Quick answer: To ship a car to college, book a licensed auto transport company 7 to 30 days before your student needs the car, allow a 4 to 5 day pickup window, and arrange for an adult aged 18 or over with photo ID to release the car at home and receive it near campus. Open transport usually costs $400 to $1,700 depending on distance, and ABC’s college student car shipping service comes with a 7% student discount.
Whether your student is a freshman heading out of state, coming home for the summer or shipping a car back to college after a break, the steps are the same. This checklist is written for parents and students together. It covers whether to ship or drive, how the process works, a semester-by-semester booking timeline, who needs to be there, how dorm delivery works, what it costs and how to get the car ready.
Should You Ship the Car or Have Your Student Drive It?
A long interstate drive means several days behind the wheel on unfamiliar roads, often alone, with hotels, fuel and the risk of a breakdown far from home. Shipping lets your student fly or ride with family while the car travels on a carrier, and it keeps miles and wear off a car that has to last through school.
For trips under about 1,000 miles, driving is usually cheaper. On longer moves, the costs of driving and shipping get close, and shipping saves several days on the road. Our drive or ship guide puts numbers on both.
How to Ship a Car to College, Step by Step
- Get a quote. Give the home pickup address, the campus or apartment delivery address, the vehicle and the first date the car is ready. Say that the car belongs to a college student so the 7% discount can be applied.
- Book with no deposit. You pay only once a carrier is secured, and pricing is flat-rate, so the quote you accept is the price you pay. Either a parent or the student can book and pay.
- Carrier matching. ABC starts matching the car with a carrier the next business day. You give a 4 to 5 day pickup window (minimum 3 to 4 days), which is narrowed to 1 to 2 days once a carrier is secured.
- Prepare the car. Work through the checklist further down this page a day or two before the window opens.
- Pickup. The driver calls 24 hours before pickup and again that morning. Walk around the car with the driver, sign the bill of lading and keep your copy.
- In transit. For a status update, contact ABC 3 days before the first estimated delivery date or 5 to 7 days after pickup, whichever comes first.
- Delivery. The driver gives a 4-hour delivery window. Check the car against the bill of lading before signing, and write any new damage on it. Our guide on how to inspect your car at pickup and delivery shows what to look for.
Semester Timeline: When to Book Around Move-In, Breaks and Move-Out
Student car shipping follows the academic calendar, and the busiest weeks are the same at almost every school. Use this table to plan each trip.
| Trip | When it usually happens | When to book | Planning tip |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall move-in, home to campus | Late August | Get a quote 4 to 6 weeks out; book 7 to 30 days before pickup | The busiest student week of the year. Plan for the car to arrive a few days after move-in rather than on the day itself. |
| Winter break, campus to home and back | December and January | 7 to 30 days before pickup for each leg | January is a peak month for carriers. If the dorm closes over break, deliver to a home or off-campus address. |
| Spring move-out, campus to home | Early to mid-May | 7 to 30 days before pickup, ideally before finals week | Peak season starts in May. Book early so pickup does not clash with exams. |
| Summer internship | May to August | 7 to 30 days before the start date | Ship straight from campus to the internship address, then back to school in August. |
| Back to college after summer | Mid to late August | 7 to 30 days before pickup | Same rush as move-in, so book as early as your window allows. |
| Transfer or graduate school | Any time of year | 7 to 30 days before pickup | Match delivery to your lease start rather than the first day of classes. |
Booking 10 to 20 days ahead usually gives the most accurate rate. Summer (May to September) and January are the busiest months for carriers and can add 1 to 3 days to pickup. If the car must be collected or delivered on one exact day, ABC can guarantee the date by using a secure terminal near you, which generally adds $150 to $300 per vehicle.
Who Needs to Be There at Pickup and Delivery?
Someone has to be present at each end to hand over or receive the keys and sign the bill of lading, but it does not have to be the student both times. Whoever signs must be 18 or over and show photo ID. If your student is a 17-year-old freshman, a parent or another adult has to sign instead.
