College care packages let your favorite student know you're thinking about them—and help them stock up on useful products and surprises to smile about! While nothing beats a tin of homemade cookies, subscription boxes are a convenient alternative to packing and sending a box yourself. Plus, with the option to sign up for recurring shipments, subscription boxes are the gift that keeps on giving all school year 'round!
There are lots of subscriptions that focus on college students specifically, but why stop there? We suggest these popular lifestyle, fashion, food, and even fandom boxes– all are sure to have them thinking of you, and they make great conversation starters in the mail room, too.
Check out some of our top box picks for college students, along with handy coupons! (Woohoo!) Is there a box we missed? Let us know your favorites in the comments!
Unique Subscription Box College Care Package Ideas
FabFitFun VIP Box
The Cost: $49.99 per quarter
COUPON: Get $10.00 off your first box with code MSA10
FLASH SALE! Sign up for a new subscription and use coupon code LOVE40 to save $20 off of the new FabFitFun Editor’s box! This brings the cost down to $29.99!
It feels like everybody's talking about FabFitFun, from your favorite Instagram stars to the people in the coffee line. There's good reason—this popular box features full-sized, high-quality beauty and women's lifestyle items, including makeup palettes fitness gear, jewelry and accessories, and more. What better way to perk up your favorite student semester after semester!
Read our FabFitFun VIP Box reviews!
CampusCube for Girls or Guys
The Cost: $34.95
LIMITED TIME DEAL: Use code CC2017PLAN to save 7% off any subscription!
COUPON: For a limited time, save $5 off any regular cube order with code MSA5
CampusCube is the classic college care package. Every month, your student will get an assortment of fun and wholesome snacks, handy bodycare items, and other useful odds and ends that will brighten their day. This company organizes their shipping schedule around the semester system, and they even offer a birthday box!
Read our CampusCube reviews!
Loot Wear
The Cost: Subscription options start at $9.99 per month
COUPON: Save 10% off any length subscription with code ADDICTION, or get $3 off month-to-month with code SAVE3
Sure, college kids know how to do laundry. But that doesn't mean they'll actually do it. Which is why the gift of a clean t-shirt or a fresh pair of boxers each month just might be the best thing you can give your student. We recommend Loot Wear, a member of the Loot Crate family of awesomely geeky subscription boxes. With Loot Wear, you can sign your student up to receive a monthly shipment of socks, tees, underwear, or all of the above, all themed after a different monthly fandom. We're talking Rick & Morty boxers, Guardians of the Galaxy socks, Archer baseball tees... snazzy finds from super-popular franchises! If your recipient is more of a collector, consider sending them the classic Loot Crate, which includes a tee as well as a slew of figurines and fan items!
Read our Loot Wear reviews!
G & Co. Noire Style Box
The Cost: $28.00 per month
COUPON: Get $5.00 off your first month with code WELCOME5
From socials and ceremonies to meetings and interviews, your college-bound kiddo is going to encounter lots of occasions to get dressed up and look sharp. The G & Co. Noire Style Box gives your student that extra bit of polish with a monthly assortment of debonair accessories. Think tie-tacks, pocket squares, neckties, and more, all with plenty of trend-conscious personality.
Read our G & Co. Noire Style Box reviews!
Umai Crate
The Cost: $25.00 per month
COUPON: Save $3.00 off your first box with code MSA3
Hey, college students are going to eat ramen noodles anyway. You might as well make sure they're awesome, authentic ones, right?! Umai Crate delivers your noodle fanatic a new assortment of ramen, udon, yakisoba, and other favorites straight from Japan. They also throw in occasional bonus gifts like chopsticks just for fun. Whether your kiddo loves ramen or just Japanese culture, this box is a tasteful choice!
Read our Umai Crate reviews!
OnyxBox by We Are Onyx
The Cost: $25.00 per month, or save with longer subscriptions
COUPON: Save $9 off a 3-month subscription with code ONYXBOXH320 or save $12 off a 6-month subscription with code ONYXBOXH619
Brilliant minds deserve beauty products that can keep up with their awesomeness. Enter the high-quality finds in OnyxBox, a beauty box curated for and by black women! Each month, your student will get a carefully selected assortment of five or more makeup, hair, skincare, and nail samples, which, altogether, are worth at least $75. Each box is different, but you can expect nourishing hair oils, vibrant eyeshadows and lip colors, ultra-cool nail wraps, body scrubs and lotions, and beyond. Genius!
