The Top 5 MUST-HAVE Academic Planners for College Students in 2023
5 College Planners That Will Help You Thrive at School
Ready to get your life together with a college planner?
I’ve rounded up and compared all the best planners for college students right here in this post.
The last of Spring classes are winding down, and we’re all ready to enjoy a lonnnggg summer break.
But the fact of the matter is:
The fall semester really isn’t that far away. As a student who’s been there and done that, I know that those few months of reprieve never seem to last long enough. And while that may be the last thing you want to have on your mind during the summer…
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
So a little preparation now can do wonders for your future self. Today I’m going to help you find the perfect planner for college. And with it, you’ll hopefully be able to preserve your sanity when the new semester rolls around.
With so many types of planners for students out there, it was too difficult to pick just one overall best planner. Not to mention, planning is such an individual thing. We all have our own unique preferences, and what’s right for someone else may not be right for you.
So instead of recommending just one overall best planner, I’ve compiled a list of the top picks in a range of styles and price points.
If you’re in a rush:
✅ This specific academic planner is the most popular.
College Student Planner Comparison
| Image | Brand | Size | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall WINNER |  | Ultimate Student Planner by ClassTracker | 7"x8.5" | More Info |
| Best Innovation |  | Centered Student Planner | 7"x9" (B5) | More Info |
| Best Customizable |  | Erin Condren Academic Planner | 7"x9" (B5) OR 5.8"x8.3" (A5) | More Info |
| Best Basic |  | Lemome Academic Student Planner | 5"x8" OR 8"x11" | More Info |
| Best All-in-One |  | Live Whale Planner | 8.3"x5.5" (A5) | More Info |
| Honorable Mention |  | You Are a Badass Planner | 7.7"x9" | More Info |
Which planner is best for college?
Get more information about these 5 student planner options and why they’re the real deal down below.
1. The Ultimate Student Planner by Class Tracker
Details
First up:
We’ll look at the Class Tracker Ultimate Student Planner. It has “ultimate” in the name, so how could I not include it in this list?
However, the name isn’t just hype.
This academic planner is not only my personal favorite but a reader favorite as well. The College Edition of the Ultimate Student Planner is made specifically for college students—and it shows!
This planner takes the unique needs of college students into account by having dedicated pages to record their class schedule each semester. And the weekly layout pages are structured into 4 parts:
- Remember To-Do List
- Quizzes/Exams/Papers/Projects
- Assignments
- Daily Plan
This helps you stay on top of your schedule so you’ll never miss a due date. Managing your time and energy while juggling a busy college life has never been more straightforward.
You know the syllabus you get from every class at the beginning of each semester?
Simply fill out your planner with that information. And just like that, you’ve laid out a clear roadmap for tackling your workload for the whole semester.
This, in turn, makes it easy for you to keep your priorities in focus. It’s not hard to see how you can experience greater peace of mind and reduced stress levels by utilizing this college planner.
Basically, this student planner simplifies the most challenging parts of college life—organizing and prioritizing.
Better yet:
This college planner is available in dated and undated versions. Which means you can start using one at any time during the year. If you’re craving more details, I cover everything about it in my Class Tracker Ultimate Student Planner review here.
Bottom line: the Ultimate Student Planner layout is focus-driven and easy to understand. In fact, the simplicity is what makes so effective. This college planner makes prioritizing everything you have going on at school as easy as ABC. With its help, you’re able to quickly set a realistic and actionable plan that spreads out your workload into a manageable schedule.
Taking into account the practicality and price, the Ultimate Student Planner is the overall best planner for college students.
Ultimate Student Planner College Edition
The best planner for college
While many claim to be the ultimate student planner, this one actually lives up to the name. We love this academic year planner because it’s lightweight, comes with pages to record class schedules, and the innovative weekly spread makes prioritizing so dang easy.
*Prices pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on: 2023-12-05
2. The Centered Student Planner
Details
The Centered Student Planner is designed by an award-winning college professor and it shows; the Centered Student has thought of everything!
Most planners for college students assume you know what you’re doing and how to make the best use of your time. Although time management plays an essential role in a student’s success at college, it unfortunately isn’t something that’s taught or emphasized enough. However it IS a skill that anyone can learn with the right guidance.
In contrast, the Centered Student Planner anticipates college student’s most common struggles. Not only does it have an intuitive layout featuring purpose-driven weekly spreads, hourly time slots, and an included notepad with 50 to-do lists, but you’ll also get access to 52 exclusive video tutorials.
