17-05-2025
Graduation Gift Ideas For The New Grad In Your Life
From starting at a new job (or searching for one) to moving into their first apartment, there are so many things college grads have to think about after they cross the stage to get their diploma. If you have a college grad in your life, buying them a thoughtful graduation gift can make their transition to 'the real world' a little easier.
We rounded up the best graduation gifts across a bunch of categories to provide some creative and practical ideas that a college grad might both need and want. These include products to stock their kitchen and help them learn to cook for themselves, tech items they'll turn to all the time and so much more. Your grad deserves to be set up for success in this next chapter — and your gift can help.
An Echo Dot to introduce them to smart living
When you gift a grad an Echo Dot, you're essentially gifting them a speaker, alarm clock, planner and more in one smart home product. Using voice control with Alexa, they can make grocery lists, set timers, play music or podcasts and connect to other smart home products like smart lightbulbs if they so choose. The Dot comes in three review: "I'm really impressed with the newest Echo Dot. The sound quality is way better than previous models—clear vocals and surprisingly deep bass for such a small device. It's perfect for playing music, checking the weather, or setting timers in the kitchen. Alexa is super responsive, and I love how easily it connects with my other smart devices. The design is sleek and modern, and it fits anywhere in my home. Setup took just a few minutes. Overall, it's a great little smart speaker that punches above its weight. Totally worth it!" —Claudia janeth JaimesGet it from Amazon for $49.99.
A pair of noise-canceling Apple AirPods for work, travel and more
You'd be hard-pressed to find a member of Gen Z who wouldn't get serious use out of a pair of AirPods. The Pro 2, our favorite model, are perfect for locking in at the office, providing entertainment during their early-20s travel adventures, listening to TikToks or podcasts, and so much Pros are noise-canceling but also have a transparency mode and adaptive audio, so when you do want to hear your surroundings, you can. They have a six-hour battery life, are dust-, water- and sweat-resistant and the case can be charged wirelessly with a MagSafe charger or use the included USB-C cable. Your grad can ensure the AirPods fit their ears using the four different sizes of silicone tips included in the box. The Pros also come with a hearing health experience and can protect users' ears by preventing excessive exposure to loud them from Amazon for $188.56.
A HelloFresh gift card to teach them to cook for themselves
After years of relying on the dining hall and instant ramen to sustain themselves, a gift card to HelloFresh's meal kit service can put your grad on track to get better at cooking hearty meals for themselves. They can sign up for a plan that matches their lifestyle and nutritional needs, curate their list of recipes and pause or skip meals any week that they need to. HelloFresh also cuts down on the amount of time they'll have to spend grocery shopping, by sending pre-portioned ingredients and even some ready-made it from HelloFresh for $75+.
These unbelievably popular hotel-quality pillows
Give your grad the gift of better sleep with these bestselling Beckham Hotel Collection pillows, which have been described as a "miracle" for back and side sleepers. Available in three sizes for a set of two, the pillows have a bounce-back design to keep their shape and support your head, but are conveniently machine-washable unlike most memory foam pillows. They're also cooling and breathable, so hot sleepers can remain comfortable throughout the night. If they're moving into a new apartment and have no furniture or bedding yet, this is a good review: "These pillows arrived in a smaller box than I thought was reasonable, but they puffed up when opened and are truly regular sized pillows. They were a gift for my college son who loves sleeping more than pretty much anything, and he would give his seal of approval if he was awake! He didn't see that these are hotel pillows and yet remarked that these are just like hotel job on that feature! Highly recommended for your head to be cradled in comfort while you sleep. Surprisingly supportive yet soft, these are a good investment in your sleep." —Tammi DresenGet it from Amazon for $49.99+.
Merit's "Five Minute Morning" set for the young professional on the go
A grad with a new job has enough on their plate without worrying about having time to get ready in the morning or possibly running late. This all-in-one makeup set can cut down their routine to just five minutes, making it so easy to just get out the door. The set includes Merit's beloved complexion stick, a cream blush, tinted lip oil, highlighting balm, mascara and brow pomade. All of the products are formulated to be lightweight and hydrating on the skin, while also being easy to apply and blend. The cream formulas create minimal mess, and such a pared-down routine is also great to pack for it from Merit Beauty for $176 (originally $206).
