well-made and durable! All in all, an excellent option that's sure to get the job done.

  • Easy to navigate
  • Beautiful design

High-quality paper

  • Well-made and durable
  • Plenty of room for notes
  • A few complaints about the bonus pages

High School Planner for Academic Year

college student planner

Next up is this option that's targeted at high school and middle school students. But of course, it's still functional enough for college students. First off, this high-quality planner comes with plenty of room to accommodate your daily school activities. In essence, you'll get to keep track of everything from your assignments to classes to extracurricular activities and more. In fact, the planner has enough pages for day-to-day assignments even when managing multiple classes.

It's also good to know that this great planner makes provision for goal setting. In essence, there's a section where you can write down both your weekly and monthly goals, and work towards achieving every one of them. And to sum it up, we can say that this option really outdid itself — boasting high-quality paper, excellent fonts and a pretty impressive cover design. This daily planner has everything to help you achieve your academic goals next year. It also comes in different colors. And we know that a color variety is also a big plus!

Enough room to write

Sturdy and well-made

Comes with resource pages

No significant cons

Freedom Planner 2024

college student planner

Want to live an epic and incredibly fulfilled life in school and beyond? Just check out Freedom Planner 2024 — it's perhaps the best day planner you can buy right now! Just as the name implies, Freedom comes with pretty much everything you need to live the super-organized life you've always wanted. As a student who has no choice but to keep up classes, tests, and assignments, you'll find that this great planner is an invaluable tool to have. Dated from January all the way to December 2024, you can get yours today and start scheduling your life to success!

It's good to point out that Freedom Planner has a section for goal setting and even better, there's a place to reflect on those set goals and how you're doing in their pursuit. Besides helping you keep track of your goals and daily schedules, Freedom Planner also offers instructions and inspirational quotes that can keep you in higher positive vibration. The planner is chock full of incredibly positive messages that can eliminate everything from stress, fear, anxiety, and depression in no time. Its size and color option is a huge plus! And to sum it up, Freedom Planner 2024 comes with 100% customer satisfaction guarantee — it's either you love it or get your money back. What more could you ask for?

Sleek and well-designed

Highly functional — lots of instructions and inspirational quotes

Durable hardcover

Money-back guarantee

Student Planner by The School Planner Company

college student planner

Next up is this option from School Planner Company — it's simply known as Student Planner. Coming with a pretty straightforward name, you can tell that this product will help you stay organized throughout your academic year. As expected, Student Planner comes with all the space you need to write down assignments and dates (even big project due dates). Of course, the project is also sure to come in handy for jotting down to-dos, ideas, reminders, and the likes.

As with other planners on the list, Student Planner has classic monthly pages dedicated to monthly goals and it even has a customizable attendance tracker! It's also good to know that this option makes provision for future planning. So yes, you can get it today and look forward to living an organized life from August 2024 - July 2025. With the high-quality printing, durable binding and eye-catching design, there's no doubt that this planner is the real deal. Don't hesitate to take the plunge today!

Beautifully designed

Durable cover

Easy to use

Student Planner: Weekly Academic Organizer

college student planner

Planning your week just got a whole lot easier! With Student Planner: Weekly Academic Organizer, you can schedule your classes and of course, stay on top of things from Monday through Friday. Coming with two pages per week format, this super handy weekly planner has room for assignments, tasks, due dates, thoughts and other things you need to write down. Its weekly pages make your schedule more visual. And this is also worth talking about. Located at the front of the planner, this feature gives you the opportunity to record your class schedule for fall, spring, and summer. Cool right?

We also think it's worth mentioning that the planner is beautifully designed — it comes with a premium matte-finish cover design. What's more, the product comes in a pretty large format, but of course, it's still sure to fit in your backpack with ease. Overall, a great pick that you're sure to love — highly recommended for your academic year!

  • No color variety

Over the last few years, lots of new and updated planners have hit the market. The biggest trend is simplified planners. Every year the planners indeed become more and more intuitive and easier to use. Moreover, planners also become more and more suitable for a particular user, since they offer different layouts, planning systems, and approaches.  

With all that has been said, you can see that your choices are unlimited! But of course, finding the best planner that’s perfect just for you depends on your budget and personal preference.  The good news? Our five top picks are sure to help you get organized and keep track of your day-to-day school activities and make you have a super successful academic year. Don't hesitate to pick the one that holds your fancy. Good luck!

college student planner

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Free end-of-year letter templates to your students 📝!

16 Best Academic Planners for Students in 2023 (Paper and Online Options!)

Help them plan for success all year long.

College of academic planners for students, including Five Star Planner + Study App and MyStudyLife

One of the most important life skills we can teach kids is how to plan ahead and manage time well. Introducing them to academic planners at an early age can help them stay focused throughout their school years. This mix of paper planners and online apps offers lots of great options for kids, teens, and even college students.

(Just a heads up, WeAreTeachers may collect a share of sales from the links on this page. We only recommend items our team loves!)

Paper Academic Planners for Students

Online planners for students.

Paper student planners are easy to use and offer kids a chance to add stickers, doodle, and otherwise personalize this important tool. Try these picks for elementary school through high school.

Global Datebooks Elementary Student Planner

Elementary student planner with room for daily subject planning and an accompanying ruler bookmark

This is the perfect pick for elementary kids, with space for planning each day subject-by-subject. The big perk is the section on how to use a planner effectively, which teaches kids to set goals and manage their time. They’ll also appreciate the helpful resource pages at the end.

Buy it: Global Datebooks Elementary Student Planner at Amazon

Bright Day Dino Train Daily To-Dos Planner

Daily planner for kids with a dinosaur theme, and pre-printed daily goals on each page

Student planners can help kids stay on track in all parts of their lives, including chores and daily tasks. This cute design includes some standard daily to-dos on every page, like brushing your teeth and making your bed. There’s also room for kids to add their own to-do items, plus make notes about what they’re grateful for and what they achieved that day. We love this one for encouraging a growth mindset in little ones.

Buy it: Bright Day Dino Train Daily To-Dos Planner at Amazon

National Geographic Weird-But-True Daily Planner

National Geographic Weird-But-True Daily Planner for kids

Academic planners only work if kids use them. The cool thing about this one is the chance to learn new and unique facts every single day. This will keep students coming back so they don’t miss the important reminders and other notes. One caveat: This planner has months and days, but not specific yearly dates. That means you can use it for any year but will need to make sure kids are marking the correct days of the week as they go.

Buy it: National Geographic Weird-But-True Daily Planner at Amazon

School Mate Middle School Planner

Spiral-bound academic planner reading Let Today Be the Start of Something Great

Middle school is a unique time, and this planner is a nice fit for this interesting age. It helps kids plan for each subject on a daily basis, along with monthly calendar pages in bright, engaging colors. There’s a nice selection of reference pages at the end, with fascinating STEAM-related facts scattered throughout the whole thing.

Buy it: School Mate Middle School Planner at Amazon

Five Star Student Planner + Study App

Page layout from Five Star academic planner, with a smartphone displaying the Five Star Study App

If you want the best of both worlds, check out this planner/app combo. The paper planner is perfect for middle or high school students, with room to plan out each day by class period. Then, students scan items into the Study App using the handwriting recognition feature, so they’ll have reminders on-the-go even if they leave their paper planner at home.

Buy it: Five Star Student Planner + Study App at Amazon

8-Period Student Planner

Pages from an 8-period academic planner for students

Cute and colorful academic student planners are a lot of fun, but sometimes it’s better to minimize distractions. This simple setup includes useful features like an assignment tracker, long-term study planner, at-a-glance pages, and more.

