The Best Graduation Gift Ideas for the New Grad in Your Life

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• A Great Leather Purse

  Cuyana System Tote

  Whether your college grad is starting a job in the big city or their local school system, they need a bag that functions as well as it looks and will last. Cuyana’s System Tote is our favorite laptop tote. It has a simple but elegant design and works with a system of add-ons that snap in for customized organization, like a laptop sleeve, organizational insert, or zippered pouch.

  Cuyana has several other designs, but all are quite pricey. For a little bit less, Longchamp’s Le Pliage is a classic that’s durable and spacious, and also zips shut. Our favorite is made from recycled canvas. See our full guide on laptop totes and purses for even more designs and styles.

• A Nice Backpack

  IMAGE COURTESY OF HERSCHEL SUPPLY

  Herschel Supply

  Herschel Heritage Backpack

  If your giftee prefers a backpack, this one from Herschel is a great choice. It’s roomy enough to fit anything they’d need for their first official job, and there’s a built-in laptop sleeve for a 15-inch laptop. It also works well as an overnight bag—we’ve managed to fit clothes and a pair of shoes. The only downside is there’s no water bottle pocket, but it’s not a dealbreaker. For more options, check out our Best Backpacks for Work guide.

• A Plant Subscription Box

  Horti Plant Subscription

  Flowers are a nice thought for events and milestones, but plants can last years, as grads go from first apartment to second, and from entry-level job to executive office. Horti sends a plant and pot in each box, as well as other accessories occasionally. You can choose between pet-friendly or beginner plants, or opt for Horti’s pick. A subscription starts at $28 a month with a plain terracotta pot, or more if you want a painted pot. There are a few subscription options you can choose from if you’d rather pay upfront instead of month-to-month.

  Subscription boxes make great gifts because they’re the gift that keeps giving, with a new surprise every month you’re signed up for. We have a broader Best Subscription Boxes for Gifting guide for all types of personalities.

• For the Artist

  Is your recent grad a photo editor, graphic designer, or digital artist who would benefit from a dedicated drawing tablet? The Wacom One 13 Touch (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is our favorite. It has a bright 13-inch screen for accurate colors, and the stylus’ precision rivals that of more expensive drawing tablets. It’s not wireless, though, and needs to be plugged into a computer via a USB-C cable.

• A Luxury Hair Tool

  Photograph: Alanna Kilkeary

  Dyson

  Airwrap i.d. multi-styler and dryer

  Giving the gift of good hair means your new college graduate can start all meetings, appointments, and dates on the right foot. Dyson’s Airwrap is coveted for its luxury and multiple uses—you can dry your hair, blow it out, or curl it (or do all three!). But that luxury also comes with the Dyson price, which is why it’d be a great gift.

• A Modern-Day Typewriter

  Freewrite Traveler

  Writing is hard. Writing when you’re barraged by distracting notifications is even harder. If your graduate will be writing for a living, the Freewrite Traveler (8/10, WIRED Recommends) might make an excellent gift. It serves a simple purpose, offering users a blank text field and a keyboard. The recipient will be able to work on their novel or type up a cover letter, free from tempting web links or distracting advertisements. Unlike on typewriters of the past, drafts can be uploaded to services like Google Docs or Evernote with a simple keystroke. Another key difference is that the Freewrite Traveler doesn’t weigh a gajillion pounds—the entire device folds down flat and weighs less than 2 pounds.

• A Great Multi-Tool

  Leatherman Wave+

  Multi-tools aren’t just for outdoorsy folks or handymen. They open up the world of ease to the rest of us, and Leatherman makes the best. The Wave Plus has two stainless steel knives and 16 other handy tools like a file, scissors, bottle and can openers, and an 8-inch ruler. With its 25-year warranty, the company will repair it too.

• Luxury Headphones

  The WH-1000XM5 wireless headphones (9/10, WIRED Recommends) have long been a favorite of ours. They have some of the best sound quality we’ve heard, with 30 hours of battery life and the ability to automatically pause the music if they sense you talking.

  If you’re gifting to an Apple fanatic and you can stomach the cost, the Apple AirPods Max (8/10, WIRED Recommends) deliver great sound and style. The latest version comes with a USB-C port (finally). But don’t worry, we have plenty of cheap picks too.