A set of wine glasses to ring in their new adult era
Celebrate your grad entering adulthood with a set of classy wine glasses, something they probably don't have in their kitchen just yet. Available in sets of two, four or six and for red or white wine (or as champagne flutes), the glasses are made with lead-free crystal and have a cool square shape. The shape of each glass is designed to enhance the flavor of the wine through aeration or temperature preservation. For an extra nice gift, you can pair this purchase with a nice bottle of wine to toast to your grad's new review: "I bought the wine glasses for a housewarming gift. Needless to say the gift could have gone over any better! My friend is ranting and raving about how beautiful and distinct the glasses are. She had a glass of wine five minutes after delivery. If you have a wine lover friend, be a great friend and buy these!" —Amazon CustomerGet a four-pack from Amazon for $34.99.
A stretching strap for the grad with a new desk job
In college, your favorite grad might have been active all the time, running around campus from classes to clubs. Maybe they're not yet used to the physical demands of a 9-to-5 desk job, where even basic stretching becomes an afterthought — which can lead to a whole host of health issues. That's where this stretching strap can come in handy to keep them strap has non-slip grips and an ergonomic design that can be used to perform arm, leg, shoulder and back stretches for pain relief, to improve flexibility and to increase their range of motion. The strap comes with a stretching guide to help them get it from Amazon for $29.99 (available in two colors).
A popular bendable book light they can wear around their neck
We've covered this neck light before for its many practical uses: Your recipient can wear it to read, work, draw, knit and more without using their hands or relying on an overhead light. If you're shopping for someone with a partner, the light's three color temperature and six brightness level modes allow them to use the light in bed without disturbing their partner's rest (the light also has a narrow 90-degree beam). You can get a neck light in seven colors and two it from Amazon for $18.99.
A vegetable chopper to make an arduous meal prep task easier
If you're shopping for a member of Gen Z, there's a good chance they're familiar with the Fullstar vegetable chopper, which has gone TikTok-viral for the convenience it adds to the kitchen. The chopper comes with various dicing and slicing blades (we think this 4-in-1 option is a good start, but you can choose from 2-in-1 all the way to 14-in-1) that can chop produce instantly just by pushing down the lid. It's great for meal prep, chopped salads and more. The chopper also comes with food scrapers and cleaning brushes to make cleanup a breeze, plus a finger guard to keep them safe from potential it from Amazon for $25.99+ (available in five colors).
A chic laptop backpack that's a Wirecutter pick
One of the most valuable purchases a new grad can make after college is a professional-looking new backpack for work and travel, especially after using the same beaten-up old one all through college. Wirecutter named this Everlane backpack as one of the best laptop backpacks of 2025. It features a 15-inch exterior laptop pocket, multiple zipper and slip pockets for smaller essentials and two water bottle holders. The backpack also has a pass-through strap on the back that they can pull ove a suitcase handle to glide through the airport with ease. The backpack comes in five chic colors and is review: "As someone who takes public transit to work, I wanted a backpack that felt more polished and professional than my sport backpacks, but was easier to lug around than my work totes. This looks minimal, but it holds SO MUCH and it also doesn't look bulky even when I have it packed. It's also comfortable, and so far hasn't gotten too hot (we shall see once summer truly hits). I also really like the side zip pouch for the laptop--it took a minute to figure out how to get my large laptop in there (has to go in straight, not angled), but now it's a breeze and I like how secure it feels (not sliding all around in there). In all, it totally exceeds my expectations!" —levieGet it from Everlane for $118.
A Kindle for the bookworm
An e-reader can serve your grad for years to come, and transform their reading experience if they've always been a physical book can't go wrong with the newest standard Kindle model, which comes in two colors and can store 16 GB. That's thousands of books on its own, but if you choose to bundle your purchase with a Kindle Unlimited subscription, your grad can have access to 4 million titles right at their fingertips. The battery life lasts up to six weeks (yes, weeks) and the 6-inch display is adjustable for brightness or even a dark a Kindle owner myself, I swear by this worth-every-penny purchase, which helped me more than double the amount of books I read in one year. Kindles are also compatible with the Libby app, so if your grad prefers to check out books from the library instead of buying them, they can still do that with it from Amazon for $109.99+.
A cold brew coffee maker with a near-perfect star rating
This 2-quart cold brew coffee maker is perfect for the person who needs caffeine in the morning but doesn't want to spend tons of time or money on their coffee. Available in black, gray or silver (for gray, you can choose between a handle or no handle), the cold brew maker includes a dishwasher-safe glass mason jar, stainless steel mesh filter and leakrpoof plastic lid with a flip cap pour spout. The coffee maker is also travel-friendly, so your grad can take it with them on the review: "I was given this as a gift and liked it so much. I ordered a second one for my families vacation home. It works great without the pain of having to boil water for tea.. you can make a great cold brew coffee in that container with the only issue being possibly drags on the bottom with coffee." —Kayren MingusGet it from Amazon for $29.99.