Buy it: 8-Period Student Planner at Amazon

Day Designer

Two-page spread from the Blue Sky Day Designer Academic Year Planner

Super-busy students will appreciate the ability to plan out each day down to the hour, so they’ll never miss a practice, club meeting, or family game night. Day Designer offers a huge array of cover designs, including the ability to customize your own. This would make a great personalized back-to-school gift for a high schooler or college freshman.

Buy it: Day Designer at Amazon

Youthamazing Student Planner

Marble print academic planner with sticker page

This well-designed planner includes weekly and monthly layouts, space for goal-setting, and even room for parents and teachers to add notes. Reference pages include the periodic table, parts of speech, measurement tables, and more. Plus, kids will love the stickers they can add throughout the year to mark special achievements.

Buy it: Youthamazing Student Planner at Amazon

Living My Best Life Academic Planner

2023-24 Academic Planner with a sports theme and text that reads Living My Best Life

Sports-loving kids will like this planner, which includes all the standard calendar and organizer pages inside. It’s got room for goals, projects, activities, important dates, and even grade records.

Buy it: Living My Best Life Academic Planner at Amazon

Academic Weekly & Monthly Planner

Basic black covered spiral-bound academic planner for 2023-24

When you just need something basic to keep students organized, this bargain choice fits the bill. It’s got pages for just about everything, with nothing extra to distract or waste space in an already-full backpack.

Buy it: Academic Weekly & Monthly Planner at Amazon

Middle and high schoolers do just about everything online today, so using a digital planner tool just makes sense. Here are some of the best free and paid online planners for students to try.

MyStudyLife

Laptop and smartphone screen displaying screenshots from MyStudyLife planner app

This popular online planner is available on any device, via apps or a website. Customize your calendar to match your own schedule, add items to a to-do list, and get reminders when you need them. This free planner has a lot to offer students, without distracting bells and whistles they don’t really need. (iOS, Android, web; free)

Learn more: MyStudyLife

Screenshot from myHomework online planner for students

This app’s free (ad-supported) version is pretty robust, with all the basic planning tools most students need. For a very minimal yearly fee, you can remove ads and receive access to premium features like the ability to share your schedule with others. (iOS, Android, Kindle, web; free, premium $4.99/year)

Learn more: myHomework

Today/Studyo

Screen shot of Studyo online academic planner app for students

Parents and kids looking for a free online planner will find the Today app very useful. It interfaces with Google Classroom and Google Calendar to automatically add assignments and activities. Parents and teachers can also access the planner to help kids stay on track. Schools who want to offer these benefits to all of their students, along with tools like analytics and insights, should explore Studyo, which works with all major LMS programs. (Web, iOS, or Android; Today app is free, Studyo is priced per student)

Learn more: Today/Studyo

Screen shot from ClickUp student planner app

ClickUp makes planning tools for a variety of audiences, and the free version of their app is ideal for students. The robust suite of features includes collaboration options so kids can coordinate group projects and other joint activities. You can upgrade to paid options (education discounts are available), but most students will find everything they need in the free version. (iOS, Android, web; free, with paid options available)

Learn more: ClickUp

Screen shot from Todoist planning app

This is the kind of planning app that works as well for adults as it does for teens. That makes it a nice fit for high school and college students, who can keep using it as they transition to adult working life. The free version will suit most students just fine, but if you need to upgrade, you can do it for a small monthly fee. (iOS, Android, web; free, with paid upgrades)

Learn more: Todoist

Screenshots of Calendly scheduling app on a laptop

While it’s not a full-fledged planner, Calendly is a good solution for situations where students and teachers need to schedule meeting times on a regular basis. It’s great for college students, or high schoolers working on group projects or coordinating clubs and activities. Try the free Basic version to see what you think, and consider upgrading if it works well for you. (iOS, Android, web; free, with paid options)

Learn more: Calendly for Education

Now that you’ve got your students squared away, check out the Best Teacher Planners, as Recommended by Educators .

Plus, get all the latest teaching and learning ideas, straight to your inbox, when you sign up for our free newsletters .

Help kids of any age stay organized with these smart paper academic planners and online planners for students, approved by teachers.

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college student planner

STUDENT PLANNERS

Select Your Grade Range To Shop

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Planners designed specifically for Elementary Students with simplified layouts, resource pages, & some fun.

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Middle School & High School student planners filled with custom classes, reference pages, finals planning, & more.

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Customized with your classes, our College Student planners make the perfect companion to stay on track.

A FEW HIGHLIGHTS...

The Most Customizable Student Planners

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CUSTOM WEEKLY LAYOUTS

Pick from 4 different student layouts & then customize your layout with your class schedule. Have a planner that is already set up for you each day so you can get straight to what is important.

Stay on track of your homework, tests, and studying with a planner that is made specifically for you.

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PERSONALIZE COVER DESIGNS

Our personalized covers go beyond just putting your name on it. Design a cover that reflects your personality. Choose from a vast selection of patterns, fonts, colors, and more. Add a quote or even a photo to make it as unique as you are.

We want you to have a planner that makes you smile each time you use it.

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ACADEMICS SECTION INCLUDED

Each of our Student Planners automatically include an Academics Section.

The needs in a planner are very different depending on the grade a student is in. That is why we have designed this section specific to each grade range.

The informational pages included help you spend less time referencing the internet and more time being productive in your studies.

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Never forget a class or assignment again.

Unlock your potential and manage your classes, tasks and exams with mystudylife- the world's #1 student planner and school organizer app..

school timetable app hourly planner

School planner and organizer

The MyStudyLife planner app supports rotation schedules, as well as traditional weekly schedules. MSL allows you to enter your school subjects, organize your workload, and enter information about your classes – all so you can effortlessly keep on track of your school calendar.

Homework planner and task tracker

Become a master of task management by tracking every single task with our online planner – no matter how big or small.

Stay on top of your workload by receiving notifications of upcoming classes, assignments or exams, as well as incomplete tasks, on all your devices.

college student planner

“Featuring a clean interface, MyStudyLife offers a comprehensive palette of schedules, timetables and personalized notifications that sync across multiple devices.”

” My Study Life is a calendar app designed specifically for students. As well as showing you your weekly timetable– with support for rotations – you can add exams, essay deadlines and reminders, and keep a list of all the tasks you need to complete. It also works on the web, so you can log in and check your schedule from any device.”

“MyStudyLife is a great study planner app that makes it simple for students to add assignments, classes, and tests to a standard weekly schedule.”

“I cannot recommend this platform enough. My Study Life is the perfect online planner to keep track of your classes and assignments. I like to use both the website and the mobile app so I can use it on my phone and computer! I do not go a single day without using this platform–go check it out!!”

“Staying organized is a critical part of being a disciplined student, and the MyStudyLife app is an excellent organizer.”

college student planner

The ultimate study app

The MyStudyLife student planner helps you keep track of all your classes, tasks, assignments and exams – anywhere, on any device.

Whether you’re in middle school, high school or college MyStudyLife’s online school agenda will organize your school life for you for less stress, more productivity, and ultimately, better grades.  

school planner

Take control of your day with MyStudyLife

college student planner

Stay on top of your studies. Organize tasks, set reminders, and get better grades, one day at a time.

college student planner

We get it- student life can be busy. Start each day with the confidence that nothing important will be forgotten, so that you can stay focused and get more done.

college student planner

Track your class schedule on your phone or computer, online or offline, so that you always know where you’re meant to be.

college student planner

Shift your focus back to your goals, knowing that MyStudyLife has your back with timely reminders that make success the main event of your day

college student planner

Say goodbye to last minute stress with MyStudyLife’s homework planner to make procrastination a thing of the past.

college student planner

Coming soon!

