Gifts for Graduates: 7 Ideas to Celebrate Their Success
Finding gifts for graduates can be a challenge.
You want to choose one that is...
and most of all -- something that they’ll treasure!
Commencement is a time to celebrate and graduation gifts should honor this special moment of achievement. The best gift to give is one that not only prepares your graduate for the next phase in life, but also for success.
You want to make sure to get it just right.
So you’re probably wondering: “What are the best gifts for a graduation?”
Below we’ve listed some of the season’s best gifts for graduates - ones that will put smiles on their faces and warmth in their hearts.
This post contains affiliate links. See our disclosure page for more information.
Best Graduation Gift
Fountain Pen Set
A luxury fountain pen is a classy step-up for any recent graduate. Send yours into the world armed with the sophistication of a high-end pen set. This Parker gift set includes a Parker Sonnet fountain pen, converter, and a supply of Quink ink, the Parker Pen Company’s signature ink.
Class and Refinement
Picture a fresh-faced, recent-grad with the Parker Sonnet in hand. To take notes during the all-important company meeting, the new recruit separates the Sonnet from its cap and begins to write. Heads turn. Eyes marvel. And for a moment everyone in the room notices the graceful movement as the pen dances across the page. Your grad will stand out among the other rank and file ballpoint users. And they’ll have you to thank. Learn why writers prefer fountain pens over ballpoints, by reading our article comparing the two.
Source: parkerpen.com
The Parker Sonnet is a first-class, reliable writing instrument that delivers flawless performance. Black lacquer expertly accents a burnished gold trim, completing its polished presentation. This pen is crafted with precision, down to the impeccable criss-cross line pattern revealed on its stainless steel nib. Each Parker Sonnet is cushioned in an exquisite gift box, ready for display.
Source: parkerpen.com
Gifts for a Lifetime
Developed by Parker in the early 1900s, Quink (a portmanteau of ‘quick’ and ‘ink’) is the solution to routine blotting and fountain pen clogging. Included in this fountain pen gift set is 57 ml of Parker’s rapid-drying, top-quality general purpose black Quink ink as well as a reliable converter. For smooth flow, this ink has added lubricity. Your graduate’s fountain pen will easily glide over journaling paper, notebooks, or work documents with clean, crisp lines.
Source: parkerpen.com
This comprehensive gift set will be your grad’s commencement into the world of fountain pens as well as the next chapter of their lives. Whenever they use their fountain pen set, they’ll be reminded of their own achievement and commitment to excellence.
College Graduation Gift
Passport Holder
Gone are the days of spring break for your college graduate. But that doesn’t mean they won’t be traveling to new territories for work or for pleasure. Why not add a bit more security to their travel life with the gift of a premium passport cover?
Globetrotting Grads
Saddleback Leather Company is known for creating durable products with the highest-quality materials. Their company motto is, “They’ll fight over it when you’re dead” and their leather passport wallet is no exception. It will survive border crossings time and time again.
Source: saddlebackleather.com
Your new college graduate will need a passport for identification and documentation. It's vital to keep it protected and intact while abroad. Constructed from durable full-grain cowhide, the Saddleback passport holder is available in four notable colors: Black, Chestnut, Dark Coffee, and Tobacco. It features a full-length pocket that has no problem handling an extended edition 52-page passport - optimal for your college grad’s plethora of overseas travel plans.
Source: saddlebackleather.com
The Saddleback is dual-purpose, serving as a wallet and passport in one functional package. With ample space to store and arrange necessary items, users will feel safe stashing credit cards and identification in its pocketfolds. Cash is king, especially when abroad. However, foreign currency (which often varies in size and shape) can be challenging to securely put away. Having a considerably-sized cash pocket in this passport cover makes it easy to carry those oddly-sized foreign bills.
Source: saddlebackleather.com
What Makes It the Best
Why not provide a graduation gift that offers the benefits of security and peace of mind? Featuring slot pockets opening towards the middle of the wallet, items won’t slip out and escape (and no one wants missing charge cards while on vacation). With advances in electronic pickpocketing, this passport cover features protective RFID-shielding to keep credit card chips and identities safe. The Saddleback passport holder is assembled with the same marine-grade polyester thread as ship sails and parachutes, so you can be confident this passport cover is made to last.
Source: saddlebackleather.com
Saddleback is so confident in their product that they offer a 100-year warranty. What better graduation gift to give than one that will last a lifetime of travel adventures?
