Take your pick of these 7 stunning planners that top our list for the best academic planners for college students! You can’t go wrong with any of these picks.
There’s nothing quite like the anticipation, excitement, and nervousness that fill your mind in the weeks leading up to a new fall semester. I wish I could bottle up the magical feeling of new classes, friendships (romances, perhaps), and cute fall outfits. Entering a new school year and semester is perfect for organizing and diving into new routines.
As a college student, one of my favorite beginning-of-the-semester rituals always included a new planner for the academic year. Finding a school planner that meets your needs is one of the best ways to ensure you set yourself up for success. Effective time management skills start with tracking and planning how to spend your time and following through on those plans!
So many great planner options are available for college students, varying in layout, features, book size, and design. Whether you’re looking to plan and track your school assignments, extracurricular activities, social life plans, to-do lists, or some combination of the three, there’s a planner made for you that will help you have a successful academic year.
Here are seven of the best planners for college students (many of these work well for high school students, too!), listed in no particular order. We focused primarily on paper planners, but an online planner is mentioned for those who prefer a digital calendar.
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7 Best Academic Planners for College Students in 2023
Emily Ley Academic Year Daily Planners
I’ve always loved Emily Ley planners. They’re beautiful, organized well, and have plenty of space for all the good stuff. This college planner runs from August 2023 through July 2024 and is a daily style.
The Simplified Planner comes in a few different design options and is designed minimally to help busy people stay on top of their joyful lives. One of the best perks about purchasing the Simplified Planner is that you can access the Simplified Planner Coaching Video Library, complete with 12 videos from Emily Ley!
Key features & specs for this 7” x 9.25” planner:
- Monthly views, as well as daily pages (one day per page + weekends)
- Hourly schedule layout from 6:00 am to 9:00 pm for full-day planning
- Simple pops of color throughout
- Includes a colorful sticker sheet
- Colorful monthly tabs
- Double-sided pocket to hold notes & other small pieces of paper
These planners typically cost about $64, but you can likely snag one on sale since they’re dated.
Click here to get $15 off your Emily Ley planner!
The Simplified Planner (Blush Magnolia) Source: emilyley.com
Erin Condren Academic Planners
The Erin Condren Academic Planners are like the organized best friend in your backpack that you won’t be able to live without. It’s no wonder Erin Condren planners are so popular—they’re customizable, pretty, and easy to use.
Build your all-in-one student planner for 2023-2024 with dated weekly, monthly, and yearly planning pages. You can also choose from one of four interior page designs, including Colorful Cosmos, Colorblends, Focused, or Star Wars™. Select your coil and personalize your cover with your name for a special touch.
Key features & specs for this planner:
- Available in two sizes: 7” x 9” or 5.8″ x 8.3″
- Dated for 12 months (choose August 2023 through July 2024 or September 2023 through August 2024)
- Coiled or softbound (lay-flat) options available to meet your needs
- Monthly quotes, notes, and productivity pages
- Detailed pages for daily scheduling, projects, and exam tracking
- Includes one sticker sheet
Softbound planners start at $32.50, and coiled planners start at $40.50. The total cost depends on your customization options and whether you add extra pages.
Erin Condren Academic Planner (Colorblends interior page design) Source: erincondren.com
Passion Planner Weekly ‘23-’24 Academic Planners
If you’re looking for a simple planner for your wildest hopes and dreams, Passion Planner is the one for you. This is a great option if you want to add more creativity to your life, as it prompts us to think bigger with white space for writing, doodling, and brainstorming. Additionally, it includes monthly reflection questions, so you can pause and ensure you’re on the path you hope to be.
Passion Planner includes a Passion Roadmap to define your short and long-term goals, monthly and weekly pages, monthly reflection questions, and blank pages. Choose from a handful of beautiful covers, including this year’s beautiful Celestial Blue Holo design. The Passion Planner Weekly Academic runs from July 2023 to June 2024, so you can dive in and use it immediately!
Weekly ‘23-’24 Academic Planner (Celestial Blue Holo) Source: passionplanner.com
Key features & specs for this planner:
- Available in three sizes: 5.8” x 8.3” or 6.9” x 9.8” or 7.8” x 11”
- Customize your weeks by choosing a Sunday or Monday start day
- Monthly layouts with space to include your top personal and work (or school) projects
- Daily breakdowns from 6:00 am to 10:30 pm for full-day planning
- Space of Infinite Possibility is included in every weekly layout for writing, doodling, creating, or anything else you desire
- Quotes and challenges to keep you motivated, along with a box where you can outline your focus for the day and month
- Eight monthly reflection questions and an end-of-the-month checklist
- Blank note pages, to-do lists, project work, or anything else
- Includes five free sticker sheets (in the back pocket)
The plain black planners start at $40.99, with designed covers starting at $50.99.
Weekly ‘23-’24 Academic Planner Source: passionplanner.com
Click here to get $15 off at Passion Planner!
Blue Sky Weekly Planner Notes Life
The Blue Sky academic planner and notes agenda is one of the most affordable options on the market. Not only are these planners affordable, they’re elegant and will help you stay organized and on top of your to-dos throughout the year.
The Blue Sky planners run from July 2023 through June 2024 and include spacious weekly spreads and monthly calendar views for the year. Keep track of your schedule, daily reminders, goals, schoolwork, etc.