• A Pair of Smart Glasses

  Ray-Ban

  Meta Smart Glasses

• For Automated Cleaning

  Eufy Robot Vacuum 3-In-1 E20

  A vacuum is not the most exciting gift, but hear us out. Your new graduate will likely be moving into an apartment or house, and they’ll be busy with an adult’s schedule. A robot vacuum can pick up the cleaning slack. Eufy’s E20 is a robot vacuum that can be converted to a stick vacuum and hand vacuum. So, you conveniently get three vacuums in one. All the pieces click back onto a tiny dock, and there’s a self-emptying bin. Since the system is compact, it’s great for smaller homes where your giftee will need to save space.

• An Electric Scooter

  Photograph: Unagi Scooters

  Unagi Model One Voyager

  If your recent graduate doesn’t know how to bike, we also love electric scooters. The Unagi Model One Voyager (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is our lightweight pick. It’s just 30 pounds, but you can still cruise at 15 miles per hour. Riders will likely get a bit more than 10 miles out of a charge, but since it’s not too heavy and folds up, it’s easily paired with public transportation if necessary. Unagi only lets you rent the scooter for monthly payments, but that includes servicing for any repairs, theft and damage insurance, and free shipping. Your grad can cancel the subscription at any time. Make sure you get them a helmet, too.

• For Easy Meals

  MìLà Soup Dumplings

  Sometimes cooking is exhausting. MìLà’s soup dumplings are noodles are delicious and take precisely zero cooking skills to perfect. The founders of MìLà have a restaurant in Washington, and they ship their already popular soup dumplings, flash-freezing them while raw to keep the authentic taste. The quality is obvious. If you can, sending the full experience box allows your recent grad to try one bag of pork dumplings, a noodle variety box, three dipping sauces, a bamboo steamer, and rose lychee ice cream.

• A Coffee Upgrade

  Ninja

  Café Premier Series Espresso Machine, Drip Coffee Maker & Cold Brew Machine

  If your grad loves their cup of joe, give them a coffee upgrade. This is our favorite beginner-friendly machine. It has a touchscreen that’s intuitive to navigate, along with two nonpressurized baskets that let the machine know whether you’re making an espresso or coffee-based beverage. Based on that information, it will then recommend the grind size depending on the previous drink’s performance. It also has an integrated coffee scale that doses out the right amount of coffee grounds. And to top it off, there’s an automatic steaming wand for frothing milk and milk alternatives.

• If They Prefer a French Press

  An espresso machine is luxurious if your giftee will use it, but a French press is easy, low-maintenance, and hard to mess up. It takes up less room and doesn’t even need to be plugged in. We love the Clara because of its minimalist modern design that’s shatter-resistant. It also comes with one more filter than most French presses. One pushes the grind down, and the other catches any stray sediment. Our morning coffee tasted smoother, with not a hint of bitterness.

• A Reliable Electric Kettle

  Beautiful by Drew Barrymore

  Beautiful Electric Kettle

  We recommend an electric kettle for tea lovers, and this is one of our top picks. It has an insulated, double-walled body, four preset programs (for oolong, white, and green tea, along with a button for boil), along with an auto shutoff and “keep warm” mode. It also has a really cute look, with a matte finish that’s available in adorable colors like cornflower blue and sage green. We also love that the buttons on the touch-activated display only appear when the kettle is in use, so it looks super sleek and unobtrusive on countertops when it’s turned off.

• A Coffee Subscription

  Daily coffee runs can get expensive, especially for new grads living on that entry-level salary. Using a coffee subscription can make a difference. We love this one from Trade Coffee. You can personalize it to their taste and preferences via a questionnaire, and they can make notes about the coffees they like after trying them. Trade also has a huge selection, with over 400 coffees to pick from and more constantly being added. So, there’s always plenty of variety. Check out our Best Coffee Subscription Services guide for more.

• A Forever Suitcase

  Briggs & Riley Baseline CX

  Set your new graduate up for a lifetime of travel with this suitcase that’s lasted us well over 20 years. It’s made from water-repellent and abrasion-resistant ballistic nylon, and the low-profile wheels and handles are still going strong. There’s a lifetime warranty, so should anything go wrong, they can visit a Briggs & Riley-approved store for free fixes. It’s heavy, though, at 9.3 pounds.

