The John Lewis uni essentials list is here, and it’s as middle class as ever

If you’ve survived your A-Level exams, navigated clearing, and snatched up a place at university, then I’m afraid your next task is far more stressful. You need to plan how to decorate your uni room. Most UK uni students do their pre-uni shopping haul at IKEA, or Wilko. But the boujie students among us do theirs at John Lewis. The John Lewis “University Essentials” list is back for 2025, complete with a packing list, lest you forget your Stanley water bottle or iPad Air.

There are plenty of items on the John Lewis uni essentials list that are a bit less ridiculous. The pans are a sensible size for students to make pesto pasta in ten times a week. Four wine glasses for £7 is a decent deal. But the overall vibe of 2025’s John Lewis uni essentials list is just as middle class as ever. Here are the most unessential, boujie items that John Lewis’s 2025 uni essentials list has to offer.

Ninja Blast Cordless Food Blender, Dark Red

It comes in burgundy, to match her ex’s trousers

Well, of course Parthenope Bridgerton-Bennet needs a new blender for uni! She needs to make her avocado and tahini Deliciously Ella-esque breakfast smoothies before pilates. How else will she survive being so far from a Waitrose?

Oura Ring 4 Health & Fitness Tracker Smart Ring, Silver

I would be paranoid about it falling off in the club

Er, yes. That is a £349.00 all-titanium smart sensing fitness tracking ring. On a university essentials list. I have no further comments.

Coastal Breeze Reed Diffuser

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The ‘coastal breeze’ aroma is reminiscent of Grandmama’s holiday castle in the French Riviera

Well, you can’t have your bedroom smelling of coffee and sweat and Sol De Janeiro like all the plebeians’ rooms do! If your living quarters don’t smell fancy, how else will your flatmates know you’re inherently better than them?

The Little Botanical Desk Buddy Plant Gang

What do you mean, your uni room doesn’t look like this?

Plants really do change the vibe of a room. I’m not questioning that. However, I am questioning what student would spend £42 on tiny succulents they’ll have to lug across the country six times. I’ll give you a cutting of my Aloe Vera plant for 42p instead.

La Poire ‘Apricot Tulips’ Framed Print & Mount, 32 x 26cm

I’d stick to a pinboard of polaroids

Something about this picture just screams “I’m trying to look posh but I have no personality”. This item belongs in the toilets of an overpriced restaurant, not in a uni room. Please don’t nail picture hooks into the wall, unless mummy and daddy don’t mind paying the fine.

John Lewis Border Wool Rug, Teal

It doesn’t exactly brighten up the room, does it?

I don’t need to be a fortune teller to know that if you spend between £120 and £180 on a shiny new rug from John Lewis, it will get stained the first time your flat hosts pres, and you will regret all your life choices.

Ninja CRISPi 4-in-1 Portable Air Fryer

It’ll take up half the counter

Lots of uni students swear by air fryers, because you can cook for one person really quickly. But no student needs to splash out £149.00 on an air fryer that’s large enough for six portions and has four different functions. Just use the oven x

John Lewis Striped Fine China Mug, Set of 4, 340ml, Celeste

The wishy-washy blue is guaranteed to add a splash of dreariness to your home!

Please, don’t invest in a matching set of fine china mugs before Freshers Week. Someone will stain them with fluorescent flavoured vodka. Or chunder in them. Or use them as the king cup in ring of fire, and start an unidentifiable bacteria colony in them.

Julia Walck ‘It Is What It Is’ Framed Print

It took me way too long to register this is a smily face

Maybe this picture is by a trendy designer who I’m not cool enough to appreciate. But I guarantee that if your flatmates see this, they won’t think you’re artistic, they’ll think you’re an idiot for spending between £50 and £150 on a poster that could’ve been made on Canva.

SoundLink Max Water-Resistant Portable Bluetooth Speaker

The perfect colour… to show the dirt

Bringing a speaker to uni is a fab idea. Spending £399.95 of your maintenance loan on a speaker is not a fab idea.

Scandi Metal Lozenge Mirror, 122 x 30cm

Well, posh students would get a better view of how spenny their fits are

I’d be shocked if your uni halls didn’t already have mirrors. And if the bathroom mirror isn’t long enough for you to see your feet… you could just look down and save yourself £120?

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