What to Give a Graduate: Graduation Gifts by What Comes Next
By the Giftruly editorsUpdated 19 hand-picked ideas
Graduation gifts are strange because the occasion looks backward and the graduate looks forward. Everyone at the ceremony is celebrating four years of work, and the person in the gown is already thinking about the dorm room, the apartment lease or the first Monday at a new job. The gifts that get used, and remembered, are usually the ones that help with whatever happens next.
So this page starts with a few keepsakes for the day itself, then tackles the question everyone wonders about but rarely asks out loud: how much cash to give. After that it's organized by the graduate's next step: heading to college in the fall, setting up a first apartment, or starting a first job. A last section covers small extras to tuck in beside a card.
For more focused lists, see graduation gifts for her, graduation gifts for him and graduation gifts for college students. If the graduate is moving far away, going-away gifts may help too.
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Tell Truly about them in a sentence. You'll get ideas picked for them, each with a reason why.
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Three for any graduate
Keepsakes for the day itself
Some gifts belong to graduation day specifically: something to mark the achievement that will still mean something when they're forty. These work for any level, from high school to a doctorate, and most of them cost very little.
If you're a parent, consider one of these on top of whatever practical gift you're planning, so there's something to open that's about the milestone and not the move.
- 1
Oh, the Places You'll Go! by Dr. Seuss
~$13
The Dr. Seuss book about heading out into the world, its highs, its slumps and the waiting place in between. It's become a graduation tradition, and for good reason: it's funny, honest about how hard things get, and short enough to read aloud at a party. Write a long inscription inside the cover. That's the part they'll reread in ten years.
- 2
Diploma Frame
~$35
A matted frame sized for a diploma, so the certificate doesn't spend the next decade rolled up in a cardboard tube. It's a practical, dignified gift for any graduate and an easy one for a relative who isn't sure of the grad's taste. Check the diploma size with the school if you can; most are standard, but not all.
- 3
Custom Hometown Map Print
~$30
A print of the streets of their hometown or college town, with a small heart on a spot that matters: the house, the school, the diner where they spent every Friday night. It's a sweet gift for a graduate who's about to leave, and it gives the first dorm room or apartment a piece of home. Choose a clean design that works in a small, plain room.
Cash, checks and how much to give
Money is the most common graduation gift and, for most graduates, the most welcome one. There's no shame in it. Someone about to pay for textbooks, a security deposit or a work wardrobe will put cash to better use than almost any object. As a loose guide, many relatives and family friends give somewhere between $25 and $100 for a high school graduation, with close family and godparents often giving more, and a little more again for a college graduation. Give what fits your budget; nobody keeps a ledger.
To make money feel like a gift, put it in a card with a few specific sentences about what you've watched them achieve, and tell them what you hope they'll spend it on, even if it's just "one really good dinner in your new city." If you'd prefer to give a thing, combine a small object from this page with a smaller check. And if several relatives are giving cash, a memorable keepsake from you might stand out more than another envelope.
Heading to college in the fall
For high school graduates, the summer after graduation is really one long shopping list for move-in day. The most useful gifts are the ones parents would otherwise be buying in a panic at a big-box store in August.
Ask the family what's already covered before buying anything large. Dorms often have strict rules about appliances, and roommates sometimes split the bigger items. Our gifts for college students guide has many more ideas.
- Our favorite4
Twin XL Memory Foam Mattress Topper
~$60
A memory foam topper in Twin XL, the long, narrow size almost every dorm bed uses. Dorm mattresses are famously thin and hard, and a topper is the single biggest upgrade to a first-year student's sleep. It's not glamorous to unwrap, but every college student who's had one will tell you it matters. Make sure it's Twin XL, not regular twin; the difference is a few inches that really count.
- 5
Compact Dorm Mini Fridge
~$110
A small fridge with a tiny freezer shelf that fits under a desk, for drinks, leftovers and the occasional pint of ice cream. Many dorms allow one, but some supply their own or limit the size, so check the housing rules first. It's a good pooled gift from grandparents or several relatives together.
- 6
Laptop Backpack with USB Charging Port
~$40
A padded backpack with a laptop sleeve and enough room for textbooks, made to carry all day across a big campus. A sturdy bag is something a lot of students skimp on until the strap breaks in October. Choose a plain color that won't look like high school, and check the laptop sleeve fits their machine.
Setting up a first apartment
College graduates, and some high school grads going straight into work, are often furnishing a place of their own for the first time. These are basics that get used weekly and that few twenty-two-year-olds think to buy until they need them.
- 7~$45
Home Toolkit for Beginners
Hammer, screwdrivers, tape measure and level in one case. For hanging pictures, assembling flat-pack furniture and not borrowing tools from a neighbor.
HomebodiesWoodworkers & DIYerspractical - 8~$28
Cast Iron Skillet with Lid
A pre-seasoned skillet that handles eggs, steaks, cornbread and the oven, and will outlast every other pan they buy. Include a note on how to clean it.