Key features & specs for this planner:
- Available in two sizes: 5.875” x 8.625” or 8.5” x 11”
- Includes 50 lined sheets for notes, projects, and ideas
- Space for your to-do lists and goals alongside your weekly view
- Pages for yearly goals, contacts, and important events
- 2-sided storage pocket for your documents and small notes
2023-2024 Bella 8.5” x 11” Weekly Planner Life Source: bluesky.com
Day Designer 2023-24 Academic Year Planners
The Day Designer planner includes monthly pages, daily schedules, to-do lists, and room for gratitude. This academic planner is a solid choice for college students obsessed with goal-setting, productivity, organization, and appreciation for the small stuff. There are tons of designs to choose from for a personal touch.
Day Designer’s complete daily planners run from July 2023 through June 2024. They help you visualize your schedule, track assignment due dates, and break down big projects into manageable daily tasks. You can choose either a daily or weekly layout, depending on your preference.
Key features & specs for this planner:
- Available in two sizes: Original Daily and Original Weekly (9” x 9.75”) or Mini Daily and Mini Weekly (6.625” x 8.3”)
- Designed to track today, to-dos, gratitude, top three priorities, and more
- Includes goal-setting worksheets so you can track and achieve your biggest dreams
- Inspirational quotes for ongoing motivation
- Includes two gold foil sticker sheets
- Protective gold corners so your planner doesn’t bend
Daily and weekly Day Designer planners run from $58-$68.
2023-24 Daily Planner (Sunset) Source: daydesigner.com
bloom Daily Planners 2023-24 Academic Year Line
bloom offers over 70 dated and undated planners with cute, inspirational covers and designs. Some of their planners are designated as “give back items,” so your purchase will support others through one of four of bloom’s impact branches. If making a difference is one of your core values, you can’t go wrong with a planner from bloom.
These planners are designed to help you build and maintain a balanced, more fulfilling lifestyle. Use your bloom daily planner for 12 months, from July 2023 through July 2024.
Key features & specs for this planner:
- Available in nine sizes, with 5.5” x 8.25” and 8.5” x 11” being popular options
- Hard and soft cover options available to meet your needs
- Spacious monthly and weekly views with weekly prioritization & a habit tracker
- Vision Planners include a unique, guided planning system with pre-month vision boards that encourage and inspire action in the following categories: personal growth, relationships, health, family, home, fun, school (or work), finances, and more
- Many planners include a free sticker sheet and magnetic bookmark
Planners range from $9.95 to $32.95. Here’s 10% off your purcahse at bloom!
And if paper planners aren’t your jam, try a bloom digital planner for $11.95.
2023-24 Hard Cover Vision Planner® (Poppy Meadow, Blue) Source: bloomplanners.com
Papier Academic Planners
Papier’s academic planners help students and professors make the most out of their school year semesters. Keep track of exams and assignment deadlines, write down marks for improvement, set goals throughout the year, and split big projects into smaller tasks. Choose a hardback or spiral-bound planner and a fun cover design.
Papier academic planners run from August 2023 through July 2024.
Key features & specs for this 6″ x 8.5″ planner :
- Includes a timetable so you can lay out your weekly class schedule each semester, complete with classroom numbers and other details
- “My Deadlines” tracker for assignments, exams, and grade tracking
- Monthly overview to plan for the month ahead, along with weekly trackers for more detailed weekly planning
- Finance and recipe tracker so you can stay on top of other personal areas in life
Papier’s academic year diaries start at $32. Get $10 off Papier with this link!
Papier Academic Year Planner (Joy) Source: papier.com
Which one is the right planner for me?
The good news about having so many academic planners to choose from is that there’s bound to be one that works best for you. And while there’s no special formula and certainly no “right” answer when choosing the perfect planner, below are three of the most important things you should keep top of mind to help you find the best fit.
First, do you prefer to plan by month, week, or day? Think about the level of detail you want to capture in your planner. For example, I was always a big fan of using daily planners to lay out my schedule hour-by-hour. Others may only need to see a weekly view for a higher level, big-picture understanding of their responsibilities and tasks. Be sure to pay attention to which layouts are included in the planners you choose to explore.
Secondly, are you a minimalist planning type or someone who loves the extra bonuses of using a planner? I’m talking about motivational quotes, inspiration, space to add stickers and other memories (similar to a bullet journal), and all the good stuff. If you prefer clean pages and using space strictly for planning purposes, look for a planner that won’t distract you with extras so you can focus on what truly matters to you. If you prefer the fluffy stuff, keep that in mind when reviewing planner options.
And finally, think about what size planner works best for you! I loved 8.5” x 11” sized planners because I had extra room to write and take notes. One semester I tried to move to a smaller size and hated it. Determine what makes the most sense for you, and if anything, go bigger than you think you need so you have extra room.
Get your planning on!
Grab your planner and get ready for a great semester! You’ll be off and tackling your busy schedule in no time. We hope this blog post helps you find the best planner for you. Which one will you be trying out this semester? Let us know in the comments!
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About the Author
Alyssa graduated from the University of Colorado Colorado Springs in 2016 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice. Early in her career, her interests shifted, and she works in communications and change management. She lives in Denver with her husband, and they love going on adventures together. She lives for summers in Colorado and enjoys hiking and stand up paddleboarding. She also enjoys collecting plants and stationery sets, reading self-help books, and is obsessed with the Yoga with Adriene YouTube channel. No matter where her career path leads her, writing, and sharing her experiences to help others will always be a part of her plans.
Website: https://www.wordswithalyssa.com/