A good graduation gift marks the day and helps with what comes next. Whether they are finishing school, a degree or a course, the milestone is behind them and something new is ahead: a first job, more study, or a trip they have been saving for.
What graduates really want
Ask what comes next. A graduate starting work needs different things from one heading back for more study or one taking a year to travel. A gift that helps with that next step will be used long after the ceremony.
For a gift to mark the day itself, choose something that lasts. A watch or a good pen is the kind of present people keep for decades, and it will remind them of the milestone each time they use it. Keep it practical if you are unsure; recent graduates rarely have spare money for the things they need.
Before you choose, ask yourself
- Are they starting work, studying more, or travelling?
- Would they like something to keep, or something useful?
- Is it school, university or a course?
Graduation gift ideas
For work or study
For what they will do every day. A suits a new commuter, an suits someone with more reading ahead, and suit an open-plan office or a busy library.
To mark the day
Gifts to keep. A watch is a classic graduation present; a smartwatch suits one who lives by their calendar, a fountain pen suits someone who still likes to write by hand, and a leather wallet suits a first job.
For what's next
For the ones heading off. suits a graduate moving cities, and a suits a gap year.
Personalised and handmade
Something made for the one graduating. A graduation keepsake carries their name, school and year on a framed figure, magnet or plaque, and a crochet flower bouquet is a bunch of flowers that never wilts, so it can stay on the desk long after the ceremony.