15 Best Gifts For The Recent Graduate

Image Credits: Hannah Long Photography

It’s graduation season and you know what that means…gifts. We’ve all been on the receiving end of some great and some not-so-great graduation gifts through the years. Whether you’re giving your parents a list of potential gifts, shopping for a sibling or cousin or significant other, or just browsing for yourself, these graduation gift ideas are a great place to start. While college and high school graduations do have a lot in common, feel free to take a look at the broken down list that looks at what college grads are more likely to need for real adulthood and what high school grads will want heading into college.

For college or high school graduates

An inspiring book

Be specific to their interests if you can be, but most stores will advertise their best books for grads!

Buy it here.

RELATED READ: 10 Books Every Soon-To-Be College Graduate Should Read

A gift card to a major retailer

Amazon, Walmart, Macy’s, Target, etc. Be sure to check the area they will be in before gifting something too specific, but you can buy anything from Amazon these days. Then they can use the gift card to buy what they most need!

Buy one here. 

A good coffee maker

Coffee is a life essential for many people, and being able to make your own at home will save you tons of money in the long run. A Keurig is a popular option for graduates, but you can also take a more environmental stance on it by buying refillable pods.

Buy it here.

A nice watch

Smart watches are all the rage, but I love a good, classic watch that won’t distract me too much, and your graduate might too! Watches come in all shapes, sizes, colors, and prices, so it won’t be hard to find one that fits what you had in mind.

Buy it here.

A monthly subscription box

There is, quite literally, a subscription box for everything and having a little something to look forward to every month after graduation will be nice! There are subscription boxes for food, makeup, snacks, books, socks, ties, etc.

Buy it here.

RELATED READ: 6 Monthly Book Subscription Boxes To Join This Month

For college graduates

An Amazon prime membership

Help make their online shopping habit a little more manageable with an Amazon Prime membership. This is especially useful when their student membership expires.

Cookbooks they’ll actually use

We all love to pretend that certain celebrity cookbooks are going to be put to use in the kitchen, but let’s be realistic. Recent college graduates need cookbooks they can actually use, such as this one.

Buy it here

RELATED READ: 5 Best Cookbooks For Your First Apartment

A meal subscription service

Help them fight the post-grad fatigue and overcome the hump of learning to cook for themselves by getting them a meal service that will keep them well-fed and help the learning process.

Nice luggage

After college, it’s time to retire the beat-up duffle bag that’s been lugged across the continent. Help your recent grad by upgrading them to a nice matching luggage set.

Buy it here

A Roku player or other Smart TV Device

Cable can be expensive, and it can also take a while to set up, which is why so many young people are turning to Roku players and other Smart TV devices that allow them to stream Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Video, etc, all on their normal TV.

Buy it here

For high school graduates

Noise-cancelling headphones

Because college can be loud and you’ll want them to be able to do their homework in peace.

Buy it here.

Good stationary

It’s much easier to keep up with writing home or sending thank you letters when you have nice stationary to do it on!

Buy it here

A nice bathrobe

Avoid awkward towel shuffles to the bathroom and find comfort in a nice bathrobe.

Buy it here

A t-shirt blanket

If you have a crafty spirit or know someone who does, consider turning their favorite HS t-shirts into a t-shirt blanket they can take with them forever.

A organizational planner

Help a grad out by getting them a planner they’ll love using and that will help them stay on top of their game.

Buy it here

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