2 min read

Student moving checklist and timeline

A practical week-by-week student moving checklist to help you pack, plan, and move between semesters without the stress.
By · November 6, 2025
Student moving checklist and timeline

Planning your move can be difficult, especially when you’re juggling coursework, deadlines, and exams. This student moving checklist and timeline will help you stay organised and fully prepared for moving day.

3 months before

  • Secure your next accommodation.
  • Finalise your moving day and note any gap between leases.
  • Start decluttering to minimise your packing volume, time and money. 

Want to make packing easier and start fresh in your new space? Check out our decluttering guide packed with expert tips, viral Cleantok trends, and motivation to keep you going.

2 months before

1 month before

  • It's time to pack, starting with items you don’t use. You can even save time and hire a professional packing service to handle it for you.

2 weeks before

  • Arrange a professional clean before moving out. Confirm if your new place will be cleaned (by the previous tenants) before moving in.
  • Confirm the move-out time with your current landlord and your move-in time with your next landlord.

1 week before

  • Pack your final items, and put together a bag of essentials to keep with you on moving day.
  • Check in with your moving service to finalise the details.

Moving day

  • Walk through your current student accommodation with your landlord to note any damages (and hopefully secure your full deposit back).
  • Meet your movers and move!
  • Walk through your new student accommodation to note any pre-existing damages. Assess if you’ll need to book a cleaning service before unpacking.

After moving day

  • Start unpacking (or hire professionals to do it for you).
  • Set up your WiFi if needed.
  • Change your address with your university, bank, insurance, etc.

Moving as a student can feel overwhelming, but with a solid checklist, you’ll have everything under control from start to finish. Start early, stay organised, and lean on reliable student movers if you need help with the heavy lifting. Once the boxes are unpacked, you can focus on what really matters: settling into your new home and the year ahead.

Read our student moving guide for more tips on finding your accommodation, packing, budgeting and more, and start your new student life chapter with confidence.

What do our customers say?

Read reviews of Wise Move to learn stories from our customers.
R 8,450
1 bedroom flat move
Hayfields, Pietermaritzburg
Paulshof, Sandton
10
Nduduzo
Reviewed 32 minutes ago
Andrew and his team provided an excellent service. Based on the service I received, I recommend Prestige Moves.
R 2,150
Greenstone Hill, Lethabong
Greenstone Hill, Edenvale
9.5
Sabrina
Reviewed 9 hours ago
Ndlamo and her team were extremely friendly and helpful. They took their time to pack everything and took care to ensure that everything was protected so nothing got damaged. I also really appreciated that I did not feel rushed during the process because they needed to be elsewhere. Would highly recommend them and will certainly use them in the future.
R 1,800
Soshanguve - AA, Soshanguve
Edenvale
10
Mso
Reviewed 14 hours ago
Lawrence’s service was exceptionally great. 😊 he is very accommodating and polite. Referred to me by name, made me feel like we’ve known each other for sometime. He handled my furniture with extra care and respect. Packed it efficiently and ensured it was covered should the weather change. I’ll definitely recommend his services.
R 3,180
Shere
Savannah Country Estate, Zwartkoppies
10
Nkateko
Reviewed 15 hours ago
I had an excellent experience with Straww X. The team was professional, efficient, and extremely helpful from start to finish. They carefully wrapped and packed all my belongings in less than two hours, which was very impressive. When we arrived at my new place, they offloaded everything quickly and handled my items with care. They even went the extra mile and helped connect my washing machine for me. Overall, the service was smooth, fast, and stress-free. I would definitely recommend them to anyone looking for a reliable moving service.
R 2,999
Centurion
La Montagne, Pretoria
9.5
Lerato
Reviewed 1 day ago
The team was fantastic and I'd use them again and again