Read our We Are Onyx OnyxBox reviews!
Pusheen Box
The Cost: $43.95 per quarterly box, or save with longer commitments. Shipping is $6.00.
Can you even imagine a better pick-me-up than finding this kawaii box waiting for you at the student post office? The Pusheen Box is a seasonal collection of brand new, pre-release, exclusive Pusheen merchandise—we're talking totally unexpected, ridiculously cute items that are impossible not to love. There are wearables, decor finds, toys and figurines, tech like headphones and selfie sticks, and more, all that nod to the signature style and smile of everyone's favorite gray cat.
Read our Pusheen Box reviews!
Amazon Prime Surprise Sweets
The Cost: $18.00 per box
Imagine getting cookies and candies delivered to your dorm room at the touch of a button... Amazon Prime Surprise Sweets is a dream come true for college students with a sweet tooth! Here's how it works: Amazon Prime Members can purchase the Surprise Sweets Dash button for $4.99—just push the button to get a box delivered to campus with free 2-day Prime shipping! Each box is filled with an assortment of thoughtfully crafted treats from unique vendors. And the $4.99 cost of the Dash button is credited towards your first box!
Read our Amazon Prime Surprise Sweets reviews!
Backup Box
The Cost: $55.00 per month
Inspire your favorite female student both on-campus and off with Backup Box, a feminist-minded subscription box designed for self-care and cultivating confidence! Each edition of this upbeat box features a piece handcrafted jewelry, a "Monthly Mission" (a self-care practice to encourage your well-being), information on a new featured shero in history, plus home accessories, office items, body care products, and even chocolate to lift your recipient's spirits. Gift this subscription to your fave student, and feel good knowing 10% of proceeds will be donated to a humanitarian organization!
FanChest
The Cost: Boxes start at $59.00
Help your out-of-state student feel right at home on game day with FanChest! This box sends your sports fan an assortment of officially licensed team gear from the NFL, NHL, MLB, NBA, and NCAA. There are things to wear, things to decorate a dorm or apartment—there'll be no question who your student is rooting for, even if their school is in a rival town!
Read our FanChest reviews!
Jeni's Pint Club
The Cost: $200.00 per year
Jeni's is a foodie-favorite ice cream shop based in Ohio—their gourmet-status, yet deliciously approachable ice creams, sorbets, and frozen yogurts are truly to die for. So imagine the glee on your student's face when they see they've been gifted this quarterly ice cream subscription! Along with the pints of ice creams you get four times per year, you'll also receive a letterpress card, handwritten note, and set of four retro ice cream spades! Let everyone else in the dormitory have their Moose Tracks and Fudge Swirl—this box will keep the mini-fridge stocked with flavors like Sweet Cream Biscuits and Peach Jam, Wildberry Lavender, and Sweet Potato with Torched Marshmallows. Yum!
Freshly
The Cost: Plans range from $8.99 to $12.50 per meal
COUPON: Save 30% off your first week of a 6 meal/week plan or more with code RADSPRING30
Home Chef
The Cost: $9.95 per serving
COUPON: Get your first box for $30.00 off with code DM30
Has your student moved out of the dorms and into their own place? Home Chef will help them get acquainted with their kitchen. Move over, boxed mac and cheese! This popular meal delivery kit offers up tasty, wholesome weekly recipes (like Southern shrimp and sausage roast, burrata pizza margherita, and Vietnamese shaking tofu) plus all the fresh ingredients you need to cook them. Plus, everything is portioned out ahead of time, so there's no waste, less work, and significantly less prep. Better meals + fewer dishes to do afterward = ideal college meal prep.
Read our Home Chef reviews!
Which boxes would you send to your college student?
Does your student have a favorite? And college readers—what would you most want to receive? Let us know in the comments!
Please do not enter your email address in the Name field or in the comment content. Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *. Remember to post with kindness and respect. Comments with offensive language, cruelness to others, etc will not be approved. See our full comment policy here.