High School Graduation Gift
Planner
Life is busy in high school and it doesn’t slow down after graduation either. In the age of smartphone calendars, paper planners have added benefits that technology cannot always match. A paper agenda provides space for more detailed notes and can improve memory retention through handwritten reminders. And who doesn’t love the satisfaction that comes with drawing a line through completed “to-do” item?
On the Go Organization
These Filofax Malden organizers will perfectly accompany a diligent, take-on-the-world graduate. Malden agendas are available in three formats: A5, personal, and pocket. Planning for both the short and long-term will be easier than ever with the included 12-month calendar. This agenda will serve as a “hub” - coordinating work schedules, class sessions, assignment due dates, and ever-important social events. Refills for all sized calendars are readily available around June for the upcoming year: A5, personal, and pocket.
A5 sized planner featured in Ochre (Source: filofaxusa.com)
The supple buffalo leather covering on these planners provide a soft, pleasurable feel in the user’s hand. Malden planners are flexible and lay flat when opened. They make it easy to jot down an on-the-fly idea or comfortably transcribe during lengthy college lectures. With this planner’s durability, it will be by their side from freshman orientation through college graduation. Colors available for the Malden planner are fuchsia, kingfisher blue, ochre, and dark purple. Perhaps one may even match your high school grad’s future college colors!
Personal sized planner featured in fuchsia (Source: filofaxusa.com)
With a planner, you’ll be gifting the graduate a mature and organized way to begin the next phase of their life. Plus, it’s better than writing important appointments and due dates on the back of their hand.
*Notice: Mobile devices - scroll right to see entire table.
A5 | Personal | ||
|---|---|---|---|
Size | 9.25” x 7.87” with six 1.2” rings | 7.56” x 5.91” x 1.97” with six 0.9” rings | 5.79” x 4.96” x 1.54” with six 0.8” rings |
Left Side Features |
|
|
|
Right Side Features |
|
|
|
Nursing School Graduation Gift
Bed Sheets
Luxurious bedding is an ideal gift for those that give so much of themselves to others. In the years to come, nursing school graduates spend long hours tending to emergency room patients and assisting in doctor’s offices. After an exhausting day, what would be a better gift for a future nurse than sliding into a set of luxury sheets?
Venture to the Land of Nod
Made of 100% viscose from bamboo, the Cariloha Resort sheet set will be a relaxing graduation gift. Pleasing to the touch and gentle on skin, bamboo viscose proves to be an exemplary material for bed linens. Bamboo naturally repels odors and allergens while viscose delivers the comfort and breathability of cotton. With a luxurious sateen weave, these bed linens are the quintessential combination of soft and durable. Your nursing school grad will be able to stay cool in the summer and wishing they didn't have to leave their bed in the winter.
Souce: cariloha.com
Endless Options
Cariloha Resort sheet sets include one flat sheet, one fitted sheet, and two pillowcases. They are available in Queen, King, and California King sizes. To purchase the correct size, try to casually sneak in a question about your grad’s bed size while discussing weekend plans or their favorite sports team. Colors are available for a variety of sensibilities: White, Ivory, Graphite, Beachwood, Blue Lagoon, Caribbean Mint, and Almond Truffle. Whatever option you choose, these linens will provide a calming and soothing aesthetic as your tuckered out nursing student drifts into a well-deserved sleep.
Source: cariloha.com
Even after multiple washes, these Cariloha bamboo sheets will retain their silky feel. Every night will feel as amazing as the first. In nursing, there are certain to be turbulent day shifts and unpredictable night shifts. So make sleep more enjoyable for your hard-working nursing school graduate with a set of luxury bamboo sheets!
Law School Graduation Gift
Portfolio Folder
Do you want to prove that your law school graduate is a cut above the rest? Make sure they walk into a room with this leather portfolio in hand. Simply owning it exhibits professionalism. The senior management will silently think to themselves, “This grad is put together.” A portfolio is the ideal graduation gift for an enterprising go-getter, ready to take on a challenging clerkship, and showcase their talents on the job.
Timeless Luxury
This stylish Royce leather portfolio is a great way to keep busy law associates organized. With multiple court cases and hours of research ahead, it’s vital to have a portfolio that will stand the test of time. Made using ultra bonded leather, the Royce portfolio provides a smooth, pleasurable feel. It comes in traditional black, which will match any professional suit your grad dons to work. Don’t be surprised to see how the elegance carries over to the soft suede interior as well.