MyStudyLife has lots of exciting changes and features in the works. Stay tuned!

Stay on track on all of your devices.

All your tasks are automatically synced across all your devices, instantly.

school timetable app hourly planner

Trusted by millions of students around the world.

college student planner

School can be hard. MyStudyLife makes it easier.

Our easy-to-use online study planner app is available on the App Store, the Google Play Store and can be used on desktop. This means that you can use MyStudyLife anywhere and on any device.

Discover more on the MyStudyLife blog

See how MyStudyLife can help organize your life.

MyStudyLife

Maximize Your Success: Final Exam Calculator & Last-Minute Tips for Better Grades

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college student planner

Academic Planner

Stay organized and reach your goals all school year.

The best all-in-one student planner, exam tracker, assignments organizer, and notebook. Recommended by teachers, preferred by students.

Coiled Academic Planner

Our most popular & customizable planner option.

 Softbound Academic

Lay-flat, lefty friendly and ultra portable.

Star Wars Academic Planner

A fan-favorite with Star Wars designs, cover to cover.

college student planner

Minimalistic & sustainable school agendas.

  • Collaborations
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Softbound Academic Planners

Academic Planners

Our best-selling, most customizable school agendas.

step 1

Pick & personalize cover

step 2

Choose your coil color

step 3

Pick from 2 interior designs

step 4

Select your add ons

Sunset Floral Academic Planner

Daydreamer Academic Planner

Evolve Academic Planner

Petal Pop Academic Planner

Celestial Academic Planner

Stethoscopes Academic Planner

choose your colors

Heartscope Academic Planner

choose your colors

Healthcare Hearts Academic Planner

choose your colors

EttaVee Woven Academic Planner

Bold Blooms Academic Planner

Checkered Academic Planner

choose your colors

Bold Blooms Butterflies Academic Planner

heather

Playful Palms Academic Planner

Canvas Asterisk Academic Planner

Tonal Stripes Academic Planner

Alja Horvat Happy Academic Planner

CMS FW img- Exciting Add-Ons Image(Academic-Planner)

Alja Horvat Retro Academic Planner

Fluorescent Floral Academic Planner

Yearly Wildflowers Academic Planner

Yearly Memories Academic Planner

Hello Kitty Blushing Bouquet Academic Planner

Hello Kitty and Friends Rainbow Days Academic Planner

choose your colors

Star Wars Ahsoka™ Academic Planner

Star Wars Metallic Flight Plans Academic Planner

Star Wars Metallic Tatooine Watercolor Academic Planner

Star Wars Metallic Character Quotes Academic Planner

Metallic Inspire Academic Planner

Metallic Wildflowers Academic Planner

Canvas Academic Planner

choose your colors

Metallic Watercolor Astrology Academic Planner

Colorful Cosmos Academic Planner

Metallic Crescent Cosmos Academic Planner

Boho Blooms Academic Planner

choose your colors

Watercolor Spring Day Academic Planner

Abstract Circles Academic Planner

Groovy Blooms Academic Planner

Watercolor Leopard Print Academic Planner

choose your colors

Alja Horvat Vintage Flowers Academic Planner

choose your colors

Color Block Polka Dots Academic Planner

choose your colors

Collage Academic Planner

choose your colors

EttaVee Brilliant Blooms Academic Planner

Alja Horvat Watercolor Garden Academic Planner

Alja Horvat Bright Blooms Academic Planner

Alja Horvat Cherry Blooms Academic Planner

Heartscope Academic Planner Bundle

Sunset Floral Academic Planner Bundle

Checkered Academic Planner Bundle

Celestial Academic Planner Bundle

CMS FW img- More Designs Image(Academic-Planner)

Vegan Leather Academic Planners

Peacock Snap-In Vegan Leather Academic Planner

Cream Snap-In Vegan Leather Academic Planner

Fuchsia Snap-In Vegan Leather Academic Planner

Marigold Snap-In Vegan Leather Academic Planner

Champagne Snap-In Vegan Leather Academic Planner

Harbor Snap-In Vegan Leather Academic Planner

Harmony Colorful Vegan Leather Academic Planner

Harmony Neutral Vegan Leather Academic Planner

EttaVee Metallic Happy Colors Vegan Leather Academic Planner

Mid Century Circles Vegan Leather Academic Planner

Wisteria Snap-In Vegan Leather Academic Planner

Star Wars Academic Planners

Special Edition

Star Wars Academic Planners

Our fan-favorite student planners, featuring exclusive Star Wars designs throughout!

step 1

Pick & personalize cover.

step 2

Special Edition Star Wars Grogu's Path Academic Planner

Special Edition Star Wars Metallic Chewbacca™ Academic Planner

Special Edition Star Wars Classic Characters Anniversary Academic Planner

Special Edition Star Wars Metallic Millennium Falcon™ Academic Planner

Special Edition Star Wars Painted Grogu™ Academic Planner

Special Edition Star Wars Watercolor Leia™ Academic Planner

Special Edition Star Wars Galaxy Passport Academic Planner

Special Edition Star Wars Darth Vader™ Charcoal Vegan Leather Academic Planner

Special Edition Star Wars Boba Fett™ Vegan Leather Academic Planner

Special Edition Star Wars Princess Leia™ Blush Vegan Leather Academic Planner

Special Edition Star Wars Darth Vader™ Black Vegan Leather Academic Planner

Special Edition Star Wars Metallic Classic Heroes Vegan Leather Academic Planner

Star Wars Academic Planner Bundle

Softbound Academic Planners

Lay Flat, Lefty-Friendly

Softbound Academic Planners

The best of our top-selling student planners in a smooth, lay-flat format.

step 1

Sunset Floral A5 Softbound Academic Planner

Quartz A5 Softbound Academic Planner

Camel A5 Softbound Academic Planner

A5 Softbound Academic Planner Bundle

college student planner

Sleek & Minimal

Focused Academic Planners

Same proven layout, streamlined for the stylish minimalist.

Pick your cover design

step 2

Peacock Stripe Focused Spiral Academic Planner

Blue Stripe Focused Spiral Academic Planner

Cobalt Arch Focused Spiral Academic Planner

Harbor Focused Spiral Academic Planner

Black Focused Spiral Academic Planner

Camel Focused Spiral Academic Planner

Mustard Mosaic Focused Spiral Academic Planner

Metallic Gold Sand Half Moon Focused Spiral Academic Planner

Coral Arch Focused Spiral Academic Planner

Spiral Focused Academic Planner Bundle

More Academic Planner Designs

Create Your Own Design Academic Planner

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is an academic planner.

An academic planner is an organizer book designed to help students stay organized, track projects and exams, follow class schedules, meet deadlines, take notes, and more.

Why Do Students Prefer the Erin Condren Academic Planner?

  • All-in-One Student Planner: The BEST catchall school agenda, exam tracker, and notebook recommended by teachers, loved by students.
  • High-Quality School Agenda: Made in the USA and built to last with high-quality materials, including thick paper (resists ink showing through), sturdy covers, and durable coils.
  • Proven Layout: The Academic Planner was meticulously crafted with input from students and teachers and honed over a decade to provide a proven layout that helps students get organized, manage their time, and achieve their goals.
  • Most Customizable: Choose your planner size and binding, your cover and interior design, and personalize your perfect planner.
  • It Works: Don’t take our word for it. Here’s what students shared in our 2023 Academic Planner Survey:
  • 98% said it helps them stay organized.
  • 96% said it helps them manage their workload.
  • 96% said it helps them meet deadlines and due dates.
  • 93% said it helps them manage their time.
  • 93% said it helps them reduce stress.
  • 92% said it helps them develop good habits.

