The Full Breakdown
Why Students Choose Storage Scholars
Students at your campus, not the local U-Haul dealer
Storage Scholars teams live at your school. CollegeBoxes routes your stuff through whoever the closest U-Haul franchise hires that day. Different job, different level of care.
No fee stack
CollegeBoxes adds $25-$50 for heavy items, $20 per box for boxing or reboxing, $50 to defrost a fridge, $45 for a declined card, $75 to cancel inside 48 hours, $90 if you miss your appointment, and $475+ if you want a custom delivery date. Storage Scholars doesn't layer fees like that.
Transparency at every stage
You upload photos at pickup. Storage Scholars cross-checks them during storage and confirms on delivery. CollegeBoxes doesn't offer photo documentation at all.
Pickup while you're in finals
At partner schools, Storage Scholars can pick up from your dorm room without you being there. Useful during exams or after you've flown home.
Mark Cuban invested
Cuban put $250K in for 10% on Shark Tank in 2022. A named investor behind a company built specifically for college storage, not a division of a truck-rental giant.
When CollegeBoxes Could Work
Your family is already renting a U-Haul truck
CollegeBoxes is a division of U-Haul. If your family is already renting a truck or U-Box for a separate move, keeping everything on one U-Haul bill can be simpler for your parents.
A parent specifically trusts the U-Haul brand
U-Haul has 23,000+ locations and has been around forever. If the specific brand a parent wants on their storage bill is U-Haul, not a newer Shark Tank-era company, CollegeBoxes gives them that.
The Bottom Line
Storage Scholars wins on service quality and straight pricing.
CollegeBoxes does start cheaper on a standard single item (Small items from $30-$50 for a 4-month term on collegeboxes.com/pricing), but then the fees stack: $25-$50 for heavy items, $20 per box for boxing, $50 for fridge defrost, $45 for a declined card, $75 for cancellations, $90 for missed appointments, $475+ for custom delivery dates, and $30 a box for ship-to-school handling.
Recent BBB complaints describe lost shipments and response times around 2.5 months.
Go with Storage Scholars if you want students at your campus handling your stuff.
Go with CollegeBoxes only if your family is already renting a U-Haul, or if a parent specifically trusts the U-Haul brand.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is CollegeBoxes cheaper than Storage Scholars?
For a standard single item with no extras, CollegeBoxes can be cheaper (Small items start at $30-$50 for a 4-month term on collegeboxes.com/pricing). But the fees stack: $25-$50 for heavy items, $20 per box for boxing, $50 for fridge defrost, $45 for a declined card, $75 for cancellations, $90 for missed appointments, and $475+ for custom delivery dates. Storage Scholars runs $14-$40 per item per month in Small/Medium/Large, with a typical summer at $300-$500.
Does CollegeBoxes use professional movers?
CollegeBoxes doesn't say one way or the other on their site. Their About page says they 'began as a student run business at Duke University in 1999' and are now 'a division of U-Haul dedicated to providing full-service storage and shipping services.' Pickup, storage, and delivery route through the regular U-Haul network. Storage Scholars runs campus-based student teams at every partner school.
What fees stack with CollegeBoxes?
Per collegeboxes.com/pricing and /schools-served/ship-to-school: heavy item $25-$50, boxing or reboxing $20 per box, mini-fridge defrost $50, declined card or late payment $45, cancellation inside 48 hours $75, missed appointment $90, and ship-to-school handling $30 per box plus $475+ for custom delivery dates. Each fee is real in its own scenario; the issue is they can add up fast.
How does transparency and coverage compare?
Storage Scholars has you upload per-item photos at pickup, cross-checks them during storage, and confirms again on delivery. CollegeBoxes doesn't offer photo documentation. On coverage, CollegeBoxes includes $100 declared value per box by default (collegeboxes.com/study-abroad and /schools-served/ship-to-school).
What do the BBB complaints say about CollegeBoxes?
CollegeBoxes has 4 complaints in the last 3 years (1 in the last 12 months) with an overall A rating. Customers describe lost items (one 2025 complaint was paid $526.83 only after the complaint was filed), account deletion after repeat damage claims, and response times around 2.5 months in one case.
Can I switch from CollegeBoxes to Storage Scholars?
Check CollegeBoxes' cancellation policy first (their terms charge $75 if you cancel inside 48 hours of service). Then check your school on storagescholars.com/schools and get a quote.