Discover the best version of yourself this academic year with our mid-year planners, undated diaries and desktop pads for the ultimate educational organisation.
If you're looking for 2026 - 2027 planners, you can find the full collection here.
As someone who had infinite stationery collections at university, I couldn't resist creating this list of planners for you. After endlessly browsing through our academic planners and getting excited by our new arrivals, I discovered they each had their own personalities. I’m fascinated by how our aesthetic preferences and practical needs draw us to different diaries. Inspired by the various characters I encountered, loved and befriended during university, I decided to create the ultimate planning guide for students.
Scroll on to browse our essential academic planners for every student.
The Social Butterfly
Every sociable person needs a planner so they never double book. If you're the life of the party, you'll need a diary that's just as outgoing and confident as you are. The planners below are perfect for plenty of plans in bold colours to match your personality.
1. Academic Diary A5 - Flow Pink | A-Journal | Shop now
This brightly patterned design comes in a bag friendly size. These weekly planners may be compact, but the minimal interior leaves plenty of space to fill with plans.
For the social butterfly with a calendar full of birthdays, dates and catch-ups to juggle alongside lectures, this desk calendar brings a poolside-bright pop of colour to the desk while keeping every plan, deadline and get-together in one easy month-to-view grid.
3. Pocket Notebook in Teal Green | Shop now
Colourful like your social life and suitably small. You could even bring this one to the party with you! Its slim profile slips easily into a bag or jacket pocket, ready to catch ideas, sketches or lecture notes whenever inspiration strikes.
The Star Student
Are you looking to cram in as many extracurricular activities as possible? Is not being at the top of the class unthinkable to you? Juggle countless tasks with these planners.
1. 2026-2027 Academic Year Task Planner in Matcha | Shop now
Running August 2026 to July 2027 with monthly tabs, a year-at-a-glance overview, and a weekly spread that pairs tasks with tickable checkboxes, the Appointed Academic Year Task Planner in Matcha is the ultimate companion for the star student determined to start the new academic year organised and stay that way.
2. This Is The Year Academic Year Wall Planner | Good Tuesday | Shop now
This planner lets you see your entire academic year at a glance. The design is clear, practical and easy on the eye. An ideal wall feature to see you through the year.
3. The Academic Diary in Blue Bordeaux | A-Journal | Shop now
With weekly and monthly overviews, an array of handy checklists, and a soft-touch hardcover that closes neatly with an elastic strap, the A-Journal Academic Diary in Blue Bordeaux gives you the structure to whistle through the new academic year without losing control of a single to-do.
The No-Fuss Minimalist
These academic planners were selected with graphic design students in mind. They’re the classics for those that want a fuss-free, minimalist design - allowing your thoughts and ideas to flourish.
1. Daily Desktop Planner Pad - Butter Yellow | Shop now
The Daily Desktop Planner Pad in Butter Yellow strips the new academic year back to basics: one weekly focus, a single list of top priorities, and a flexible daily space that adapts to however you like to work, no unnecessary frills attached.
2. Weekly Desktop Planner Pad | Shop Now
Start the academic year afresh with this sleek desktop planner. With its dedicated 30-minute schedule, daily focus space, and a "Do Later" box for taming the rest, it's the perfect tool for breaking down a busy new academic year into manageable, satisfying-to-tick-off tasks.
3. Weekly Academic Planner | The Completist | Shop now
Pared back to a hammered, unfussy cover and a clean run of monthly and weekly spreads from August 2026 to July 2027, The Completist's Academic Planner is the quietly elegant choice for the minimalist who wants their organisation to look as good closed on a shelf as it does open on a desk.
The Ambitious Adventurer
Oh, the places you will go together! These compact diaries are perfect for those who are always out and about.
1. A5 Journal Academic Diary in Stripes Pink | A-Journal | Shop now
Running to class from yoga with a rock climbing lesson straight after? No problem, this academic diary has an elastic closure and slim A5 profile, so it can tag along no matter where your adventures take you, with a handy storage envelope for stashing tickets, photos and other on-the-go mementos.
2. The Undated Planner | Shop now
Compact, lightweight and bag-friendly enough to keep pace with back-to-back lectures, training sessions and spontaneous plans, this undated planner lets the ambitious adventurer start their structured weekly and monthly spreads the moment they're ready, no waiting for January or a new term to begin.
The Mindful Student
Are you on a path of self-discovery? An important part of the university experience is about self-growth. Practise mindfulness whilst you learn with these picks. Record the encounters and events you’re grateful for and explore why they mattered.
1. The 5 Minute Journal | Intelligent Change | Shop now
For the mindful student, this journal turns the start and end of each day into a five-minute ritual of gratitude and reflection, helping ground a busy new academic year in small, science-backed moments of calm rather than constant catch-up.
2. Notebook | Papersmiths | Shop now
Pick up our blank notebook for freedom of expression. Available in a range of colours, you can pick a hue that connects with you. Create your own layouts, jot down your thoughts as they come, and guide yourself towards a flourishing year of self-awareness and growth.
3. The Creative Unblocker Journal | People I've Loved | Shop now
When essays and assignments leave you creatively stuck, The Creative Unblocker Journal offers ten sets of guided exercises designed to ease you gently out of a block and back into a calmer, more focused flow, no overthinking required.
Our Top Student Stationery Picks at Papersmiths HQ
Many of the team at Papersmiths are graduates and stationery addicts. This makes them the perfect people to ask about which planning tools to choose for university. After much deliberation, we’ve picked out our top planning companions. We treasure these tools for their simplicity, aesthetics and functionality.
The Creative Block | Papersmiths | Shop now
The Creative Block is an effective tool for getting you out of a creative rut - a super chunky notepad that features 300 sheets in a variety of twelve different creative prompts, designed to get your pen moving. Plus it wins bonus points for sustainability, too. This one’s made in Bristol.
Notebooks | Papersmiths | Shop now
We all have these notebooks here at the Papersmiths HQ. Perhaps you're studying graphic design and need a dot grid. Maybe you're a literature student and need ruled lines to write. Are you an artist, architect or painter? Illustrations can flow onto pages, too, with our plain notebooks.
I hope this guide helps you discover the best academic planning tools to help you excel at university. You can also check out our pens, pencil cases and stationery to stock up on other essentials or have a browse through our full undated and academic diary collections.