With a modern, scannable QR code bookmark, these easily digestible video tutorials are literally at your fingertips, ready to bridge important information gaps before they become an issue.
Honestly, this paper planner is a difficult one to summarize! I highly encourage you to explore all the details in my Centered Student Planner review.
Refined and improved with the help of feedback from actual university students who use it, the 2023-2024 Centered Student Planner is the best version yet. Last year, the new linen covers and upgraded quality wowed us – this time, they have managed to elevate the aesthetic to a whole new level!
In addition to last year’s most popular colors, there are now two more gorgeous covers to choose from: Starling Blue and *limited edition* Floral Bleu.
And to top it all off:
The Centered Student Planners are priced at $32 this year (vs $36 in 2022) to acknowledge the toll inflation is taking on all of us.
**UPDATE: The CSP is currently sold out on the website, but there’s still some stock available on Amazon! Check the available planner stock and bundle stock here.
Bottom line: the Centered Student Planner is truly one-of a kind and an amazing option for all kinds of college students. Particularly, this is the best planner for college freshmen, students who have struggled to stay consistent with other planners, and those who need help optimizing their use of time.
Centered Student Planner
The best planner for time management
Beyond its attractive appearance, this planner stands out for its modern and unique approach tailored to the needs of college students. Included video tutorials with expert advice provide real, actionable steps to help you get organized. Devised by a teaching professor to be a comprehensive guide for college success, this planner is particularly ideal for college freshmen and those who need more guidance.
*Prices pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on: 2023-12-05
3. The Erin Condren Academic Planner
Details
This brings us to the:
The Erin Condren Academic Planner.
As another one tailor-made for students, it includes dedicated pages you wouldn’t find in any regular old planner.
Like: project and exam tracking pages, a place to write your class schedule, as well as assignments and due dates on the weekly planning pages. 2 sheets of stickers included!
All of which are invaluable features for busy college students!
💡 TIP: the newest Erin Condren planners are usually available starting in early May
As of this year, Erin Condren now offers three styles of academic planners:
- Coiled
- Softbound (lefty-friendly)
- Focused – great for students who want something sleek and minimalist!
But, if it wasn’t good enough already:
These college planners have a HUGE selection of covers—which are easily interchangeable so you can change it up anytime.
You’ll find a range of wonderful designs to choose from (including Star Wars, Jurassic World, and Hello Kitty!) and they’re always adding more styles. You even have the option to personalize it by adding your name to the cover.
Plus Erin Condren has so many cute and useful accessories which compliment their academic planners (such as this incredibly handy wet erase projects and exams dashboard). This makes it easy to further tailor your planner to suit your personal needs.
All in all, Erin Condren school agendas are in another league of their own. I’ve personally used more than a couple Erin Condren planners over the years—they do not disappoint!
To get a better idea of what kind of quality you can expect from Erin Condren planners, be sure to check out the video below (or read my review of the Erin Condren LifePlanner).
Video: Erin Condren Planner for College Students
Bottom line: Hands down, Erin Condren offers the best customizable academic planners for college students. While more expensive than others, these planners are of premium quality—they’re really nice.
These planners offer a lot of value, but that comes with a lot of pages that you may find unnecessary or even overwhelming. These are the best college planners for students who enjoy pretty stationary, want to use their planner to its FULL potential, and are ready to take their organization game up to the next level.
**At the time of writing, horizontal is the only weekly layout option for the academic planner line. If you’re looking for something with a vertical or hourly layout, the Erin Condren LifePlanner is an excellent option and worth considering.
Erin Condren Academic Planner
Best custom student planner
With plenty of pages for planning your weeks & months, plus tracking projects & exams, this is a best-selling student planner for a reason. It’s the most customizable option we found.
4. The Live Whale Planner
Details
The Live Whale Planner is a conveniently sized option that’s perfect for school. It has a hardcover, thick 120 GSM pages (so that ink won’t bleed through), and a convenient pen loop.
Inside you’ll find lots and lots of space for writing!
You can track your schedule down to the hour and there are quite a few extra pages for more self-tracking. Other pages include: a budget tracker, new inspirational quotes for each month, a goal date countdown tracker, and “brain dump” space.