WHAT SIZE IS THE ACADEMIC PLANNER?

The Erin Condren Academic Planner comes in a 7” x 9” size and an A5 (5.8" x 8.3") size. While both are portable, the A5 Academic Planner is more compact and better for students who have limited space in their backpacks .

WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF ACADEMIC PLANNERS?

Erin Condren offers a broad range of academic planner types, including spiral planners, softbound planners, Star Wars planners, minimalist planners, colorful planners, and more to fit the style and schedule of every type of student.

WHAT AGE IS THE ACADEMIC PLANNER BEST FOR?

The Academic Planner is best for students from middle school through post-graduate studies, including trade schools. Since it’s a highly adaptable planner that students can customize to fit their unique needs, it can benefit students as young as 12 all the way to adulthood. In fact, it’s gaining in popularity among former students who have since graduated university and still enjoy using it for work and personal organization.

WHY DO STUDENTS NEED AN ACADEMIC PLANNER?

Students need an academic planner to manage their time, deadlines, and workload more easily and effectively. A school agenda helps them stay organized by providing one convenient place to log and track assignments, exams, and other important dates. Using an academic planner also helps students focus and stay on track, encouraging them to prioritize their tasks, which can lead to deeper learning and information retention, better academic performance, and reduced stress.

Academic Planner Tips and Tricks

Here are our favorite tips for using the Academic Planner – an all-in-one school agenda, exam tracker, and notebook – to get organized, stay motivated, and manage your time (in class and online).

  • See how the Academic Planner helps students and learn How to Use a Planner for School .
  • Stay focused and make the grade by learning What Are Academic Goals and How to Achieve Them .
  • Get organized and stay productive in college with 8 Proven College Organization Tips to Maximize Productivity .
  • If you’re a college student, you may also like How To Organize & Decorate Your Dorm Room .
  • For those living with ADHD and could use a planner to help manage anxiety and sharpen focus, check out Choosing the Best Planner for an ADHD Brain .

More About the Erin Condren Academic Planner

Whether you’re in middle school, high school, college, or training for a career, our spiral Erin Condren Academic Planner is the perfect all-in-one school agenda, homework planner, and notebook for helping you get organized, reduce stress, and achieve success. This customizable, personalizable student planner includes monthly and weekly planning pages that cover the entire school year. Even better, you can choose your start month to fit your school’s schedule. Lined note pages and specially-designed school planner checklists allow you to organize solo and group projects, prepare for exams, and keep track of important deadlines. Inspirational quotes and thick, rich paper ensure an optimum planning experience. Choose your cover, binding type, and, if you like, the color of your metal coil binding. For a personal touch, you can even have your name imprinted on the cover! Enhance your Academic Planner with new planner accessories so that you can transform it into the best student planner for you and your needs. From planner dashboards to colorful stickers to versatile storage options, these accessories help you make the most of your customizable student agenda. You can even match your planner to your notebooks , ensuring seamless style across all your organization tools. This popular school agenda is also available as a lay-flat, lefty-friendly Softbound Academic Planner and as a special edition Star Wars Academic Planner , with Star Wars designs from the cover to the stickers in the back!

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Academic life is busier than ever, and students need a way to manage their time and tackle big goals. That’s why Class Tracker planners are simple and intuitive. Our science-backed structure helps students plan and succeed, in school and beyond.

Where else can you find a planner that helps you keep track of your academic life, social life and mental well-being? The self-care tracker is a big part of the reason why I began to take my well-being more seriously. Definitely a reminder that there is more to life than exams and assignments!

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Student Loan Cancellation Update: New Group Considered for Forgiveness

I n a renewed effort to cancel student loan debt for a niche group, Democratic Senators Chris Murphy of Connecticut and Tina Smith of Minnesota are pushing a forgiveness program for beginning farmers and ranchers.

With the rising costs of higher education, more students are turning to loans to finance their degrees. However, many students struggle to repay these loans after college, which has become a significant issue for Democrats . So far, President Joe Biden 's administration has authorized the cancellation of $153 billion in student loan debt for nearly 4.3 million people, according to a CNN report in April.

Murphy and Smith, both members of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, reintroduced the Student Loan Forgiveness for Farmers and Ranchers Act on Wednesday. The act creates a loan forgiveness program for not only beginning farmers and ranchers, but also women, veteran, and minority farmers.

"Connecticut farmers have always been the lifeblood of our rural communities, but starting and maintaining a new farm is increasingly unaffordable for young people who are often saddled with student loan debt and can't afford to make additional investments necessary for success," Murphy said in a press release on Wednesday. "By helping new farmers pay off their student loans, this legislation would pave the way for Connecticut's next generation of farmers."

There are about 30 percent of producers considered beginning farmers in Connecticut, according to the release. A beginning farmer is someone who is operating a farm with less than 10 years of experience.

Smith echoed Murphy's calls to help the next generation of farmers.

"To keep Minnesota's agriculture economy thriving, we need to continue to invest in the next generation of farmers as the average age of farmers keeps going up. There is more we can be doing to help future farmers fill their shoes," Smith said in the release.

"Student debt is one of the most significant challenges our young farmers and ranchers face. This legislation would help incentivize a younger, more diverse workforce and help more people start and stay in farming."

There are about 16,910 beginning farmers in Minnesota, according to data collected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2017.

Murphy has introduced this legislation twice before, once in December 2022 with Smith and Senator Tammy Baldwin , a Wisconsin Democrat, co-sponsoring the bill, and once in April 2018 with then-Senator Tom Udall, a New Mexico Democrat.

Newsweek reached out to Murphy's and Smith's offices via email for comment.

Currently, Minnesota has a program to help new farmers break into the agriculture industry known as the Minnesota Beginning Farmer Tax Credit. The program gives tax credits to asset owners who rent or sell farmland, equipment, livestock, and other agricultural assets to beginning farmers. However, new 2024 asset owner tax credit approvals have been placed on hold because of limited funds.

Connecticut Agriculture Commissioner Bryan P. Hurlburt told Newsweek via email on Friday: "Connecticut does not have a tax credit or incentive program for new and beginning farmers. However, over the past few years we have fine-tuned a number of our existing programs to better support new and beginning producers based on constituent feedback. As an agency we are strongly committed to diversifying how agricultural products are grown, where they are grown, and who is growing them."

For example, in 2024, the Connecticut Department of Agriculture Farm Transition Grant awarded 17 projects totaling $74,200 through Farm Transition Grant New Farmer microgrants. Meanwhile, of the 20 Farmland Restoration, Climate Resiliency and Preparedness awards, 13 went to beginning or underserved farmers.

Which Groups Get Help?

Dr. Nick Hillman, a professor in the School of Education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, referenced a 2020 article written by Dr. Denisa Gándara and Dr. Sosanya Jones titled

Who Deserves benefits in higher Education? A Policy

Discourse Analysis of a Process Surrounding Reauthorization of the Higher

Education Act

"Federal financial aid policy has a long history of providing benefits [whether it's forgiveness or other subsidies/flexibilities] for borrowers who are employed in areas of national interest. For example, policymakers have created programs for military veterans, public service workers, and medical professionals to help relieve their debt burdens.

"When thinking about the importance of the nation's food supply chain, and in light of the attached study, it makes sense that policymakers would prioritize farmers/ranchers."

