The Best College-Graduation Gifts for Him, According to Recent Graduates

Over my years of interviewing college students, one thing has remained constant: AirPods are their headphones of choice. So, if his AirPods are looking worse for wear (or, maybe, he’s down to only one bud), a fresh set will help him enter the corporate world smoothly.

For the graduate who hit the gym before the ceremony, consider an Apple Watch that can track everything from his sleep stages to his heart rate. (He’ll appreciate being able to use it to send texts, listen to music, and take calls, too.)

Oura Rings are another popular fitness tracker that came up with graduates I chatted with. Like the Apple Watch, this one tracks sleep, steps, and heart rate.

The male graduates I spoke to were particularly interested in high-tech glasses and headsets. If you’re looking to splurge on your graduate, recent Drexel grad Charlie Kravits recommends a Meta Quest headset, which he has on his wishlist. In addition to using it to play games — as Kravits would like to do — your grad can use it to watch his favorite shows and browse social media.

Kravits and recentBates graduate Anders Landgren also mentioned the smart glasses from Meta and Ray-Ban, which can take photos, play music, and send texts — all hands free. “They’re intriguing to me because sometimes when I’m wearing AirPods for a while, they hurt my ears,” Landgren says.

I’ve lost count of how many college students have told me they have aHatch alarm clockon their wish list. It doubles as a sound machine and a sunrise alarm clock, so he can make sure he wakes up with plenty of time to get ready before his first day of work after graduation.

Recent Georgia Tech graduate Austin Rubinger recommends a GoPro for the graduate who is traveling after college. “I think people — myself included — really like to capture their experiences,” he says, adding he would attach his GoPro to his bike and give vlogging a try.

“I think practicality is one of the most important things for gift givers to focus on,” says Noah Grossman, a recent graduate of Columbia University. With this in mind, he recommends gifting a power bank, which a graduate can use to keep their devices charged whether his postgrad plans involve traveling the world or starting his first job. This one,our favorite portable charger, can recharge an iPhone 17 Pro two times, but our tech writer, Jordan McMahon, has tested (and approved)tons of different optionsdepending on the graduate’s needs.

Subscriptions of any kind make a great gift for a recent graduate (one less bill!), but for the graduate who wants to stay up to date on the world around him, you really can’t go wrong with aNew Yorksubscription. He’ll get unlimited access to allNew Yorkwebsites, subscriber-only newsletters, and games. If he’d prefer print, theprint and digital yearly subscription is just $20 more.

Moving out of the dorms and finally ditching those twin XL mattresses means that he’ll need some new (and hopefully larger) sheets for his first apartment. We recommend these crisp, lightweight sheets from Quince, which are available in ginghams and solids, including the young-man favorite: navy blue. (It’s ourBest in Class pick, too.)

When I reviewedLola’s viral chinchillalike blankets, my brother, a soon-to-be graduate of Miami University, kept disappearing with it. If he plays his cards right, he might just get one as a graduation gift this year. (Before you check out, make sure to check social media for discount codes; influencers often post them.)

For a professional-minded graduate like Baldwin Wallace University graduateBella Radke, a leather portfolio is a professional touch for in-person interviews. She imagines she’d put her résumé and some business cards in hers.

Perhaps moving out of the dorms is an opportunity to discover a green thumb. In addition to some actual art (instead of posters), Langren would like to add a low-maintenance house plant — specifically aloe or another succulent — to his postgrad space.

John Morris, a recent graduate of Wheaton College, says that knives are “something that I would never really consider buying for myself because they’re expensive.” But he received a set this Christmas and was surprised by how much he loved the gift. Ourfavorite simple knife sethere includes the only three knives most new grads will need to do the majority of their chopping, dicing, slicing, cutting, mincing, and carving: a chef’s knife, paring knife, and serrated knife.

While cooking tools are essential for stocking a new kitchen, the food can’t shine without a little spice. I recommend this spice set, which I received as a gift from my parents. It’s the base of my adult kitchen spice collection.

If he’s a smoothie person, he knows just how quickly the price of smoothies from his local spot can add up. But since a refreshing smoothie doesn’t need to break the bank, Elias Gerstein, a recent graduate of the University of Miami, and Grossman both recommend gifting a NutriBullet to recent graduates. My boyfriend and I have been using this one to make pasta sauces, smoothies, and soups since we graduated college.

Throughout my time at the Strategist, I’ve interviewed dozens (and dozens) of college students to gain intel.Air-fryers have come up repeatedly in my interviews, and I’ve recommended this one in each college-related guide I’ve writtenbecause it’sour very favoriteand comes recommended by three experts, includingBruce Weinstein, co-author of multipleair-fryingcookbooks.

