Graduation parties may be put on hold for now, but that doesn’t mean you need to pause on the graduation gifts! It’s never too early to start scoping out graduation gifts either, so even if you think the grad party will be in August, why not start shopping now? Today I’m sharing 20 of the best graduation gifts for the class of 2020.
These gifts are broken down into three categories: for the dorm, tech and tech related gifts, and more general lifestyle presents that your graduate will love – and use in college!
This blog post shares 20 graduation gifts for the class of 2020.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I may make a small commission from any purchases made from products linked on this page, at no additional cost to you!
Here are 20 Graduation Gifts for the Class of 2020!
For the Dorm:
Travel Mug
Even if your grad doesn’t drink coffee, like me, they may enjoy tea or hot chocolate or some of the other fun drinks they can get at their local coffee shop or the chain on campus. Having a travel mug, a good travel mug means two things.
- They can make their drink in their room and take it to class with them, or wherever they’re going.
- They can bring it empty to most coffee places and get a discounted drink.
In both of those situations, you’re saving your graduate money. Not just once, but again and again. Travel cups are a great investment. They will save you money, keep your drink warmer (or colder) than it would be in a throw-away cup, and it will help cut down on waste!
This 20 oz stainless steel tumbler comes in so many colors!
If you’re looking for something a bit smaller, I hear great things about these mugs from friends too! Every travel mug here comes in at least four colors, I highly recommend checking them out if you think one may be the perfect fit for your grad, and seeing what colors are available!
Lastly, if you’re buying for multiple grads, some travel mugs are sold in sets, like this Contigo pair!
Keurig
If your graduate is a coffee drinker, they’re almost certainly going to be purchasing a Keurig for their room. As far as coffee makers go, Keurig’s are by far the college student’s coffeemaker of choice. The mini Keurig will cover all of their needs without taking up too much space in their room! You can also help them save a bit of money (and waste) by getting them some reusable K-Cups to go with it.
Bonus of having reusable K-Cups? You can send your grad their favorite local coffee to give them a sip of home to start their day!
Lights
Lights are probably one of the most stereotypical items found in a college dorm, and that’s because they are a gamechanger. Late at night, it is so nice to have softer lights in your room! As an RA I’ve seen hundreds of student’s dorm rooms and lights are a popular décor piece for everyone. Some students put them above their bed, some line the room with lights up on the wall close to the ceiling, others will put them on the wall as a place to hang photos, there really are endless opportunities when it comes to lights!
I also highly recommend getting these command hooks to go with your present because that’s one less thing for the graduate to worry about! Command hooks are actually one of the most useful gifts I received for my graduation.
Towel Wraps
I’ve been told that if you have community bathrooms, towel wraps are the move. I found a couple of cool ones for you. First are these towel wraps from Etsy, which have an option for you to add a monogram for customization!
I highly recommend checking out what Etsy has to offer. The towel wrap below has pockets, and if your grad has longer hair, consider gifting them a hair wrap! This one helps eliminate frizz, which personally has been a huge benefit of using hair wraps and not putting my hair up in traditional towels!
Blankets
Blankets are a must-have for all college students. Whether you simply don’t have control of your room’s thermostat, want to be a bit cozy, or could use some spirited decor, blankets are always needed. I see students wrapping themselves in blankets and walking around the halls all the time, I do it when I’m studying late, people will take blankets to sporting events, the list goes on.
For some added school spirit, check out the blankets below! There are tons of schools available in the options. Simply click on any of the images to be taken to the listing!
Storage
Good storage is not only immensely useful, but you can always put a cute present inside a basket or storage container! I loved the way some of my graduation gifts were presented in storage, from baskets to plastic containers to laundry baskets, storage is always a good idea!
Shopping for multiple students? Get a multipack of baskets and split them up!