Update 5/10/24, 10:43 a.m. ET: This article has been updated with comment from Connecticut Agriculture Commissioner Bryan P. Hurlburt and additional information.

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Student debt relief activists participate in a rally at the U.S. Supreme Court on June 30, 2023, in Washington, DC.

Columbia suspends protesting students; demonstrators take over university building: Updates

Editor's Note: This page is a summary of news on college campus protests against the Israel-Hamas war for Monday, April 29. For the latest news on the protests, view our live updates file for Tuesday, April 30.

NEW YORK − Columbia University's administration said Monday it has begun suspending students hours after demonstrators defied a deadline for clearing the "Gaza Solidarity Encampment" at the center of campus, which fueled similar protests on campuses across the nation .

Spokesperson Ben Chang said the university had notified students they would be suspended if they didn’t vacate the encampment by 2 p.m. ET after the sides failed to reach an agreement earlier in the day. The site, he said, has created an unwelcoming environment for many Jewish students and faculty, and it has been noisy at the center of campus.

Protest organizers note that many demonstrators in their space are Jewish, including several of the 100-plus arrested when the university asked police to break up a smaller encampment on April 18.

“We’ve been suspending students as part of this next phase of our efforts to ensure safety on campus,” said Chang, who did not take questions from reporters or specify the number of students from Columbia and its affiliated Barnard College who were disciplined.

Around the time of the deadline, many students threw notices of the possible suspensions in the trash or put them on the ground to be stepped on. Chang said adjudication over suspensions will be handled by the university senate − composed of faculty, students, administration, staff and alumni − as well as the Office of University Life.

The administration cited the need to clear the encampment ahead of upcoming commencement ceremonies May 15, when about 15,000 students will graduate from the Ivy League school.

Columbia  protesters demand  the school halt investments with companies profiting from Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza, and they want amnesty for students and faculty involved in the protest. College campus demonstrations have ramped up in opposition to the civilian toll in Gaza, where more than 34,000 people have died since the Israeli invasion that followed a Hamas-led attack that killed almost 1,200 people in Israel.

From Harvard to UT Austin to USC, college protests over Gaza are spreading. See our map.

Developments:

∎ At Ohio State, where more than 40 protesters were arrested last week, school president Ted Carter said in a Monday e-mail the university "will not be overtaken'' like other campuses. Another student demonstration is expected later in the week.

∎ U.S. schools got support from abroad in protesting the war in Gaza. Demonstrators took to Paris' Sorbonne University on Monday, chanting "Free Palestine" at the university's gates while some students set up tents in the courtyard.

∎ Video from the Shaboura refugee camp in the southern Gaza city of Rafah shows signs in support of the campus protests, CNN reports. Some read: "Students of Columbia University, continue to stand by us” and “Thank you, students in solidarity with Gaza. Your message has reached (us).”

Columbia demonstrators occupy university building

Columbia demonstrators early Tuesday took to occupying Hamilton Hall, an academic building to the east of the encampment used to protest Israel’s war in Gaza.

After 12:30 a.m., protesters broke into the building and barricaded themselves with wooden chairs, metal tables, and trashcans. People linked arms to form a line protecting the entrance while others picketed, leading chants in support of Gaza and divesting from Columbia.

“This escalation follows yet another sweeping round of threatened suspensions, expulsions and arrests,” a social media post from activist groups organizing the encampment said.

Meanwhile, demonstrators marched around the existing encampment at the center of campus that students have occupied for nearly two weeks. Outside the campus gates, people protested in support of the demonstrators.

Organizers pushing for Columbia University to divest from Israel said they renamed Hamilton Hall to Hind’s Hall in honor of the 6-year-old who appeared to have been killed by Israeli forces in January. Protesters said they plan to remain in the building until Columbia concedes to its longstanding three demands of divestment, financial transparency of investments, and amnesty for all students, staff and faculty disciplined for opposition to Israel’s war and support for Palestine.

"Resistance is justified in the movement for liberation," said the student group Columbia University Apartheid Divestment’s news release released early Tuesday. "Liberators acting in solidarity with Palestine continue to hold themselves to a higher standard than Columbia."

Organizers said they escalated demonstrations because the university has contributed to genocide while refusing to follow “baseline standards of conduct” for negotiations.

Organizers said the encampment is a peaceful form of protest. Demonstrators are tying their action just after midnight Tuesday to prior student movements on Columbia’s campus, including to protest the war in Vietnam as well as apartheid in South Africa. "Taking back our own campus is the only and last response to an institution that obeys neither its own ‘rules’ nor ethical mandates, which is why we began the Gaza Solidarity Encampment."

Still, the organizers warned the administration and trustee not to bring soldiers or police officers, referring to Kent State and Jackson State protests more than 50 years ago that were bloody. "Students’ blood will be on your hands," the statement said.

Protest at University of Texas broken up forcefully

Law enforcement officers arrested at least 30 people in clearing out a small encampment of pro-Palestinian protesters at the University of Texas at Austin on Monday, forcefully pulling away some demonstrators, the Austin American-Statesman reported .

Members of the university and Austin police, along with state troopers in riot gear, initially encircled the approximately 80 protesters, who sat on the ground and linked arms, some of them holding umbrellas to shield from the sun in 85-degree temperatures. Video from the scene showed a handful of demonstrators being taken away with their hands zip-tied behind their backs.

In responding to a post on the X platform, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott , who has taken a hardline stance against the protests, said, "No encampments will be allowed. Instead, arrests are being made.''

The American-Statesman reported only about 20 demonstrators remained in place some three hours after the protest began at the university’s south lawn. Their tents had been dismantled.

The group assembled unexpectedly following two earlier demonstrations around noon. A larger protest at UT Austin was broken up Wednesday when police arrested 57 people, although criminal trespassing charges against them were dropped.

Faculty members 'stand' with Columbia students

Student protesters at Columbia gathered for a rally Monday at the encampment ahead of the university’s 2 p.m. ET deadline to clear out or face suspension. “No business as usual,” demonstrators chanted. “There is only one solution!” and “Intifada revolution!”

“We will not move until Columbia meets our demands or we are moved by force,” a news release from the students said.

They were not alone. Faculty members, donning orange safety vests, joined students in rallying near the encampment. “We salute you, we stand with you,” Shana Redmond, a professor of English and comparative literature, told the crowd from a megaphone. “And we’re so proud to be your professors.”

The encampment has grown since police arrested more than 100 demonstrators April 18. Chris Carr, a doctoral student in astronomy who came by Monday to lend his support, called the protest "a beautiful display of community" and said it would not be a good idea to have police break it up again.

“It seems like every time that they try to like inflict force on us through public safety or through NYPD, the students come out stronger and stronger than ever,” he said. “They can try, but I think the students are strong and united on that.”

At GW in Washington, 'we're being disruptive,' protester says

Posters reading "End all U.S. aid to Israel" and "Resistance is justified in the face of genocide" interspersed the tents covering University Yard, an outdoor square on the Washington, D.C., campus of George Washington University on Monday afternoon. Students sprawled on blankets on the grass and sketched pro-Palestine messages in chalk on the sidewalk as scattered groups of officers with Metropolitan Police Department circled the park.

Officials with the MPD, which operates within the Washington metro area, rejected requests from the university to clear the encampment Friday morning, fearing the optics of a clash with peaceful protesters less than a mile from the White House, the Washington Post reported .