• A Smartwatch for iPhone Owners

  Fancy analog watches are nice, but some people prefer the additional features that come with a smartwatch. The Series 10 (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is the best Apple Watch for iPhone users. The latest version is thinner and lighter, comes with fast charging, and a Breathing Disturbances feature that uses the accelerometer to notify you if you have sleep apnea. And with support for WatchOS 11, it comes with the latest algorithms and features like Vitals (to check if you’re off your baseline each morning), and Training Load (which shows you how your workouts are impacting your fitness over time).

• A Smartwatch for Android Owners

  Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

  If your grad has an Android phone, we recommend Google’s Pixel Watch 3 (8/10, WIRED Recommends). It has an attractive look (with the choice between a 41-mm or 45-mm size), reliable heart rate measurements, excellent sleep tracking, and loss of pulse detection (which was recently cleared by the FDA). There’s also an AI running coach feature that gives you feedback on cardio load. It’s not the most accurate (you can read about the experience here), but it’s ideal for those starting on their running journey who need some guidance or structure.

• Or a Mechanical Watch

  Hamilton

  Khaki Field Automatic

  Smartwatches are more popular, but an analog watch is a classic gift, even if it’s just for the occasional dressing up. We like this mechanical watch for its military look and stealthy black coating. It’s water resistant up to 100 meters, and it gets an impressive 80-hour power reserve.

• Or a Smart Ring

  Smartwatches are great, but some people simply don’t like the aesthetic. If your giftee falls under this category, a smart ring is a great alternative, specifically the Oura Ring 4 (9/10, WIRED Recommends). It’s the top pick in our Best Smart Rings guide. As with a smartwatch, it tracks your heart rate, activities, blood oxygen levels, body temperature, and sleep. This model is smaller and lighter than its predecessor, with a wider size range and tougher finishes. It also comes with Oura’s Smart Sensing platform that continuously tracks your data throughout the day, making it more accurate than before.

• If They Work From Home

  Photograph: Henri Robbins

  When you work in an office, you’re generally provided with monitors and keyboards, but if you work from home, you shouldn’t have to suffer. The Keychron Q5 Pro mechanical keyboard is our gift recommendation if your grad is working remotely. With hot-swappable mechanical switches and standard key caps, your giftee can customize it in the future. It can also be paired wirelessly (Bluetooth) or with a USB-C cord.

• An Aesthetic Office Chair

  Photograph: Herman Miller

  The Herman Miller Zeph is an aesthetically pleasing office chair upgrade, whether your giftee is working from home full time or needs a place to sit while they write their novel. The Zeph is shaped to mold around your body, so despite its lack of adjustability, both our 6’4 and 5’1 testers found it comfortable. We recommend adding the arms and seat pad for the most comfort, but that does raise the price.

• Distraction-Free Reading

  Photograph: Brenda Stolyar; Getty Images

  Amazon

  Kindle Paperwhite (2024, 12th Generation)

  Bookish grads will appreciate the Kindle Paperwhite (8/10, WIRED Recommends)—our favorite Kindle. The latest model has a bigger, 7-inch display (up from 6.8 inches), the highest contrast ratio of any Kindle (for sharp text and images), and up to three months of battery life (that’s an extra month than on its predecessor). It’s also the thinnest model yet. It comes in two versions: the standard and the Signature Edition. The Signature Edition comes with auto-adjust brightness, wireless charging, and double the storage at 32 gigabytes. The standard version should be more than enough, but if your grad listens to a lot of audiobooks, you’ll want to consider the latter. You can tack on some fun Kindle accessories like a clear case and stickers or a cute sleeve.

  If your giftee enjoys jotting notes down, especially while reading, consider the newer Kindle Scribe (8/10, WIRED Recommends). It’s more expensive, but it doubles as a notepad and comes with a stylus. The Kobo Libra Colour (8/10, WIRED Recommends) also has note-taking abilities with a great color E Ink screen.

• A Basic iPad

  Photograph: Brenda Stolyar

  The best thing about a tablet is its versatility. Most models can be used as a laptop, digital notebook, TV, and a gaming console all in one. For most people, we recommend the basic 2025 iPad (8/10, WIRED Recommends). It has a modern design with uniform, slim bezels around an 11-inch LCD screen, a Touch ID fingerprint sensor, a USB-C port, and a 12-MP selfie camera with 1080p video quality. Thanks to the A16 chip, it’s also great for both work and play. It can be used with a keyboard and mouse for basic tasks (with the ability to also use it as a secondary display) or to watch TV and play mobile games. It doesn’t support Apple Intelligence, but that might be a boon for some people.

