Most college students need coffee to shrug off that morning grogginess and prepare for an early class. As such, the ease of having a coffee maker in your dorm room cannot be overstated.
However, when searching for the perfect coffee maker to add to your room, you often consider several factors like cost, size, cleaning, and ease of use. So, based on those factors, we’ve carefully compiled a list of the best coffee makers for college students.
Best Options: Quick Single-Serve Coffee
CHULUX Coffee Maker
The Chulux coffee maker's modern and stylish design appeals to college students. It’s perfect for someone who wants something portable and comes in several colors that can seamlessly blend into a dorm room.
The Chulux coffee maker has a 12-ounce water reservoir and an easy-to-understand one-touch operation. All you need to do is press a single button. It works perfectly with 1 and 2-ounce pods and nearly all brands of pods.
The Chulux coffee maker has a tiny footprint, good flexibility, and quick brew time, making it perfect for college students. It’s also very easy to clean. If you’re science-oriented like me and worried about its material, it's wholly BPA-free and safe for hot liquids.
Pros:
- Stylish and modern design
- Quick brew time
- Small footprint and flexible with pods
- Easy to clean
- BPA free
- Affordable
Cons:
- Small reservoir
Keurig K55 K-Classic Coffee Maker
The Keurig K55 coffee maker is a classic, and you know what they say about classics? You can always go right with it! Keurig has shown that they’re very good at what they do, and the K55 K-classic coffee maker is a perfect fit. Life is so easy with this coffee maker. All you need to do is insert your ground coffee or preferred flavor pod with the coffee adapter, then close the lid and push the size of the cup you want.
The K55 K-classic is particularly ideal for college students. Its water reservoir can hold 48 ounces of water, so you can make coffee several times before refilling it. If you often forget or procrastinate, it has an auto shut-off feature to turn the machine off.
Also, you don’t have to worry about cleaning; it’s pretty easy. You only have to descale the machine once in a while. For a college student, this coffee maker is affordable.
Pros:
- Huge water reservoir
- Easy to use
- Three cup sizes
- Fairly Affordable
Cons:
- Requires descaling
Hamilton Beach 49981A Single-Serve Coffee Maker
If you love traditional drip coffee, you might want to look closer at the Hamilton Beach 49981A Single-Serve Coffee Maker. It has a sleek, chrome design that looks modern and cool. The reservoir can hold just enough water to fill a normal size mug. Best part? It comes with a scoop filter to use your ground coffee.
A notable feature of this coffee maker is its fast brewing time which makes it perfect for college students who’re late for morning classes but can’t do without a cup of coffee. It can brew an 8-ounce cup in about 90 seconds and takes just 2½ minutes to brew a 14-ounce cup.
The Hamilton beach coffee maker is affordable, easy to clean, and great for those who prefer ground coffee to pods.
Pros:
- Easy to use
- Affordable
- Super fast brewing time
- Uses ground coffee
- Makes bold coffee
- Cool chrome design
Cons:
- Can’t use k-cups
Nespresso Vertuo Coffee and Espresso Maker
This machine is one for those who love espresso. And if you’re looking for a super fast brewing coffee machine, the Nespresso Vertuo might just be the right choice for you. It takes an astonishing 15 seconds to heat up.
This coffee maker allows you to choose between five different drink sizes ranging from 1.3 to 14-ounce espresso drinks that keep you warm if you stay up reading.
There’s no need to worry about complexity with the Nespresso Vertuo; it’s easy to use. All you need to do is put your pod in the holder, close the lid, and hit the button. It has a huge water tank that holds about 40 ounces of water, so that’s more than enough for you and a few friends.
Another exciting perk of the Nespresso Vertuo is that it comes with a welcoming kit containing 12 different pods for you to try. However, you can only use Nespresso Pods, as nothing else will work. If you love a hot cup of coffee, there might be better choices than this machine.
Pros:
- Large water tank
- Easy to use
- Up to 5 brew sizes
- Fast heating time
Cons:
- Uses only Nespresso pods
- Does not get very hot
- Quite expensive
Best Options: Higher Volume Coffee Pots
Cuisinart 12 Cup Programmable Coffee Maker
The Cuisinart coffee maker isn’t as easy to use as our top 3 picks. However, it has a programmable feature that makes it a dream addition for college students with busy schedules. You can program the Cuisinart coffee maker up to 24 hours in advance, so when it’s time to wake up or study, and you’ve been so busy and forgot to brew your morning coffee, it’ll come to your rescue by remembering for you!
It can brew up to 12 coffee cups, as the name suggests. If you’re fond of tasting your coffee when brewing, this machine allows you to pause the brewing process and enjoy a cup. Then, the 60-second reset feature remembers where the brewing stopped.
Another fantastic feature is the self-cleaning option. So you don’t have to worry or stress about cleaning the machine; it does it by itself!
Pros:
- Self-cleaning
- 24-hours programmability
- Can pause brewing
- 60 seconds reset
- Brews 12 up to cups
Cons:
- Slightly complex
- Requires high maintenance
AmazonBasics 5 Cup Coffee Maker
One of the factors that makes a good coffee maker for college students is its affordability, and Amazon certainly delivers with the AmazonBasics 5 Cup Coffee Maker. You don’t need to worry about getting extra items to use alongside this machine. For example, it comes with a reusable and removable filter. So, all you need to do is, give it a rinse, and that’s all.
This coffee maker also comes with a middle-brew cut-off feature, so if you’re in a hurry and can’t wait any longer, you can easily pull out the pot while it’s brewing and pour yourself a quick cup. This is the best price-based option on our list for all college students on a strict budget. While the price might seem too cheap to be accurate, it’s backed by a one-year warranty from Amazon, so yeah, it’s both true and good.
If you’re a fan of Alexa, you can buy a smart plug compatible with Amazon’s Alexa and use it with this coffee maker. It gives you a next-level upgrade by allowing voice automation commands like “Alexa, brew me a cup of coffee”
A downside to this coffee maker is that you’d have to wash it by hand since it isn’t safe for a dishwasher. Considering its price, this can be overlooked.
Pros:
- Very affordable
- Permanent filter
- Amazon warranty
- It can be upgraded to a smart coffee maker
Cons:
- Not safe for dishwasher
- Relatively small water tank
Meet the expert
Godspower is a graduate student of architecture. He's also a freelance content writer who loves coffee. His favorite method of brewing coffee is the French Press. When he's not writing, he's either working on a design, taking some time off or gaming.