"There is clearly a lot of pressure from the university and the university police for us to leave, because we're being disruptive. And we're being disruptive because there cannot be business as usual during a genocide," said Miriam Siegel, a 19-year-old sophomore at Georgetown University who said she joined the encampment Thursday at around 5 a.m. when tents first went up in the square.

At the center of the square, a Palestinian flag propped up by an orange security cone sat atop a tangled pile of security barriers. According to local news reports , student protesters pushed through a police barrier set up on one side of the park Sunday night.

"We have seen some police aggression," Siegel said. "We know that the cops aren't here to keep us safe. We're here to keep each other safe."

− Cybele Mayes-Osterman

Two speakers withdraw from USC graduation programs

Author Pam Zhang and educator Safiya Noble have withdrawn as keynote speakers at the University of Southern California's Rossier’s doctoral and master’s commencement ceremonies. In an open letter to the school, Zhang and Noble criticized USC for failing to conduct good-faith talks with student protesters and for bringing armed LAPD officers onto campus to break up a pro-Palestinian encampment.

The duo also lashed out at USC for canceling a commencement speech by valedictorian Asna Tabassum after pro-Israel groups objected to Tabassum's support for Palestinians on social media. USC later canceled its primary undergraduate commencement, but some satellite ceremonies are taking place.

“To speak at USC in this moment would betray not only our own values, but USC’s too … We cannot overlook the link between recent developments and the ongoing genocide in Palestine,” Zhang and Noble said.

Suspensions, campus bans an option at George Washington

George Washington University officials have notified students that suspensions and campus bans are among the options they'll consider to clear their encampment at University Yard, which they say violates school rules.

“As we approach the end of the academic year, our ability to operate in a way that ensures the academic success and personal well-being of our community becomes even more critical,’’ officials said in an e-mail.

Metropolitan police have been stationed at the protest site in the square, where school activities like festivals are sometimes held. Earlier in the protest, a statue of George Washington at the entrance was draped with a Palestinian flag.

Some students have been bringing food and other supplies, including blankets, to their protesting peers in the tents. Outside the encampment, others brought boxes of pizza and pans of food, including rice and falafel.

Meanwhile, classes are still underway as finals approach. The beating of drums and chanting could be heard in some classrooms.

− Deborah Berry

Police break up 3-day protest at Virginia Tech

Blankets, trash and antiwar placards were all that remained Monday of a pro-Palestinian encampment at Virginia Tech, hours after school officials cited an "increasing potential to become unsafe" and called in police to disband the three-day protest. The school, 260 miles southwest of Washington, D.C., becomes the latest in a growing line of universities to take police action to curb protests of Israel's war in Gaza.

"Through constant dialogue between university officials, the Virginia Tech Police Department and protest organizers, we were able to maintain a safe and peaceful environment through much of the weekend," the school said in a statement, adding that the protest continued to grow. "Given these actions by protesters, the university recognized that the situation had the increasing potential to become unsafe."

The protesters were told to disperse voluntarily and warned that those who remained would be charged with trespassing, the statement said.

"I transferred to Virginia Tech, hoping to find a (supportive) environment, which I did, but unfortunately it has disappointed me over and over and over again," Palestinian student Fatima Hasan told WSET-TV .

Virginia Tech police referred USA TODAY to a school spokesperson who did not immediately respond to a request for information on the number of arrests and other details of the police action.

Pro-Palestinian protesters urge universities to divest from Israel. What does that mean?

What are college protests across the US about?

The  student protesters  opposed to Israel's military attacks in Gaza say they want their schools to stop funneling endowment money to Israeli companies and other businesses, like weapons manufacturers, that profit from the war in Gaza. In addition to divestment, protesters are calling for a cease-fire, and student governments at some colleges have also passed resolutions in recent weeks calling for an end to academic partnerships with Israel. The protesters also want the U.S. to stop supplying funding and weapons to the war effort.

More recently, amnesty for students and professors involved in the protests has become an issue. Protesters want protections amid threats of disciplinary action and termination for those participating in demonstrations that violate campus policy or local laws.

− Claire Thornton

Contributing: Reuters

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It Was a Trap

A time-honored tactic by right-wing agitators brought on the “crisis” on american campuses. everyone fell for it—again..

In 2001, a Vietnam-era student radical named David Horowitz decided to once again start causing trouble on campus. A few years earlier, several scholars and activists had begun to argue that the U.S. should pay reparations to descendants of slaves. Horowitz, whose politics had taken a sharp right turn since the 1960s, thought that this was a very bad idea. So he contacted several college newspapers, seeking to place a full-page ad , during Black History Month, titled, “Ten Reasons Why Reparations for Slavery Is a Bad Idea—and Racist Too.”

The ad, which had been adapted from a Salon column he had published the previous year, seemed designed to stir passions on the campuses where it ran. In it, Horowitz deemed reparations “an extravagant new handout that is only necessary because some blacks can’t seem to locate the ladder of opportunity within reach of others”; argued that “the reparations claim is one more assault on America, conducted by racial separatists and the political left”; and asked the question: “What about the debt blacks owe to America?”

Horowitz’s inflammatory arguments were not very well received. Many of the newspapers to which Horowitz submitted the ad rejected it entirely. At Brown University, angry students stole thousands of newspapers in which the ad had been printed. At the University of California, Berkeley, students marched on the offices of the student newspaper, prompting its editor in chief to publicly apologize for running the ad in the first place. The mainstream media soon picked up on the furor, and the ensuing press attention ended up making all of the students involved look like twits, while giving Horowitz exponentially more attention than the ads alone would have in the first place.

Perceptive observers surmised that this had been his goal all along . In addition to his position on reparations, Horowitz also harbored a grudge against American academia, which he had reportedly called “a dictatorship of the left.” (He has since written several books expounding on that tendentious thesis.) The polemical advertisement was clearly designed not to engage in good faith with the notion of reparations, but to elicit isolated intemperate reactions among campus activists. Then, Horowitz could use those reactions to advance the notion that all of academia was biased and intolerant, while he, the author of books such as Hating Whitey and Other Progressive Causes and The Politics of Bad Faith: The Radical Assault on America’s Future , came across as the righteous party. Hell of a trick!

I thought about the Horowitz reparations hubbub this week, as I watched cops march on college campuses all across the country, charged with clearing encampments of students and others who were protesting the grim excesses of Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip. Lots of people have written lots of things about the Gaza campus protests, the various official responses to them, the validity of the arguments being advanced, and the relative merits of the tactics being used to advance and/or squelch those arguments. But no matter your opinion on any of these topics, no matter what you might think about the protests and how they’ve played out, I suspect that everyone can probably agree on at least one thing: No one in the history of the universe is more easily rolled by bad-faith right-wing agitators than college students, professors, and administrators.

Whenever conservative demagogues are looking for patsies and suckers to help them make the left look like fools while advancing some stupid reactionary talking point, they know exactly where to turn: the sun-dappled quads of American academia. Students, professors, and administrators consistently fall into traps set by right-wing political actors, traps that are generally designed to use isolated incidents of alleged identitarian excess on campus in order to disparage liberalism more generally, thus sending swing voters into the all-American arms of whichever sturdy Republican candidates are up for election that year. Colleges and universities are the American right’s absolute favorite punching bag, because their denizens never see the uppercut coming, and they never, ever learn to sidestep the blow. They’re like the Washington Generals: They lose, lose, lose, lose, lose.

