Parents cough up thousands decorating their kids’ dorms even as total college costs hit six figures a year

College move-in used to mean twin XL sheets, a shower caddy and maybe a few posters taped to a cinder-block wall.

For some families, that’s no longer going to cut it.

Parents are shelling out thousands of dollars to turn their kids’ temporary dorm rooms into carefully designed spaces, complete with custom headboards, wallpaper, matching bedding and professionally installed decor.

The trend has spawned an entire dorm-design industry and a steady stream of elaborate room reveals on TikTok and Instagram.

And it’s happening as the price of simply getting through college gates reaches a striking new threshold, with the annual sticker price at dozens of U.S. colleges and universities now nearing or exceeding $100,000 a year, according to a CNBC analysis.

That includes tuition, fees, room and board, books, transportation and other expenses.

The extra spending isn’t limited to the families hiring interior designers.

College students and their families are expected to spend a record $103.5 billion, or $1,437.79 per shopper, getting ready for school this year, according to the National Retail Federation and Prosper Insights & Analytics , up from $88.8 billion last year.

A record $14 billion of that is expected to go toward dorm and apartment furnishings alone, up from $12.8 billion last year.

The average family plans to spend $194 on the category, but increasingly elaborate dorm decor can push that bill into the thousands.

The price tags may raise eyebrows, but students are the ones living with the results.

“No matter how people think how absurd spending all this money on your dorm room is, your kid’s gonna be here for the next nine months,” incoming James Madison University freshman Henley Bedwell told Axios .

“Why would you not rather them be comfortable?” Mary Margaret Designs founder Shelly Gates knows the ritual firsthand.

The Mississippi mom of three started the business after decorating her own daughter’s dorm room at Mississippi State in 2020 and posting photos on Facebook.