Water Bottle
Every college student needs at least two water bottles if you ask me. One for everyday, one as a backup for if the everyday water bottle gets lost or misplaced or if you lend it to a friend for something. Hydration is a huge deal, so here are some great options for the grad in your life! These water bottles are great if you want to help your grad show off some school spirit!
Here are some simpler options that are popular amongst college students! I love my Contigo water bottle.
Vacuum
Even if a building has vacuums that can be borrowed, any college student is going to want their own. Messes happen, you’re walking into your room with all of the dirt and pollen and everything else that you walked through that day, girls’ hair gets everywhere (everyone’s hair gets everywhere), vacuums are a gamechanger. I have some friends who vacuum nightly because there is something to vacuum nightly. For some people that may be extreme, but the point is that vacuums are needed.
If your graduate’s dorm is not carpeted, a hand vacuum will still be helpful for if they spill any snacks or need to clean up crumbs! As far as carpets go, this Bissell vacuum comes in a lot of fun colors!
Games
Board and card games are big in college. They’re great for making friends in your hall and hanging out with friends without staring at a screen. Some of the best memories and funniest moments I’ve had in college happened in an apartment sitting around a dining table playing cards.
Cards Against Humanity is a classic. I’ve played it with my residents for hall bonding, I’ve had residents borrow it to play with their friends, this is such an entertaining game for college students! If you know the person already has Cards Against Humanity, get them an expansion pack!
Below are some more great games to have in college!
Related: 9 Must-Have Items You Didn’t Think to Bring to College
Technology & Tech-Related Gifts:
6-10 Foot Phone Chargers
We all know that dorms rarely have enough outlets, and you might not always be close to one when you need it. Enter: 6 to 10-foot phone chargers. Yep, they’re a thing, and they’re a game-changer! These ones are for Android phones, these are for iPhones!
Portable Charger
I’ve tried quite a few different brands of portable chargers over the years, either that I bought personally, that I was given as gifts from family and friends, and that I’ve borrowed from friends in a pinch. Guess what? Anker portable chargers are simply the best. Specifically the Anker PowerCore 10000 or 13000 – I have the Anker PowerCore 10000 and love it. I’ve used it for three years now and it is magical! My phone gets so many charges out of it and I love how lightweight it is. I’m planning to buy one for my brother for his graduation! This is a great gift for the boy you don’t know what to buy for.
Let me compare the two for you:
The PowerCore 10000 can only charge one device at a time and will fully charge a phone about three times. It is small and lightweight, which are huge selling points. The PowerCore 13000 can charge two devices at a time and weighs just over half a pound. The PowerCore 10000 gives you 46 hours of charge, the PowerCore 13000 gives you 60 hours of charge.
Wireless Speaker
Wireless speakers are such an asset to college students. They’re great for when you want music in the shower, while studying, for hanging out on the lawns around campus, and clubs will love you if you can offer to bring your speaker to events to add some background music!
This clip-on speaker is also waterproof, great for clipping on a backpack or to hang on a wall in a dorm! You can also get this case for the clip-on speaker, perfect for storage and keeping the charging cord with it! One of my best friends at school has this speaker and keeps it on her desk to fill her room with music while she gets her work done. She also brings it to our programs we host for residents in our area on campus and it really helps shape the energy of the event!
All three of these products come in a wide variety of colors, so whether your grad lives for pink or camo, there’s something for them!
Earbuds
Not only are earbuds something that every college student uses, but earbuds are also something that almost every college student always has on their person. Having a backup pair is crucial because the last thing you want is to be caught without the ability to listen to music or a podcast between classes or walking across campus! These are the earbuds that I have and I absolutely love them.
These are all earbuds because I personally do not wear my Bluetooth noise-canceling headphones outside of my room at school. If you’re interested in a pair of those, I highly highly highly recommend this Sony pair! I bought them with my graduation money and am wearing them right now as I type this blog post, almost three years later. They’re fantastic and have so many cool features!