Spinning alleged campus excesses into a broader political narrative of liberal chaos and disorder has been a favorite conservative tactic since at least the late 1960s, when Main Street disapproval of the youth-driven protests over the Vietnam War helped to narrowly deliver the 1968 presidential election to an anthropomorphic sheet of sandpaper named Richard Nixon. Modern-day right-wing media have basically built their brand on the backs of left-wing students and professors, whose minor protests and marginal curricula have been consistently inflated into Major Issues by commentators eager to disparage academia and liberalism more generally. The contemporary Republican notion that America is on the brink of collapse is in large part a culture-war trope propagated by activists such as Christopher Rufo, who have spun their own willful misinterpretations of obscure academic disciplines such as critical race theory into boogeymen with which to terrify viewers and voters into thinking that their heritage is under direct attack.

It’s not hard to understand why the reactionary right bears such a grudge against academia. For one thing, the collegiate spirit of free inquiry and rational debate flies directly in the face of Trumpian because-we-said-so authoritarianism, not to mention the begged questions and other logical fallacies that animate modern Republican discourse. The identity-based disciplines found at many schools threaten a reactionary worldview rooted in the purported superiority of some monochromatic past; many on the religious right, meanwhile, seem to see heresy in the ways that liberal arts educations try to teach students to think for themselves. And I have long suspected that some of today’s most stridently disingenuous Republican pundits and politicians are motivated in part by bad memories of their own college years, in which they felt isolated within their own conservative worldviews and subsequently transmuted those feelings into seething lifelong resentments.

Or, hey, maybe they’re just political opportunists who know that collegiate actors will consistently make the sorts of moves that allow the right to portray them as fools. There was probably a bit of all of this working on New York Republican Rep. Elise Stefanik when, a few months ago, she hauled various university presidents into Congress, insisted that certain student protesters’ use of the word “intifada” and phrase “from the river to the sea” directly equated to calls for genocide, and then watched them fumble their responses in truly embarrassing fashion.

The subsequent resignations of the presidents of Penn and Harvard, respectively, were unforced errors on the parts of highly educated people who, first, should have more directly challenged Stefanik’s partisan premises, and, second, should have probably realized that the en vogue campus notion that speech sometimes equates to violence would eventually be co-opted by right-wingers eager to exploit campus unrest for their own political gain. (I’m often reminded of how, back when the rise of the social web was leading a lot of otherwise-smart people to profess that the internet would soon bring about a state of digital utopia, the writer Evgeny Morozov kept making a very trenchant point that almost nobody wanted to hear: Bad people know how to use the internet, too .) The scalps of Liz Magill and Claudine Gay were nice trophies for the ambitious Stefanik, who is rumored to be in contention for Donald Trump’s vice presidential slot. But the hearings and subsequent leadership turnover also helped to promote the narrative of widespread chaos on campus—a narrative that’s a boon to Republicans in an election year.

So it wasn’t much of a surprise when Congress held a second round of hearings about alleged campus antisemitism. And it wasn’t much of a surprise when, eager to avoid the fate of her former peers, Columbia University president Nemat Shafik seemed directly receptive to her inquisitors’ premises and took a harder-line stance against alleged campus antisemitism than did her predecessors. And it also wasn’t surprising, when, in direct response to Shafik’s testimony , Columbia students set up a protest encampment on the lawn outside Butler Library, which was followed by multiple police actions, complementary protests at other schools nationwide, and the flood of media attention that has turned this manufactured campus crisis into front-page national news for weeks on end.

For the purposes of this column, let’s set aside questions of the merits of the protests and the various police and administration responses to them. It’s incredibly obvious—to me, at least—that pretty much all of the relevant parties here got rolled by the American right. On the hunt for footage and storylines that they can then inflate into broader narratives of chaos, intolerance, and disorder in a critical election year, the right spun campus protests over Gaza into congressional hearings on campus antisemitism, and trusted that everyone involved would respond so ineptly that they’d be able to exploit the whole thing for months.

And, mark my words, that is exactly what right-wing politicians and media outlets will do. Even though the campus protests may die down once the semester ends, the footage and discussion of them will live on throughout the spring and summer. The right will draw false equivalencies between the brief occupation of Hamilton Hall and the events of Jan. 6; they’ll disparage President Joe Biden and liberal politicians for “allowing” the protests to happen; they’ll fold it into deathless narratives of decaying liberal cities and elitist intolerance; and they’ll make everyone involved look like idiots while portraying themselves as the righteous parties—the heroes of this whole stupid situation. David Horowitz is probably very proud.

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Education | Public vs. Private: When is a California…

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Education | When is a California college degree worth the cost? A new study has answers

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BY MIKHAIL ZINSHTEYN | CalMatters

Nathan Reyes lives with his family five minutes from Cal State Los Angeles, where he’s paying close to nothing to earn a bachelor’s degree that typically lands graduates a salary of $62,000 within five years of completing college .

He’s one of hundreds of thousands of California low-income students who attend colleges that, because they’re affordable enough , cost the equivalent of a few months of a typical salary that students earn within a few years of graduation.

A new report today compares California’s colleges by analyzing how long it would take low- and moderate-income students to recoup the money they spent to earn a college credential. It shows that many community colleges, Cal States and University of California campuses — all public campuses — have better returns on investment than most nonprofit private colleges and for-profit institutions.

Reyes’ only expenses are car upkeep, gas, a few books and helping his family with some housing costs. The third-year student didn’t need to take out loans.

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“I feel very lucky,” Reyes, a communications major, said. “In high school, I was always stressing about, ‘Oh, man, I’m gonna have a whole bunch of debt racked up after college’. And now that I’m in my third year, I don’t have to worry about any of that.”

Reyes, who’s 20 years old, receives state grants to cover all his tuition and federal aid for other academic and living expenses . He also works for a state volunteer program that pays students a stipend.

Report calculates time it takes to recoup cost of degree

The report was commissioned by College Futures Foundation, a nonprofit that promotes college completion. The report merges several concepts into one number:

  • The net price of a college degree after all financial aid is calculated
  • The typical earnings 10 years after a student first enrolls in a school
  • How much higher those wages are compared to what young adults earn with just a high school diploma.

It defines low- and moderate-income households as those earning below $75,000 annually.

The data, all from the federal government, show that the time it takes to recoup the net costs of earning a degree at Cal State San Bernardino is less than three months. That’s because low-income students there incur about $5,000 in out-of-pocket expenses if they finish in four years. Within a few years they earn about $53,000 a year — double what young adults with only a high school diploma make.

At Cal State Los Angeles, the time to recoup the net costs of earning a bachelor’s is also less than three months of a typical post-college annual salary.

“​​This is really a first-of-its kind look,” said the report’s author, Michael Itzkowitz, who headed the federal government’s first consumer tool for comparing college costs under the Obama administration. The approach is a mathematical way of demonstrating which colleges confer economic value to students beyond what a high school diploma would.

A CalMatters analysis of Iztkowitz’s data found that the average time needed for a student to recoup their net costs is about two years at public institutions and a little over three years at nonprofit private colleges in California.

Some of those private campuses are as affordable as a Cal State, UC or community college after factoring in financial aid. Stanford University costs low-income students nothing. However, only 4% of students who apply are admitted, while all but three Cal States admit more than 70% of the students who apply . Most undergraduates in California attend a public institution .

Pitzer, Pomona and the University of Southern California and several other highly selective nonprofit private colleges cost students less than a year’s worth of the typical salary they’ll earn within a few years of completing their degree.

Return on investment varies by college

While some for-profit colleges have strong returns on investment, most do not.

And that doesn’t even account for the 22 for-profit institutions that show no return on investment, meaning students from those schools earned no more than what a young adult with just a high school diploma makes. In the report, 24 campuses in total, or 8% of all California colleges, showed no return on investment, including two small nonprofit private colleges.