Home Cookspractical - 9~$25
Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat Cookbook
A cookbook that teaches why cooking works, not just recipes, so a beginner learns to improvise. Good for the grad who's tired of takeout.
Home CooksBook Loverspractical - 10~$45
Roadside Emergency Kit
Jumper cables, a tow strap, a flashlight and first-aid basics in one bag for the trunk. Ideal for a new driver who's about to commute alone.
Car Loverspractical
Starting a first job
For graduates heading into work, gifts that help them look prepared and handle money sensibly go a long way. They're also an easy choice for relatives who want to give something practical but grown-up. For more, see our new job gifts guide.
Skip anything that assumes a particular kind of office. Plenty of first jobs involve scrubs, steel-toe boots or a laptop at the kitchen table.
- 11
Personal Finance Book for Young Adults
~$18
A plain-English guide to budgeting, credit scores, student loans and the retirement account that comes with a first paycheck. Very few schools teach any of this, and a graduate who reads one good money book in their first year of work can save themselves years of mistakes. Tuck a note inside with the best money advice you ever got.
- 12
Leather Padfolio with Notepad
~$30
A zippered folder with a notepad, card slots and a tablet sleeve, for interviews, meetings and the first week of orientation. It quietly signals that they came prepared. It's a sensible gift from an aunt, uncle or family friend, and it suits almost any field where meetings happen at a table.
- 13
Hardside Carry-On Spinner Suitcase
~$75
A light hardshell carry-on with four wheels, for a graduate starting a job that involves travel or simply moving to a new city with lots of trips home. Most people's first suitcase is a hand-me-down with a wobbly wheel. Pick a neutral color, and check it meets common airline carry-on sizes.
Master's degrees, nursing school and grown-up graduates
Not every graduate is twenty-two. Plenty of people finish a master's degree at night while working full time, complete nursing school with kids at home, or walk across the stage at fifty after years of part-time classes. These graduates don't need dorm supplies; they need recognition and, frankly, a rest.
A dignified keepsake plus something restorative is a good combination. And go to the ceremony if you're invited: adult graduates often have smaller cheering sections than they deserve.
- 14
Citizen Eco-Drive Solar Watch
~$175
A solar-powered analog watch that charges from light and never needs a battery change. A good watch is the traditional milestone gift for a reason: it's worn every day and quietly marks the achievement for years. It's a fitting gift from a partner or parents for a hard-won graduate degree. Check whether they wear a watch at all before spending this much.
- 15
Executive Rollerball Pen Set
~$30
A solid metal rollerball that arrives boxed, refills included. For a graduate stepping into a role that involves signing things, such as a nurse practitioner, a newly licensed teacher or a manager, it's a modest, grown-up gift that gets used daily. Engraving their initials or new credentials makes it a keepsake.
- 16
Spa Gift Basket
~$45
Lotions, scrubs, a candle and bath salts in one basket: a whole evening of doing nothing, which is something a working graduate hasn't had in years. Pair it with an offer to take the kids or handle dinner for a night. Choose unscented or lightly scented products if you're not sure of their taste.
Small extras to tuck in with the card
Useful, inexpensive add-ons for a card with cash, or for a long list of graduation parties in one weekend.
17.Compact Travel Umbrella ~$25
A small folding umbrella for a backpack or work bag. Nobody buys a decent one until they're soaked on the way to something important.
18.Tile Bluetooth Tracker ~$25
A key-ring tracker that rings from a phone. For the grad who's about to juggle new keys, a new ID badge and a new bus route.
19.Portable Power Bank ~$30
A slim battery that charges a phone a couple of times. Handy for long move-in days, job fairs and the flight home.
Shop this guide by price
Under $25
$25–$50
Notes for graduation season
Find out what comes next before you shop. A gift for a student heading to a dorm and one for a graduate signing a lease are very different things.
Cash is welcome, not lazy. Put it in a card with a few personal sentences and it becomes a real gift.
Coordinate with the family on big items such as fridges and suitcases, so the graduate doesn't end up with two of each.
If you're attending several parties in one weekend, buy small extras in bulk and write each card properly; the card is the part they'll read.
Stuck on one graduate? Describe them and their plans to the gift finder and it'll suggest a shortlist.
Graduation gift etiquette, answered
How much money should you give for a high school graduation?
Many relatives and family friends give between $25 and $100, with close family often giving more. Give what fits your budget, and put it in a card with a personal note.
Do you have to give a gift if you get a graduation announcement?
No. An announcement is news, not an invitation, and there's no obligation to send a gift. A card with congratulations is a kind response; a gift is optional. If you're invited to a party, bringing a card, with or without a gift, is customary.
What's a good graduation gift that isn't money?
Something for the next step: a mattress topper and backpack for college, a toolkit and cast-iron pan for a first apartment, or a padfolio and a personal finance book for a first job. A signed copy of Oh, the Places You'll Go! makes a lovely keepsake alongside any of these.
When should you give a graduation gift?
At the graduation party or within a few weeks of the ceremony. Gifts for college move-in can wait until later in the summer, closer to when they're actually needed.