Common arrangements:
- A parent releases the car at home, and the student receives it near campus.
- The student releases the car at home before leaving for school, and a parent, relative or family friend meets the carrier near campus.
- At the end of the year, a roommate or friend releases the car on campus while the student sits an exam, and a parent receives it at home.
Tell your coordinator ahead of time who will be on site at each end, and brief that person on the walk-around so nothing is missed.
Delivering to a Dorm, Campus or Off-Campus Apartment
Car carriers are 75 to 80 feet long, 9 feet wide and almost 14 feet high, so they cannot reach every dorm door. Door-to-door service is ABC’s standard, and the driver gets as close to the address as is safe and legal. When a truck cannot fit down a campus street, the driver meets you at the nearest wide street or a shopping center parking lot instead.
A week or two before delivery:
- Ask your student or the housing office about a nearby open lot or wide street where a carrier can load and unload.
- Sort out campus parking. Many schools require a permit, and finding a space for the car once it is unloaded is up to you.
- Pick a backup meeting point close to campus and share both locations with your coordinator, along with a phone number the driver can reach.
- If the dorm is closed or the apartment lease has not started, have the car delivered to a parent’s home, an off-campus apartment or a friend’s address you authorize. A short hold is also possible, though storage fees may apply.
Address changes are easy before dispatch. After the car is on the truck, a change may mean a detour fee, so confirm the delivery address early.
Shipping a Car Back to College or Home for Breaks
Most families ship the car more than once a year. The return trips work exactly like the first one, with a few extra points:
- Summer: book the trip home before finals week starts, or ship the car to an internship city instead and back to campus in August.
- Winter break: if the student needs the car at home over the holidays, book both legs at the same time, because January is busy.
- Back to college: treat the return in August like move-in. Book 7 to 30 days ahead and plan for the car to arrive after your student does.
- Returning customers: families who ship again or refer someone get $50 to $200 off per car, which adds up when the car travels every semester.
How Much Does It Cost to Ship a Car to College?
These are typical prices for a running sedan on an open carrier with flexible dates, with transit time once the car is picked up.
| Distance | Open carrier | Transit time |
|---|---|---|
| Under 500 miles | $400 to $700 | 1 to 3 days |
| 500 to 1,000 miles | $550 to $900 | 2 to 4 days |
| 1,000 to 1,500 miles | $700 to $1,100 | 3 to 5 days |
| 1,500 to 2,000 miles | $850 to $1,300 | 4 to 7 days |
| Over 2,000 miles | $1,000 to $1,700 | 5 to 10 days |
Add the 4 to 5 day pickup window to the transit time. Enclosed transport costs 40 to 60% more, and larger vehicles and peak weeks cost more. Our car shipping cost guide explains what moves the price, and the transit time guide has more detail on delivery times.
Ways to lower the price:
- Student discount: 7% off for students at a US college or university. On a $900 quote, that is $63. Have a current student ID or enrollment confirmation ready.
- Multi-car discount: up to 15% per car when the vehicles share a carrier, pickup point and destination, for example two siblings at the same school.
- Returning customers and referrals: $50 to $200 per car.
To claim a discount, request a quote, then reply to the email quote from info@abcautoshipping.com and ask your agent to apply it. The full list is on our discounts page.
Open or Enclosed Transport for a Student’s Car
Most student cars ship on open transport, the multi-car trailers you see on the highway. It is the most widely available and affordable option and suits everyday sedans, hatchbacks, SUVs and pickups.
Enclosed transport costs 40 to 60% more. It is worth it for a new, luxury or collector car you want kept out of the weather and road debris. For a daily driver going to school, open transport is the usual choice.
Car Prep Checklist Before the Carrier Arrives
Whoever is handling pickup should run through this list a day or two before the window opens:
- Wash the car if you can, then take dated photos of every side, the interior and the odometer.
- Leave between a quarter and half a tank of fuel. A quarter tank is preferred.