Since he can’t rely on dining-hall coffee anymore, an espresso machine makes crafting his perfect cup of coffee easy. This espresso machine makes espressoandcoffee, so he’ll be able to have his drink of choice at the press of a button. (My favorite pod isDolce double espresso, which has cereal and fruity notes.)

“I think that once you graduate, it’s time to give up drinking straight out of the Tito’s handle and start spicing up your craft before you go out,” says Gerstein. “What easier way to do it than having the pods to make cocktails?” He has this Bartesian cocktail machine, which he describes as “a Keurig, but for making cocktails,” on his postgrad wish list.

Multiple graduates mentioned drinkware of different types as a non-cheesy college memorabilia gift. While shot glasses and whiskey glasses are safe options, you can also give them a pint glass, like this one, with their school’s name. “I think these are always a nice touch for someone’s first apartment,” Gerstein says.

Seven of the guys I talked to for this story recommended gifting a watch, and as Stanford Li, a recent graduate of Columbia University, says, “It’s a very safe gift because it’s one of the only pieces of jewelry that men wear.”

Watches from Swatch’s collaboration with Omega are another favorite among college students, especially since they’re more affordable than your average status watch. (Rumors of a collaboration with Swiss watch brand Audemars Piguet haver/watch redditorsabuzz, too.)

When I polled my brother and his friends about the gifts they wanted when they graduated, a new wallet was a top pick.Grossman recommends this option: “It’s got a pull tab, so you can put the credit cards or your IDs that you use the most often in that, and then you can access it without having to open up the wallet.”

Morris’s postgrad plans involve working as a seasonal cook at the Appalachian Mountain Club lodge at the base of the White Mountains. If your graduate is planning something similar, take note from Morris, who says he received these Salomon boots as a graduation gift and plans to use them for hiking in the area. They just so happen to be ourtop pick for men’s hiking bootsas well.

The graduate who is planning a hiking trip will also appreciate this adjustable shoulder bag that Morris received as a gift for his outdoor treks. “They’re the perfect size for when you don’t need to bring a whole lot of stuff,” he says.

Landgren’s wish list also includes a spacious weekend bag he can use during his summer travels. Thisgarment bag, which doubles as a duffel, has a separate compartment to keep his clothing — jackets included — wrinkle free for weekend trips and work trips in years to come. (I imagine it would be ideal for bachelor parties down the line, too.)

There’s also this travel pack that Northwestern graduate Kate Bryar used during her postgraduate travels that included stops in 12 countries. “You can take the backpack straps off and make it like a duffel bag if you end up needing to check it and want to carry it in a different way,” she adds.

While the term “funded Europe trip” came up with a few graduates I spoke to, a new suitcase might be a more realistic gift.This carry-on bag from Away isour top picksince it has a spacious 40-liter capacity while still being small enough to fit in most overhead bins.

Pair it with this leather passport holder from Quince that’ll keep his precious documents secure no matter what country he ends up in.

For the graduate who plans to hit the woods rather than the airport, Georgia Tech graduate Max Thomsen recommends atentwith a mesh roof that’ll be ideal for stargazing and insect protection. This one, which is big enough for three people, also has two vestibules where the grad can store things like muddy boots and wet gear.

When Flores graduated, he received a mini-cake with the phrase “One degree down” on it — plus, somechocolate-covered strawberries, which he says “you can never go wrong with,” especially because you can usually find a local business or Instagram shop offering graduation specials. If you’re looking for some strawberries that will be shipped right to your door, consider these, which are hand-dipped in Belgian milk chocolate at the Chocolate Covered Company in Totowa, New Jersey.

While I recommended abedazzled “bling” bottlefor women graduates, the male graduates I spoke to hadlotsof other ideas for alcohol-related graduation gifts. After all, Flores says, “I think college graduates still want to party.” He recommends decorating a Don Julio tequila bottle with glitter and a big bow. You can customize this bottle with a personalized engraving.

Grossman prefers Johnnie Walker Double Black Label Blended Scotch Whisky. “It’s just a really solid whiskey for the price,” he says. “It doesn’t burn going down, it feels really nice, and it’s got good complexity.” Like the Don Julio bottle, this bottle can also be engraved.

If he already has a stocked bar cart (or plans to build it out in his new apartment), a set of bar tools will help him perfect his negroni. This one, which includes the essentials — an ice bucket, jigger, mixing spoon, ice tongs, bottle opener, and strainer — can be personalized with his initials.

If he’s more of a wine guy, considerour favorite wine-subscription box service, which will keep the festivities going with four new bottles a month. Weissman would also appreciate a singular nice bottle of wine and says, “I’m going to let it age a few years, and then I’m gonna think back to graduation when I drink it.”