Fully Furnished

Sofas, beds, mattresses, dining tables, rugs and dressers carry real prices read at the shop that sells them, with the date on every row. Every other category is still sample data.

What furniture should a college student buy for an off-campus apartment?

Summary

Buy the pieces you can get out again. A desk, bookcase and dresser from IKEA can go back to the store for credit at graduation, while beds, sofas and mattresses cannot, so those are the ones to keep light or cheap. Rent-to-own looks cheap by the month, but the FTC warns it can cost twice what you would pay in cash.

The bed decision is really a sheets decision

Casper calls Twin XL the default size in college dormitory rooms, and most dorm bedding is made for it. It measures 38 by 80 inches, five inches longer than a regular twin at the same width. If you move off campus and buy a full (53 by 75 inches), the sheets and mattress pad from the dorm stop fitting in both directions. Staying with Twin XL keeps the bedding but gives up the room for two.

Shared seating you can carry

Best Choice Products, whose affiliate program this site belongs to, sells a futon it pitches for an apartment or dorm. The Faux Leather Upholstered Convertible Sofa Bed Futon is 65.25 inches long, 32 inches deep as a sofa and 38 inches flat, weighs 63 pounds and holds 500. Its Curved Convertible Futon seats three, runs 77.5 inches long, weighs 82 pounds and ships in two boxes.

Getting either one out at the end of the lease looks like this:

U-Haul pickup truckU-Haul cargo van
Cargo space (L x W x H)8 ft x 5 ft 1 in x 1 ft 10.5 in9 ft 6 in x 5 ft 7 in x 4 ft 8 in
Max load2,280 lb4,030 lb

U-Haul's in-town rentals start at $19.95 plus a per-mile charge, and the 65-inch futon lies flat in the pickup bed. When four people split a couch, one of three things happens at move-out: somebody takes it, somebody sells it, or it goes to the curb. If the whole apartment leaves the same week, there is little time to settle who takes it and what they owe the others.

What IKEA will take back

IKEA's Buyback & Resell service, at participating stores and only for IKEA Family members, gives store credit that does not expire for IKEA furniture that is fully assembled and works. You bring it in; there is no pickup. The list of accepted items includes bookcases and shelf units, dining tables and desks, chests of drawers and small tables. It excludes sofas and armchairs, upholstered or leather products, beds and bed frames, mattresses, and anything not made by IKEA.

So the desk and bookshelf have an exit at graduation, and the bed and couch do not. The credit also lands on whichever member account starts the form, which matters when three people paid for the desk.

Rent-to-own versus plain rental

The FTC's consumer page says a longer rent-to-own contract lowers the monthly payment but raises the total through markups and fees, and that some plans end up costing twice the cash price. Miss a payment and you might lose the item and everything you paid toward it. If you return it early, you probably will not get that money back.

Ordinary furniture rental is a different contract, with its own minimum terms and buyout rules; the rental guide goes through them with CORT's numbers.

Sources

Run by Kaz, an individual. Published 28 September 2026.