Phone Wallet
When I asked current college students how they carry around their student ID, the overwhelming majority said they use phone wallets. Some students like to carry their license with their ID, some prefer to have a card or some cash with it, but travel to any college campus and you’ll see for yourself that phone wallets are all the rage. And for good reason! I loved how easy it was to have my ID on the back of my phone and simply hold my phone up any time I had to swipe into a building or get into my hall.
If your grad likes to switch up their phone case, consider getting a phone wallet multipack! Think your grad will be carrying their debit or credit card in their phone wallet? Consider this one, which has RFID blocking technology and comes in three colors!
External Harddrive
Every college student needs an external hard drive! Every. Single. One. Backing up your computer is the only way to make sure you really have everything, and especially for people working in creative fields where you have large project files, keeping your projects on your hard drive will keep your computer running much faster. Hard drives are an investment, but they’re also a necessity, which means they would make a great graduation gift!
When it comes to hard drives, you’re going to be looking for something big – a terabyte is a good place to start. That’s how big my external hard drive is! I also recommend a case – this case is built for the external hard drive I shared
Related: The 7 Most Helpful Gifts I Received for High School Graduation
Miscellaneous:
Hammock
Whether the grad you’re shopping for is heading off to school in a big city or a desolate college town, hammocks are a great present. Why? College students are creative. Even if a student isn’t in a wooded area, they’re sure to find ways to use it around campus, in parks, or out on hikes! These hammocks do not come with straps, but that’s always something you could add on to the present.
You could get your grad a hammock in their new school’s colors, or if they’re a tie-dye fan, they’ve just come out with two tie-dye options! Click on any of these images to be taken to the listing.
School Spirit Wear
School spirit wear is a classic graduation gift. These long sleeve tees are great for everything from class to the gym to lounging with friends, and college students love fuzzy socks!
Notebook
A notebook is a great gift, to write about current or future adventures! I keep notebooks for work that I take to all of my work meetings. Anytime I have questions, I write them in my work notebook so I know everything is in one place. Of course, I also keep a notebook for each club and organization I’m a part of, keep one in my purse, next to my bed on my nightstand; notebooks are really helpful for keeping college life going. They’re also guaranteed to be used! I had no idea I would use my notebooks so much in college, but I’m incredibly grateful for all of the notebooks I was gifted for my high school graduation. I’ve used them all.
For anyone who bullet journals, I’m sure they’d love a new Moleskine! These notebooks come with tons of color options, and you can get it lined, blank, with dots, or in a grid!
These beautiful Agate pattern notebooks come in a 3 pack and are smaller – 3.5×5.5 inches!
This 10 pack of woodland notebooks even comes in a cute box to help keep them together.
If you think the grad you’re shopping for may be forgetful come fall, this is the perfect notebook for them!
Zodiac Necklace
For any grad into astrology, this is a perfect gift! Simple, dainty necklaces can go with anything – and they’ll be thinking of you whenever they put it on. I love this listing from Etsy because you get to choose the metal, customize the star sign to your grad, and the necklace comes with an extender so they can vary the chain length themselves! This necklace is a sweet and personal gift.
Thank You Notes
Thank you notes are one of the most forgotten college essentials! Yes, the graduate could use them to write thank you notes for their gifts, but they can also use them when they go on interviews, get recommendations from professors, want to show their friends they appreciate them, the list goes on! All of these thank you note packs are pretty big and perfect for the incoming college student.
And that finishes off our 20 graduation gifts for the class of 2020!
What are you purchasing as graduation gifts for the class of 2020? Let me know in the comments, along with which of these was your favorite! I’d love to hear from you.
Want a recap of the items in this post? Keep scrolling to shop all of the Amazon listings!
Looking for more graduation gift ideas? Click here for the 7 graduation gifts that I found to be the most useful in my first year of college!
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20 Graduation Gifts for the Class of 2020
This post shared 20 graduation gifts for the class of 2020.