- Have one set of keys that works the ignition, trunk and glove box. The student can keep the spare.
- Turn off the alarm, and remove toll tags and garage door openers.
- Tell your coordinator about leaks, mechanical problems, modifications or a car that does not run.
- Pack light. ABC allows up to 100 pounds of personal items in the car (ideally about 70) as a courtesy, at the driver’s discretion, and they are not insured. More than 100 pounds needs approval and costs about $1 to $3 per pound. Keep laptops, documents and anything valuable with the student.
Our car shipping checklist and our guide to what you can pack in the car go into more detail.
Paperwork, Insurance and Parking at School
Keep a copy of the bill of lading from pickup until the car is delivered and signed for. Before you book with any company, check its USDOT and MC numbers on FMCSA’s SAFER website; ABC’s are USDOT 2340626 and MC-797279. The car is insured for damage the driver causes from pickup to delivery.
Once the car is at school, sort out a campus parking permit, keep the registration and insurance cards in the student’s wallet or bag, and tell your insurer where the car will be kept during the school year. Registration rules for students differ from state to state, so check with the motor vehicle office in the school’s state if the car will stay there long term.
Transfers, Graduate School and Faculty Moves
The same process works for transfer students, graduate students and university faculty starting a new position. The difference is timing: a lease start date or a contract start date matters more than move-in week, so book 7 to 30 days before the car needs to be collected and give the delivery address of your new home.
Faculty and staff moving for a new job should ask the school whether its relocation package covers car shipping. From 2026, moving expense reimbursements from an employer count as taxable income, except for members of the Armed Forces and the intelligence community. Our guide to shipping a car for a new job covers employer-paid moves in more detail.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I ship a car to college?
Get a quote with the home and campus addresses, book 7 to 30 days before pickup, give a 4 to 5 day pickup window and arrange for an adult with photo ID to release and receive the car. The driver delivers as close to campus as is safe and legal.
How far in advance should I book car shipping for college move-in?
Get a quote 4 to 6 weeks before move-in and book 7 to 30 days before pickup. Late August is the busiest week for student car shipping, so book early in that window.
Does my student need to be there for pickup or delivery?
No. Any adult aged 18 or over with photo ID can release or receive the car and sign the bill of lading. If your student is under 18, a parent or another adult has to sign.
Can the carrier deliver directly to a dorm?
Sometimes. The driver gets as close as is safe and legal. If a 75 to 80 foot carrier cannot fit on campus streets, the driver meets you at the nearest wide street or a shopping center parking lot.
How do I ship a car home from college for the summer?
Book 7 to 30 days before pickup, ideally before finals week, and name who will release the car on campus and who will receive it at home. If the student has a summer internship, you can ship the car straight to the internship city instead.
Who ships cars during school breaks?
ABC Auto Shipping does, through its college student car shipping service. For winter break, book both legs at the same time, because January is one of the busiest months for carriers. If the dorm is closed when the car comes back, have it delivered to an off-campus address or a friend’s address you authorize.
Is there a student discount for car shipping?
Yes. ABC gives a 7% discount to students at US colleges and universities. Request a quote, reply to the email quote and ask your agent to apply it, with a student ID or enrollment confirmation ready.
Can my student pack dorm items in the car?
Up to 100 pounds of personal items, ideally about 70, as a courtesy at the driver’s discretion. They are not insured, so keep laptops, documents and valuables out of the car.
How much does it cost to ship a car to college?
Open transport for a running sedan usually costs $400 to $700 under 500 miles and $1,000 to $1,700 over 2,000 miles. Enclosed transport costs 40 to 60% more, and the 7% student discount comes off the quote.
Ship Your Student’s Car With ABC Auto Shipping
ABC Auto Shipping is a licensed auto transport broker (USDOT 2340626, MC-797279) with over 20 years of experience and an A+ rating as a BBB Accredited Business. There is no deposit, you pay only once your carrier is secured, and the quote you accept is the price you pay. Get a free quote and mention the student discount, or call 877-686-5611.