“There are for-profit institutions that can offer an affordable education and good employment outcomes and they’re recognized within the data,” Itzkowitz said. “But what we also see is that there are a disproportionate amount that show more worrisome outcomes for students in comparison to other sectors.”

Most California for-profit colleges, however, predominantly issue certificates, which are shorter-term credentials that don’t regularly lead to the economic gains associated with bachelor’s degrees .

At 79% of California institutions in the report, low and moderate-income students typically recoup their costs in five years or less. For nearly a third of campuses, it was less than a year.

For many students, the ultimate costs of a degree will be higher than the data published today. That’s because they need more than two years to earn an associate degree or beyond four years to earn a bachelor’s, assuming they graduate at all. The longer they chase a degree, the less time they spend in the workforce earning the higher salaries that come with a college credential. Also, the federal net price data has limits: It only calculates what full-time freshmen pay. Students attending part time will experience different annual costs.

But the basic trend remains the same: State and federal financial aid at public campuses plus typical salaries that far exceed the wages for those with a high school diploma make college worth the investment.

Itzkowitz plans to produce a follow-up report that measures the return on investment by major. His organization, the HEA Group, produced an analysis of typical wages by major last year . Some majors lead to higher wages than others, which can skew school-wide results.

The data in today’s report show variation within public universities, too, even in the same city. UCLA’s net price-to-earnings ratio is about seven months and its students tend to earn more than those from Cal State LA after graduating. But the typical cost of a degree after four years for low-income students is roughly $31,000 — far higher than the $5,500 at Cal State LA, which is 20 miles away.

“I wanted to go to UCLA, but it was too expensive for me,” Reyes said. “I did get accepted.”

Like he did at Cal State LA, he would have probably qualified for the Cal Grant, which waives tuition at public universities. But the distance from home would have forced him to either live in a UCLA dorm or commute about two hours daily between home and the crosstown campus. Housing, not tuition, is usually the largest expense for students at public universities. Borrowing money was out of the question for him.

So was a long drive to UCLA. “If I ended up missing a class or something, I’d beat myself up over it,” he said.

For the record: College Futures is a funder of CalMatters. Our news judgments are made independently and not on the basis of donor support.

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More From Forbes

Save student loan repayment plan may make homebuying easier.

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Real estate professionals offer their clients contracts to discuss home purchases, insurance or real ... [+] estate loans. Home sales agents sit at the office with new home buyers in the office.

The new Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) student loan repayment plan may help student loan borrowers qualify for a mortgage easier.

SAVE is an income driven repayment plan that sets the monthly student loan payment as a percentage of discretionary income.

The monthly payments for undergraduate student loans on the SAVE plan drop to 5% of borrower's discretionary income (down from 10%) beginning in July of 2024. Meanwhile, borrowers who have both undergraduate and graduate school loans will pay a "weighted average" of rates between 5% and 10% of their discretionary income.

Biden's SAVE plan also increases the income exemption for those who qualify for $0 monthly payments from 150% of the federal poverty limit to 225%. Ultimately, this means more people with higher incomes may pay $0 toward their student loans each month.

For reference, earning 225% of the federal poverty limit in most of the country means you bring home $32,000. With that size income for a single person with no dependents, their monthly student loan payment would be $0 on the SAVE plan. The same applies for a family of four with household income of $67,500 per year, according to StudentAid.gov .

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For borrowers who are tired of renting, these benefits could mean the difference between becoming a homeowner or sitting on the sidelines. This is because lower monthly student loan payments help borrowers lower their debt-to-income (DTI) ratio — a factor lenders use to determine how much consumers can afford to borrow in a home loan.

This potential benefit of the SAVE plan was recently highlighted in a joint report from the Center for Responsible Lending (CRL) and California Policy Lab (CPL). The Unveiling the Potential of Saving on a Valuable Education (SAVE) report shares several important findings, including an estimate that the SAVE plan could reduce average monthly student loans payments to $69 from the $197 currently paid. Based on these lower payments, the average borrower paying back their student loans could see their debt-to-income (DTI) drop by 1.5% to 3.6% by enrolling in SAVE.

Borrowers who enroll in the SAVE plan and secure a lower monthly payment on their student loans can look more attractive on paper to mortgage lenders. A lower DTI can free up cash they can use for mortgage payments, help them borrow a larger amount upfront, or both. On top of that, having a lower student loan payment makes it easier to save up the down payment for a home in the first place.

Of course, becoming a homeowner hinges on additional factors as well, including a borrower's employment history and credit score.

$0 Monthly Payments May Pose A Problem

Unfortunately, there's a issue to watch out for if you're hoping to become a homeowner after locking in a $0 monthly student loan payment with the SAVE plan . Several types of home loans use 0.5% of the outstanding loan balance when calculating DTI, even if the true monthly payment is $0. This includes Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loans, which are popular for first-time homebuyers due to their low credit score and down payment requirements.

It's easy to see how this calculation could be a problem for low-income borrowers who qualify for $0 monthly payments, particularly if they have a large student loan balance.

Interestingly, Fannie Mae Fannie Mae actually uses $0 monthly payments to calculate DTI, which makes more sense if the borrower has a $0 monthly student debt liability.

According to the CRL study, "If the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) adopts underwriting criteria similar to Fannie Mae by counting $0 payments, borrowers with $0 payments could see their DTI decrease by between 3.8% to 7.1%.”

Unfortunately, consumers can't really help if they qualify for a $0 monthly payment on the SAVE plan, short of earning more money. But when it comes to shopping for a home loan, understanding the different lending criteria can give you a leg up in knowing what you’ll qualify for.

Bottom Line

The SAVE income-driven repayment plan has a lot going for it whether you want to own a home or not, particularly if you are trying to pay as little as possible toward student debt then have remaining balance forgiven. That said, qualifying for a lower monthly student loan payment can have a positive impact on your DTI, boosting your chances at homeownership.

Unfortunately, buying a home will still likely require a sizeble income and downpayment. If you are already on that path, looking at the SAVE repayment plan could be positive decision.

"Borrowers with non-zero monthly payments who have DTIs between 40% and 65% will see their DTI drop between 1.5% and 3.6% by enrolling in SAVE," according to the study. "However, for the benefits of SAVE to be fully realized, underwriting criteria for federally insured mortgages must reflect actual payments, even if that payment is $0."

Robert Farrington

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  26. College protests updates: Columbia demonstrators take over building

    Editor's Note: This page is a summary of news on college campus protests against the Israel-Hamas war for Monday, April 29. For the latest news on the protests, view our live updates file for ...

  27. University protests: A great American con was behind the college "chaos

    In 2001, a Vietnam-era student radical named David Horowitz decided to once again start causing trouble on campus. A few years earlier, several scholars and activists had begun to argue that the U ...

  28. When is a California college degree worth the cost? A new study has answers

    However, only 4% of students who apply are admitted, while all but three Cal States admit more than 70% of the students who apply. Most undergraduates in California attend a public institution .

  29. SAVE Student Loan Repayment Plan May Make Homebuying Easier

    The monthly payments for undergraduate student loans on the SAVE plan drop to 5% of borrower's discretionary income (down from 10%) beginning in July of 2024.

  30. 2024 AP Exam Dates

    AP Seminar end-of-course exams are only available to students taking AP Seminar at a school participating in the AP Capstone Diploma Program. April 30, 2024 (11:59 p.m. ET) is the deadline for: AP Seminar and AP Research students to submit performance tasks as final and their presentations to be scored by their AP Seminar or AP Research teachers.