Source: royceleathergifts.com
Functionality
Freshly-minted law school graduates don’t have time to be weighed down by bulky bags or briefcases. The size of this padfolio is ideal. It can hold 8.5” x 11” resumes and includes a legal-sized lined writing pad. No new attorney wants to present their case, fumbling for essential legal paperwork in front of an entire courtroom. With a large leather pocket, there is plenty of space to securely store cases and legal documents.
Source: eBags.com
Being both handsome and functional, a portfolio is a practical gift for graduating law school students. A great graduation gift to invest in their career. First-time clients will leave with a positive lasting impression after seeing this piece, feeling even more confident in their choice for legal representation. The Royce padfolio can carry your graduates resumes into interviews, safely store notes as they advance to partner level, then be passed down to the next generation well after their retirement.
If you're interested in purchasing a fountain pen for a future attorney, look no further than the choices presented in our article "Best Executive Fountain Pen for Professionals".
Gift for a PhD Graduate
Weekender Bag
Update your graduating doctorate’s travel gear with a prestigious weekender bag. Whether using it to carry lecture paperwork, traveling to foreign destinations to work on research, or flying out for a refreshing vacation, this bag is a practical graduation gift which will fulfill a multitude of uses.
Store It All
The Floto Roma duffle is certainly a sophisticated upgrade from a traditional nylon bag. With modest brown full-grain calfskin leather, this classic piece of luggage will never go out of style. The sturdy canvas-lined interior can withstand the test of time. The inside pocket is ideal for storing chargers for electronics, med school notecards, or a passport. Although there is plenty of available space, this bag can still easily fit into overhead compartments on an airplanes. The Floto company stands by their reputable products with their lifetime guarantee. Your new PhD graduate won’t ever have to worry about having to replace this timeless graduation gift.
Source: flotoimports.com
It’s in the Accents
The finer details of the Floto Roma weekender bag make it a durable and top-notch choice for a graduation gift. The superior brass zipper spans the sides and top of the bag, providing a large open area to methodically pack clothes and easily locate what’s needed. Brass feet on the bottom of the bag ensure that the leather doesn’t meet the floor. The adjustable shoulder strap is detachable in case the grad prefers to carry it by the sturdy handles instead. With its solid and superior stitching, the Floto Roma bag is lightweight while being rugged and dependable.
Source: flotoimports.com
Whether on the threshold of groundbreaking research, teaching college classes, or taking on the medical world, your doctoral graduate can count on this bag for any occasion. This graduation gift will be with the new doctor, wherever life takes them.
Gift for a Medical School Graduate
Slippers
Completing medical school is no easy feat. After graduating, students still have years of learning and residency ahead of them. Honor their years of hard work by giving a graduation gift that provides a source of reprieve. With hours on their feet caring for patients and walking hospital halls during 3rd and 4th year rotations, future doctors will appreciate a comfortable pair of high-quality slippers.
Slip Into Comfort
Give the gift of comfort with Glerups slippers to cushion the aching feet of soon-to-be doctors. These close-toed wool slippers will be a restorative way for a medical school grad to relax at home in their limited downtime. Glerups are available in a sensible white and grey blend or dark charcoal color. These lightweight slippers can easily be stored in a locker or tote bag to change into after a shift. When leaving for the day, rubber soles ensure traction while walking outside. Durable and washable, your grad will be sporting their Glerup slippers well into their career.
Source: glerups.com
Like Walking on Air
After being crammed into work shoes all day (or night), the Glerups will be a relief for tired feet. These slip-ons are super light and extremely comfortable. They provide plenty of “wiggle room” in the toe area. Constructed from absorbent wool and easy to glide into, these slippers are perfect for year-round wear. They will keep feet warm and dry while taking out the trash or grabbing late-night snacks in any weather.
Source: glerups.com
Take care of your medical school grad when they are not busy taking care of others. After pulling an all-nighter, what better relief than slipping on their new pair of Glerups. They will be reminded how much they are appreciated and finally off-duty.
A Final Word
Finding the perfect graduation gift doesn’t have to be a stressful process. Celebrate their achievements and be a part of their future journey. By giving any of these thoughtful and practical graduation gifts, you’ll be sending them onto the next chapter of their life with confidence and exultation.
