Who we serve
College Student Car Shipping
Getting a car to campus on a student budget, timed to move-in and breaks, with a student discount and none of the upfront cost a student can't spare.
- $499
- open, from
- 10%
- student discount
- 7 days
- price lock
- $0
- due at booking
The short answer
College student car shipping moves a student's car to or from campus on open carriers from $499, with a 10% student discount and pickup timed to the school calendar. You pay $0 until a carrier is dispatched, and the quote locks for 7 days while move-in or break dates settle.
Get my locked quoteor call (917) 594-5566
Shipping a car to college is standard open transport, chosen because it is the most affordable way to move a car and students are, reasonably, on a budget. The car rides the same open carriers everyone uses, from $499, a 10% student discount comes off the lane rate, and pickup is timed to the school calendar rather than a random date. It is a far better deal than driving a car a thousand miles to campus and putting the fuel, the hotels, and the wear on a student's tab, and it means the car is waiting when the student arrives instead of being the reason a parent loses a weekend to a road trip.
The honest parts are about access and timing. A full car hauler cannot get into a dorm parking lot or wind through a dense campus, so delivery happens at a nearby lot you agree on in advance, not at the residence-hall door. Someone has to be there to receive the car, so if the student is in class or flying in, a friend or parent can sign for it. And the calendar drives demand: the weeks around fall move-in and the start of summer break are the busiest, so a little lead time gets a better rate and a pickup window that actually fits orientation or finals.
What it costs
What college student car shipping costs
Student moves ship on standard open rates, the cheapest way to move a car, with the 10% student discount applied on top. These are working figures for a running sedan on a 1,000-mile open lane, before the discount:
Open carrier · 1,000-mile lane · running sedan
At $0.75 to $1.00 a mile on 500 to 1,500 mile lanes, a 1,000-mile sedan runs about $750 to $1,000, with $875 typical, and the 10% student discount applies on top, confirmed at booking. The $499 floor is the short-lane start, and the ceiling adds peak season and larger vehicles. It is a planning range, not a quote, held 7 days.
What moves the number
- Distance, longer = lower per-mile
- $0.75–1.00/mi
- Move-in or break season
- higher demand
- Sedan → XL truck or SUV
- up to +40%
- Student discount
- −10%
Fall move-in and the start of summer break are the busy windows, when demand runs higher on campus-bound lanes. Booking early holds a better rate and a pickup slot that fits the term.
Your exact number takes about 30 seconds and no payment details.
See my priceLocked 7 days · $0 until dispatch
Student budget
How do I ship a car to campus on a student budget?
Open transport is how you keep it affordable, and for a student car it is almost always the right call. Open carriers move 9 or 10 cars at once and run every major lane, which keeps the rate at its lowest, from $499, and a student car is exactly the kind of everyday vehicle open transport is built for. Enclosed exists for collector and six-figure cars, and paying 30 to 50% more to keep road dust off a car headed to a campus parking lot is money a student does not need to spend. The student discount comes off the open rate, and with $0 due at booking, nothing is charged until the car is actually on its way.
Weigh it against the alternative honestly and shipping usually wins for anything beyond a short drive. Driving the car to campus yourself means fuel, a night or two in hotels, meals, and hundreds of miles of wear, plus the days it takes, often a parent's days. Shipping hands those miles to the carrier and lets the student fly in and arrive to a car that is already there. For a nearby school a few hours away, driving may be simpler and cheaper. For a cross-state or cross-country school, shipping is the calmer and often cheaper answer once you count everything the drive actually costs.
Term timing
Timing a shipment around the school calendar
The school calendar, not a random date, should drive a student shipment, and building the booking around it removes most of the stress. Ship so the car arrives a few days before it is needed, ahead of orientation or the first week of class, rather than cutting it to the day. Booking a couple of weeks out matters most around fall move-in and the start of summer break, the two windows when campus-bound lanes get crowded and last-minute slots get expensive. The car does not have to leave the day the student does, only to land when they need it, which gives you room to plan around exams, flights, and a lease start date.