In addition:
The cover is made out of animal-friendly vegan leather or you can choose their new linen fabric option. The little whale on the front is a super cute detail too. In any event, there’s clearly there’s a lot to like about this planner!
Live Whale Planner
Best all-in-one academic planner
A book-sized planner that can handle it all, this option has 12 months worth of undated pages for daily, monthly, and budget planning. Plus with habit tracker, brain dump, mind map, and vision board sections it encompasses everything needed for managing life on, and off, campus.
*Prices pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on: 2023-12-05
5. The Lemome Academic Planner
Details
As far as school agendas go, the Lemome Academic Planner strikes a nice middle ground.
If you love taking notes, this is the college planner for you because it has 88 pages just. for. notes. Awesome, right?
And with high-quality paper, you don’t have to worry about ink bleeding through. The overall design is a sophisticated and a low key look suited for college girls, college guys, and anyone really.
Its on-the-go size is just right for keeping in your backpack, so you can easily carry it with you all over campus. Though if you enjoy using a bigger planner, Lemome’s A4 weekly planner is very comparable.
Extra features include an elastic closure, a super handy pen loop, an inner pocket, 2 bookmarks, and monthly sticker tabs.
All in all, this is a rock-solid planner for college!
Lemome Academic Planner
The best planner for college guys
Our most inexpensive recommendation, this sturdy no-frills planner comes with many practical features – most notably the 88 pages for notes. It’s trimmed down enough to cut out the “fluff”, but substantial enough to keep a busy college student completely organized.
*Prices pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on: 2023-12-05
Looking for something SMALLER? The Lemome Pocket Planner is the size of a smartphone and still has all the same great features.
Need something with HOURLY planning? The Lemome Diary Planner is just what you’re looking for — it’s amazing for daily planning down to the hour.
Honorable Mention: You Are A Badass Planner
Details
Finally, we have a runner-up:
It isn’t designed to be an academic planner per se, however, the layout is still ideal for college life. Furthermore, the vibrant yellow packs a nice punch of positivity into your day.
The weekly spread pages utilize a horizontal layout with a generous amount of space and checkboxes for each day of the week. Monthly overview, habit tracker pages, and fun stickers are also included.
And:
Instead of the usual 12 months, this planner runs for a total of 17 months.
Reviewers were impressed with both the original version and last year’s version. So, chances are the newest version (which is simply newer and improved) is just as kickass for staying organized in college.
You Are A Badass Planner
The planner that motivates
Though not designed specifically for school, this planner has ample space to write down all the assignments and reminders you need as a student. This is a good planner choice for goal diggers who are motivated by visual progress, especially if you enjoy sassy quotes and fun stickers.
*Prices pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on: 2023-12-05
Deciding Between College Planners
If I know I can save myself from a major headache later – I’m all for doing a little work upfront.
That’s why:
I like choosing a college planner during the summer. You know, before things get really busy around back to school time.
It gives me plenty of time to shop around and find a planner that’s a perfect fit for my needs.
Plus:
Without all the usual college life stress, I can make a more level-headed decision vs the snap one I might make if I waited until the last minute.
Being prepared is a simple yet powerful way to set yourself up for success in college.
And trust me:
I need all the help I can get when it comes to managing my life and keeping my shit together once school is in session.
After all:
There’s A LOT to stay on top of as a college student. Between new classes, assignment due dates, social outings, and extracurriculars…the list goes on!
Having the right planner makes all the difference.
How do I find the best academic planner for ME?
Figuring out which college planner will work best for you is actually pretty simple!
You’ll just want to consider a few things…
Final thoughts on college student planners…
Alright, those are my top 5 picks when it comes to the best college student planners. Hopefully, one of those is your holy grail to organization!
But let me know which one YOU think is the most useful for managing school life. Drop a comment below to share your thoughts.
Finally:
Don’t forget to have some fun and to check some things off your bucket list this summer!
More articles related to planners & college:
- Review of the ClassTracker Ultimate Student Planner
- Bloom Planner for College Review (with All the Details)
- Time Management Tips for College Students
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About Charlie
Charlie is the co-founder of College Life Made Easy and author of the book 175+ Things to Do Before You Graduate College. She’s a 2015 graduate who teaches overwhelmed students and parents of students how to confidently navigate the whole college thing. As a former broke college kid, she’s passionate about helping students develop the skills they need in order to thrive (instead of just survive), stress less, and actually enjoy the full college experience.