10 Smart College Graduation Gifts (2024)

The best gifts are ones the receivers don’t know they want or need or that they wouldn’t buy for themselves because they’re too expensive or just not a priority.

That’s what makes a gift for a college graduate so important to get right. Most graduates have limited budgets and may not realize what they need when they head out into the world. So you won’t see an Apple Watch, Bose Headphones, an Amazon Echo, a generous check, or a new laptop on our list. All perfectly appropriate and awesome gifts, but we’re here to help with the less obvious ideas to send your graduate off into the world—ready for any and all challenges.

So here we go:

Luggage. A terrific luggage set that includes at least one piece for an extended trip, like a week or more, plus a second piece that’s ideal for an overnight or weekend getaway. The right luggage will last a long time and be used over and over. They won’t realize just how much they needed it until they use it—all the time.

Professional Bag. It’s time to ditch the backpack. But that doesn’t mean a stodgy briefcase. Today’s messenger bags and totes serve multiple roles, look sharp, and are versatile enough to last through different kinds of jobs. Send your graduate out in to the world with the right bag.

Instant Pot. Maybe they already know their way around the kitchen. Terrific! Or maybe their skills are limited to scrambled eggs, ramen noodles, and PB&J. That’s fine, too. There’s good reason why so-called instant pots have exploded in popularity—among both experienced home chefs and rookies who want to get better. It’s easy to use for almost any kind of meal—and for a graduate on a budget an Insta-Pot is a great way to make a big dish Sunday night that lasts into the week.

Meal Subscription. Speaking of food … There is absolutely nothing wrong with encouraging healthy eating habits for graduates on their own for the first time by giving them a gift subscription to a meal delivery service. There are lots to choose from—HelloFresh, Blue Apron, Home Chef, the list goes on. Find one that works for their dietary desires and your budget.

Tool Set. Whether your graduate will live alone in a 300-square-foot apartment in Manhattan, in a shared unit with five strangers in Miami, or even back at home for a few years, a screen door will come loose, a cabinet shelf will fall, an IKEA bookcase will need to be assembled, a lighting fixture will need tightening—something will happen that requires a solid hammer, the right wrench, or a fast electric screwdriver. Invest in a simple set of tools for your graduate, who will have the set for years, decades, maybe even a lifetime. The recipient will be grateful—especially when the IKEA bookcase arrives with its 400-step instruction booklet.

Coffee Pot, Travel Mug, Steel Straws. No, not a Keurig. Sorry, but with what those pods do to the environment, just no. Instead, encourage your graduate to make a big pot of coffee Monday morning, take some to go, put the rest into the fridge, and enjoy iced coffee for a few days. That’s smart. Penny-wise. And eco-friendly. Encourage Starbucks to be a treat, not a daily habit. And when it’s time for the iced coffee, get your graduate a hefty, durable travel mug and some steel straws, another great contribution to helping the environment rather than using plastic.

Clothing Subscription Service. It’s time to step up your clothing game once the diploma’s in hand. A closet full of sweats, jeans, sweatshirts, plus what might be considered one or two interview outfits are no longer enough. But shopping is hard and takes time and patience. A yearlong mail-order gift subscription, like Stitch Fix, Le Tote, Gwynnie Bee, or Menlo Club, is a great gift for graduates. They can fill out a customized list of their priorities and their tastes in clothing, and in a few short months they’ll have a closet that’s appropriate for a professional—not a student.

Media Streaming Service. That enormous monthly cable bill ($200!) that people in their 40s and 50s and beyond are paying? Tomorrow’s generation won’t be paying that. They are smarter. They’ll pick and choose to stream Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, Disney, or YouTube, and whatever they can’t watch, they will either ignore—or they’ll figure out a way to get it. So start them off by giving them a streaming service or a device like Amazon Fire or Amazon Prime or Roku or Apple TV and maybe paying their first three to six months of whatever they want to watch–then let them decide from there what they want to keep.

Knife Set. Put this right alongside a tool kit as one of those things they won’t realize is valuable and useful—until they begin using it all the time. There are plenty of cool ones out there, too, with bright colors and fun holders, like the Cuisinart Knife Set, or you can go with a three-piece, simple stainless steel. But great knives will get used every day.

Steamer. When was the last time most graduates ironed a piece of clothing. Never? Exactly. They probably won’t start now. But they won’t want to look wrinkled either, so a hand-held steamer is a smart, affordable way to ensure they venture out into the world looking more like Oscar and less like Felix (and you have our permission to explain that Odd Couple reference to them).