Broadway's booking is built to flex with a student's timeline. The quote holds for 7 days, you owe $0 until a carrier is dispatched, and you can reschedule free before then, so a shifted move-in date or a changed flight does not cost the rate. The student discount is applied to the quote you see, and your coordinator times pickup and delivery to the dates you give and texts status on request. It is the same open transport anyone books, arranged so a busy family or a first-time shipper is not caught out by the campus rush. You give the dates, and we handle the calendar around them.
student discount
applied at booking
due at booking
easy on a budget
quote lock
while dates settle
Campus delivery
Can you deliver a car to campus or a dorm?
Delivery goes to a nearby spot, not the dorm door, and once you know that it is simple. A full-size car hauler cannot fit into a residence-hall lot or thread through a dense campus, so the driver meets you at a nearby location with room, a large store lot or an open area a few minutes away, agreed with you in advance. This is standard for campus deliveries, not a workaround, and your coordinator sets the spot with you and the driver before the day so there is no confusion when a first-year is trying to find the truck between classes.
The other piece is making sure someone can receive the car. Delivery needs a person 18 or older to inspect the vehicle and sign the Bill of Lading, so if the student is in class, in an exam, or flying in later, name a friend, roommate, or parent to handle it. Give us the move-in or move-out date and we time pickup and delivery around it, so the car is not sitting unclaimed or arriving before anyone is there to take it. Tell us the campus and the timeline, and the access and handoff are planned before pickup rather than puzzled out at delivery.
- Dorm lots rarely fit a hauler, so we meet at a nearby lot you choose.
- Name a friend, roommate, or parent to receive the car if the student is in class.
- Give your move-in or move-out date so pickup and delivery line up with it.
Tell us the campus and your dates, and we plan a reachable meeting spot near it.
Is it right for you
The honest version of this decision
Book it when
- The school is far enough that driving the car there is a real trip
- You want the cheapest reliable way to get a car to campus
- The student is flying in and needs the car already there
- You'd rather not put a parent's weekend into a long drive
Don't bother when
- Campus is a short, easy drive the student would enjoy making
- The student won't really need a car at school this year
- A quick nearby move makes driving plainly simpler and cheaper
- Parking or permits at the school aren't sorted, so the car has nowhere to go
Heading much farther, like across the country? See cross-country car shipping.
How it runs
What a student booking looks like end to end
Questions
College Student Car Shipping: common questions
Still stuck? A coordinator answers the phone Mon–Sat, 9am–7pm ET.
How much does it cost to ship a student's car to college?
Student moves ship on standard open rates from $499, with a 10% student discount applied on top and confirmed at booking. A running sedan on a 1,000-mile lane typically lands around $875 before the discount. Fall move-in runs busier, so booking early holds a better rate. Your price locks for 7 days.
Is there a student discount?
Yes. Broadway applies a 10% student discount to the open lane rate at booking, off the standard price rather than a marked-up one. It comes off a rate that already depends on distance and vehicle. Mention that it is a student move up front and your coordinator applies it to the quote you see.
Can you deliver the car to the dorm?
To a nearby spot, not the dorm lot, because a 75-foot car hauler cannot fit into most campus parking. The driver meets you at a large lot or open area a few minutes away, agreed in advance. Give us the campus and we plan a reachable meeting point before delivery day.
Who signs for the car if the student is in class?
Anyone 18 or older you authorize, a roommate, friend, or parent, can inspect the car and sign the Bill of Lading in the student's place. Just tell your coordinator who that will be ahead of time so the driver can coordinate timing with them rather than the student.
Should I ship the car or have the student drive it?
Ship it for anything beyond a short, nearby school. Driving means fuel, hotels, meals, days of time, and hundreds of miles of wear, often on a parent's schedule. Shipping from $499 lets the student fly in to a car that is already there. For a school a couple of hours away, driving may be simpler.
How far ahead should I book a student car shipment?
About a couple of weeks for fall move-in or the start of summer break, when campus-bound lanes are busiest, and 5 to 7 days for quieter times. Booking early holds a better rate and a pickup window that fits the term. You owe nothing until dispatch, so an early booking carries no risk.
Can the car be shipped with some belongings inside?
Up to 100 pounds, kept in the trunk or below the window line, which is handy for a move to a dorm. Personal items are not covered by cargo insurance, so keep anything valuable or irreplaceable with the student. Overloading also adds weight the carrier has to account for, so pack light.
Ready to ship? See your college students price now
- Price locked 7 days
- $0 until a carrier is assigned
- One coordinator, direct line
or call (917) 594-5566. A person answers.