For better or for worse, it’s no surprise that you’ll find the best graduation gifts on Amazon. While their graduation ceremony may be filled with uncertainty, you can certainly cheer the grad in your life up by getting them a gift they can use while they settle into their new dorm or figure out their life post-college.
It doesn’t matter whether they graduated high school or college, earning a degree is something to be celebrated. The best part? Graduation gifts don’t have to be pricey — a celebratory bouquet of flowers or a handwritten card will be greatly appreciated.
However, if you’re looking to send the graduate something they’ll adore, Teen Vogue has searched high and low through Amazon to find the best graduation gifts under $40 for the newly minted graduate.
Kindle Unlimited Subscription
Instead of gifting them a single book, why not opt for thousands of books? With a subscription to Kindle Unlimited, they’ll have access to all the books they can possibly imagine without the hefty price tag of purchasing each individual book. And, they don’t need a Kindle to access the subscription as it can be used from any device—including laptops, tablets, and smartphones.
Homesick Candle
A candle that smells like home will be a great pick-me-up when they’re feeling homesick while in their new apartment or away at college. With scents ranging from their college state to their home state, this thoughtful gift will remind them that their favorite place is just a short distance away.
Mini Projector
A smartphone projector is a surefire way for your young adult high school graduate to make friends in their new college dorm. They can host hallway movie nights or bond with their roommate by projecting their favorite shows. Since it can connect to any device, it’s simple to transport and use anywhere. Just add some popcorn and snacks for a fun night of bonding!
String Lights
It seems like every college student is obsessed with string lights as dorm decor, so chances are your new grad will be, too. At least it’ll give their room a nice, warm glow for the many, many selfies they’ll likely take in the near future..
Coffee Maker
While you can’t stop them from spending $$$, you can offer them the opportunity to save some money by making their own coffee—enough said.
Bala Resistance Bands
If you’re looking for a gift for an athletic graduate, the Bala Bangles resistance bands are the way to go. In addition to being water-resistant, the set arrives with five bands of different resistances (beginning from) and is ideal for getting a workout done in small spaces—like a dorm room or an apartment. Warning: the design is so cute, their roommate may just try to “borrow” them.
Weighted Blanket
No one dreams of starting college or a new career during a pandemic, but this weighted blanket will help them combat some of the stress. This cozy oasis distributes the perfect amount of weight—15 pounds, to be exact—and will allow them to lie down, unwind, and take in all the changes happening around them. Whether you’re gifting it to a soon-to-be college student or the grad ready to start their life, know that it also doubles as a great home decor piece.
Gold Colored Hoop Earrings
These are not any hoops. They’re TikTok viral ones. Does anything else need to be said?
Air Fryer
When it comes to gifting affordable kitchen gadgets, you can’t go wrong with an air fryer for the college grad. This air fryer will give them the ability to make tons of delicious recipes (TikTok has sooo many!) in one easy-to-use gadget. Arguably the best part about it is that it can also easily fit inside of their new shoe-boxed sized apartment without taking up too much space.
Amazon Explore Experience
If you’re looking for a unique gift for someone who wants to learn how to cook or learn new recipes, look no further. The Amazon Explore experience has a wide range of personalized 1-on-1 classes that’ll teach them how to cook anything from empanadas, to gnocchi, to homemade tacos and tortillas. Their new skill will come in handy when they don’t love the dining hall food or want to cook a meal in their apartment. Plus, they’ll be thanking you when they ~actually~ know how to cook more than just ramen noodles.
Cookbook
A cookbook may be a cheap gift, but it definitely won’t go unused. The graduate heading to college will adore this easy college cookbook with affordable recipes for college life, whereas the college graduate will need a lifetime staple, in other words, something from Martha Stewart — like Martha Stewart’s Cooking School Cookbook.
Cast Iron Skillet
Cast iron skillets are game-changers for new apartments. It’s a do-it-all cooking pan and can be used to sauté, bake, broil, braise, fry, and grill, which is why your college graduate who loves to cook certainly already has this gift on their college graduation present list.
Gift Cards
An Amazon gift card is always a great go-to gift when you don’t know what to get them. Since they’re probably already using your Amazon Prime account (even though they should consider opening a Prime Student account for themselves), at least with a gift card they won’t be using your credit card, too. Amazon gift cards can be used for basically anything. If they aren’t Amazon fans though, a gift card to Visa, Starbucks, Uber, or Airbnb will definitely be appreciated, too.
Photo Album
Although they may have already attended their high school or college graduation, the memories of the last four years will remain with them. Help them remember by gifting the polaroid-lover a Fujifilm photo album. It’s one of our favorite graduation gift ideas as the grad can place snapshots of their favorite college or high school memories. Make sure they leave some empty pages though so they can continue adding more memories to it during their next stage of life. And maybe throw in some extra packs of film, too.
Amazon Echo Dot
Want the perfect gift for college students? Try Amazon’s Echo Dot. Acting as a speaker, the Dot allows them to blast their favorite jams (for impromptu dance parties, of course) and ask important questions like what the weather is so they don’t ruin the laptop in their backpack. Plus, it’ll come in handy post-college as they can connect it to their smart doorbell, lights, and thermostat in their apartment and control them from their bedroom.
Journal
Who isn’t obsessed with manifesting their life goals? If they’re looking to lay out what they want to achieve, this journal will be their best friend.
Pajama Set
Simply put: You can’t go wrong with a cozy set of pajamas as a gift. A set is high on our list of gift ideas because one can never have too many pajamas — and more than likely, one probably needs a new pair.
Portable Battery Charger
The graduate whose phone is always dead (regardless of the day or time) will finally have a way to charge their phone on the go.
Bedding
Let’s be real: bedding is essential for life in college and post-college. While adding a cozy ambiance to their college dorm room or apartment decor, it’ll also upgrade their highly-coveted hours spent sleeping. This affordable, down-alternative comforter and a microfiber sheet set come highly rated with thousands of positive reviews on Amazon dubbing them the best.
Desk Organizer
This small-but-mighty desk organizer will act as a way to keep their desk (and, let’s be honest, life) organized during or post-college. With six differently-sized compartments, it can hold pens, pencils, paper, supplies, and more. To really amp up their organizing efforts, try getting them this adorable daily planner, too. Keeping yourself organized is crucial while working from home or studying from your dorm so it’s basically a necessity for all graduates.
Alarm Clock Charger
Not enough outlet space in their new apartment or dorm room? Not a problem, thanks to this alarm clock charger. Built with a beautiful, wooden finish, this alarm clock is built with a super handy charging base on the top. They won’t be late to important meetings or classes and will always have their phone fully charged — without sacrificing any outlet space.
Wall Photo Collage
No dorm decor is complete without a hanging photo collage for their wall.
Tool Box Set
While the graduate may not be great at fixing things, some tasks like hammering nails for photo frames and screwing things into place can be easily achieved with an easy-to-use toolset.
College Decor and Apparel
Whether they want to head to university with some swag or showcase school spirit post-college, the college apparel and decor opportunities are endless. Some of our favorites include collegiate triangle flags, which can fit on small dorm or apartment walls, and school-logo branded sweatshirts because you never have too many.
Business Card Holder
Here’s the situation: they’re fresh out of college, looking to stay connected with their professors (that aren’t social media savvy) while searching endlessly for a job. Sometimes that calls for business cards. That’s why this wallet turned makeshift business card holder will come in handy. Its small, compact size allows them to throw it in their purse, briefcase, or backpack easily and ensures that their precious networking tool doesn’t get wet or wrinkled.
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