I slept on one of Amazon’s best selling mattresses for college students and it's perfect for your dorm room — from $159

The Zinus Green Tea Memory Foam Mattress is an Amazon bestseller and after previously sleeping on it for a month, I can see why it's amassed over 55,000 five-star reviews. The sink-in comfort is like being wrapped in a cloud and at only $159 for a full on Amazon, the Zinus 10" Mattress is excellent value.

If you're going back to school in a few weeks, I think this is one of the best mattresses for college students you can buy, a marshmallow soft upgrade from your (probably) less-than-impressive assigned dorm mattress.

While this budget-friendly choice might not have the durable support or specialist features of the top-rated mattresses of 2025, it's comfortable from the get-go, meaning you don't have to add 'breaking in a bed' to your college to-do list.

And in the mattress sales, you can get it on a student budget. Within this essay (article, sorry) I will explore why the Zinus Green Tea Memory Foam Mattress belongs on your back to school shopping list...

Zinus 10" Green Tea Memory Foam Mattress: twin $176.72 at Amazon
The Zinus is always an affordable choice and in the regular sales we think it's among the best cheap mattresses you can buy. Pressure relief is its strong point — I tried it for our Zinus Green Team Memory Foam Mattress review and found it to be a hug in a mattress — while the motion isolation is also stand out. There are some issues; it can sleep hot and stomach sleepers will need something firmer (I've recommended my favorite below.) However, the body contouring rivals some of the best mattresses for side sleepers. If you want a deal on a specific size, you'll need to look around. A full in the 10" model is only $159, down from $209, but if you're after a twin I recommend either the 8-inch model for $105, or the 12-inch Luxe model from $135.65, both at Amazon. The bad news? Twin XL sizes can be hard to come across.

Our review: ★★★½ 
User score: ★★★★½ (78,700+ reviews)

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Why you should consider the Zinus Mattress

Cushioned comfort is where the Zinus excels. Pressure relief, specifically. It's a squishy, contouring mattress that eases around the shoulders and hips to cradle the body in a side sleeping position.

And it does all that at a student-friendly price. The Zinus foams might not have the kind of dense 'hug' I'd expect from a premium Tempur Material mattress, but they're also over $1000 cheaper.

Admittedly, the Zinus Green Tea Memory Foam does have some flaws but they're the kind I've come to expect from a cheap memory foam mattress.

For a start, it sleeps warm. Even top-rated memory foam mattresses have a tendency to trap heat and being cuddled in the softer foams of the Zinus can get a little stuffy. If this is the mattress you choose for college, I recommend getting breathable bedding to go with it.

But for my sleep needs, the biggest issue with the Zinus is that it doesn't offer enough support when I'm lying on my front. If you're also a stomach sleeper, I recommend the Siena mattress instead — I'll explain why below.

Need something firmer? Try this deal instead...

Siena 10" Signature Mattress: twin was $199 now $149 at Amazon
Like the Zinus, the Siena is a 10-inch tall memory foam mattress in a box with an inexpensive price tag. But that's where the similarities pretty much end. The Siena is firm compared to the soft Zinus, making it a much better mattress for stomach sleepers (although more likely to cause numb arms for side sleepers.) It's also more breathable than the Zinus, so I recommend this option if you're heading to a warmer climate for college, or tend to sleep hot. In our Siena Signature Mattress review we described it as "a top-notch bed on a tight budget" and it's even better value than usual right now, with a twin XL only $219 at Amazon (was $279.)

Our review: ★★★★
User score: ★★★★½ (600+ reviews)

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