As the spring semester draws closer to May, midterm exams and papers come and go, then before you know it, the college student in your life is taking finals, giving presentations, and turning in final term papers. All of a sudden, the official commencement ceremony is underway and you’re in need of a gift to help the new graduate celebrate. 

After graduation, students have a few options. They might choose to continue their education and begin a master’s program. This means they might be in for another round of dorm living or they could be looking to move into an apartment. Other graduates might secure a job and move across the country, or across the state to a new apartment where they will reside for the start of this new chapter. Some students may return home and take a gap year before deciding what future path they might take. 

Because of the different paths graduates may decide to take, you have a few options for gifts. We think that most will be on the hunt to find an apartment, whether alone or with friends, move out of their parent’s home, and secure new opportunities while living their new adult life. 

This is why most of the graduation gifts we are going to suggest are focused towards adult living. Anything you can purchase to help make this transition easier will be greatly appreciated by them. Moving into a new apartment comes with lots of necessary big ticket items like cookware, dinnerware, linens, and equipment that can help with their new career or opportunity. 

Here are the best items we think will make great graduation gifts that they will actually use and appreciate as they transition to this new stage in life. 

• Diploma Frame 
• New Sheets 
• Luggage 
• Coffee Maker 
• Dinnerware Set 
• Drinking Glass Set
• Knife Block 
• Handheld Steamer 
• Cookware 

Diploma Frame

A diploma frame is a common, traditional gift that most graduates receive either from parents or close family members because they can be expensive depending on the type of frame. There are many options from your basic frame to tassel frames and photo frames. Tassel frames have a designated spot to hang the commemorative tassel and photo frames have a spot either for a personal photo or come with an image of a campus icon or recognizable architecture. 

Diploma frames make fantastic gifts for a few reasons. One is they show off the graduate’s bachelor’s degree, which is a prized possession after four long years of hard work and dedication. They should feel proud and accomplished after earning their diploma, so frames are great for showing off this honor. 

Another reason is they make great additions to work or home offices. If the graduate in your life is beginning a new career where they will have a personal office -- this is a great gift. A diploma frame hanging in the office helps your graduate establish credibility and ensure trust within their clients. Clients will want to see that they are qualified and prepared for the job. 

Some graduates will even ask for a diploma frame, and surprising them with one will make their day. It takes a financial weight off their shoulders and they will surely be thankful for that. 

New Sheets (Or Other Bedding)

Say goodbye to the twin XL bedding, because it’s time to upgrade to more adult friendly sheets and bed linens.

Graduating from college means it’s time to graduate from twin XL bedding -- for good! Well, that is unless they will be living in another dorm room for a masters degree, then maybe it’s time for new twin XL sheets. But if they will be moving into a new apartment or house with their friends, then it’s definitely time for a new and improved adult mattress and accompanying linens.

Any bed linens will be welcomed by the new graduate -- this means sheets, pillowcases, comforters, throw blankets, and accent pillows. We’re not saying you need to buy them an entire sleep set, but any contribution will help. 

Think of it as if you were moving into your first apartment -- anything they can check off this list without having to spend money on is a win in their eyes. 

Luggage

After graduating from college the opportunities are endless. They might land a job where weekly, monthly, or yearly travel is part of their tasks. Some students graduate and embark on a Fulbright, join the Peace Corps, spend a year abroad, earn an internship in a foreign country, or take off to Europe in hopes of a new spiritual awakening or rebirth that will help them along in their adult life journey. 

Either way, a good set of luggage is necessary for all new adults. Even if they don’t have any plans to travel domestically or abroad at the moment, you never know where life will take them. So, just in  case -- it’s a good idea to have at least a carry on laying around. 

Coffee Maker 

Yep, this is the graduation gift to end all graduation gifts! College students are notorious for making a daily trip to the campus barista -- if not multiple trips in one day. Coffee, without exaggeration, is the lifeblood of college students. Most cannot function without it, and, therefore, need it as they enter adulthood. 

Unless they are moving to a city, it’s safe to assume a local cafe or barista will not be within walking distance. For this reason, we suggest a coffee maker, Keurig, french press, or any device that will help make their coffee goals more attainable. Coffee is a necessary way to start the day, so even if they end up going to the local cafe on their way to work, it’s safe to assume they’ll have already had a cup or two by that point.

The same goes for tea if the graduate in your life survives on tea -- caffeine is caffeine and they need a way to get it!

Dinnerware Set

It’s true, paper plates are cheap, but they cannot eat every meal using a paper plate. Graduating means being forced to adult and adulting means eating off of real plates! This is another gift geared towards graduates who are taking on the apartment life.

The local Goodwill is a great place to find high quality dinnerware for low prices. Yes, you read that right, second hand stores will surprise you with the quality of their items -- take it from someone who has a cabinet full of second hand plates and bowls. 

There’s no need to splurge on expensive dinnerware for young people -- they’ll get to that later in life. For now they just need something sturdy, solid, and not paper or styrofoam. Any dinnerware set will be much appreciated. 

Drinking Glass Set 

After four years of college, they probably have stockpiles of glasses from the dining hall and plastic cups from many takeout orders -- but they’re going to need real glassware if they’re moving into an apartment. Glasses are essential for entertaining and they will most likely have company over at one point or another. 

Whether they are tumbler glasses, long stemmed or stemless wine glasses, or regular beverage glasses -- they’re going to need them. What we love about the ones pictured above is that they come complete with school pride. You can find them with nearly any college or university logo and they will love that the glasses represent their now alma mater. 

Knife Block

Just like dinnerware, any adult will need a knife set to accomplish any prep cooking task they will face when preparing a meal. Sure, takeout is convenient and always a great option, but money spent on food is still money spent -- and over time, it adds up. So, it’s safe to assume that at some point they’ll embark on a kitchen journey even if they have no idea how to cook. 

A knife set will also prepare them for when they need to do more cooking in the future. Either way, we think this makes a great gift because they will need to learn some basic knife skills sooner or later. 

Handheld Steamer

If the graduate in your life is beginning a new career or starting a job where they will need to dress and look professional, a handheld clothing steamer is a great gift. They can’t show up to work wearing wrinkled clothes, and irons and ironing boards are old news. 

Handheld steamers are simple -- fill the cartridge with water, plug it in, wait for it to reach temperature, and watch as it starts releasing steam. Then simply use it to remove all the wrinkles in your clothes. They will love this gift and it will surely come in handy. 

Cookware

Rounding out our gift list and necessary adult gifts is basic cookware! With a knife set and dinnerware, they will need the necessary equipment to cook a meal. This means a pot, skillet, saucepan, baking pan, and other items that will help them prepare dinner. 

If you don’t want to go basic -- try an airfryer, slow cooker, instant pot, indoor grill, or something you think they will get significant use from. 

If you’re not sure what type of graduation gift to get the soon to be former college student in your life -- just read back through the list and pick the best one that matches their future plans.