• For Digital Notes

  If they need more digital notebook than an e-reader, the ReMarkable 2 is our favorite. The matte screen feels like paper, there’s very little lag while writing on it, and the battery lasts for several weeks. On the device, you can organize your work into notebooks and sort them all with tags and folders, and then export them to Google Drive or Dropbox. There’s also a keyboard attachment we like, and it’s especially helpful during heavy note-taking sessions. If you can spare the expense, the ReMarkable Paper Pro (7/10, WIRED Recommends) is the latest version from the company that’s faster and more responsive with a color screen.

• A Keepsake Pen

  Lamy 2000

  A good fountain pen is a classic graduation gift, and the Lamy 2000 is one of our favorites. Whether your giftee likes to handwrite poems and journal entries or keeps track of all their new daily tasks with a paper planner, they can do so with the luxurious 14-carat gold nib that surfs effortlessly across the page. Pair it with our favorite ink for a truly satisfying experience.

• A Setup for Success

  The Happy Planner

  Everyone can benefit from a good paper planner, but that’s especially true for young adults entering the workforce. The Happy Planner is one of our favorites. It’s affordable, customizable, and suitable for beginners as well as experts. Whether they’re keeping track of deadlines, interviews, monthly payments, or their five-year plan, graduates will be able to stay on top of life’s endless to-do lists.

• A Nice Yoga Mat

  Photograph: Maite Brines von Melle

  If your grad is using yoga as a way to cope with the stress and anxiety that comes with adult life, a high-quality mat is an excellent gift. We love this one from Lululemon. It has an antimicrobial additive that helps ward off mold and mildew and a 5 millimeter thickness that adds the right amount of padding for your knees during restorative poses. It’s reversible too, with the option to swap between a smooth polyurethane surface and a cushioned rubbery side. It’s important to note, however, that it’s made with a blend of polyurethane, natural rubber, and synthetic rubber, so we don’t recommend it for those with latex allergies.

• A Simple Cookbook

  Photograph: Cameron Books

  By Amanda Haas

  Help your new college graduate embark on the next phase of their adult life by giving them a jumpstart in the kitchen with an easy, simple cookbook. Some days you just feel uninspired in the kitchen, and other day, you only have so much time. This collection of recipes has delicious, varied recipes that don’t require much effort, and it includes estimated prep times as well as cook times.

• A Picnic Blanket

  Rumpl

  NanoLoft Puffy Blanket

  Is your new grad planning a big trip for the summer? I own two of these, and they’re particularly versatile and useful gifts. These unbelievably soft, warm blankets are made from 100 percent post-consumer recycled polyester material with a durable water-repellent finish to fend off dirt and prevent stains. I’ve used mine for everything from impromptu picnics and warming up on the couch to an emergency layer after the car broke down on a snowy day. WIRED reviews editor Julian Chokkattu used it as a blanket on his road trip in Iceland. They pack down into a small compression sack for easy storage.

• An On-Demand Hug

  Bearaby Tree Napper

  Nothing signals adulthood like random existential crises. Weighted blankets can help squish away bad feelings. There are tons of good choices available, but this is our absolute favorite. It’s satisfyingly heavy, cooling, and one of the prettiest weighted blankets around. Read our Best Weighted Blankets guide for other options, as well as advice on what weight works best. While they can help with some symptoms, remember that weighted blankets are not a substitute for medical treatment.

• A Compact Countertop Appliance

  We love waffle makers. So will your grad. They’ve likely seen a tiny model from Dash already, since it went viral on TikTok, but even newcomers will have a blast making single-serve waffles with this gadget. For something a bit more robust, this Black and Decker Waffle Maker may suffice. Neither will take up too much space on compact counters, and both are capable of making magical creations out of everything from potatoes to pie. Pair the maker with this cookbook for an easy, surprisingly useful gift. For more compact options, we recommend checking out our Best Dash Appliances guide.

• Fancy Furniture for Their Cat

  Cat parents might tell you that they wouldn’t have gotten through those late-night study sessions and term papers without their felines by their side. Perhaps they, too, deserve a fancy graduation present. Mau’s Cento cat tree is pricey, but it’s one of the best cat trees we’ve tried. Not only is it very pretty—and when you live in a small space, everything’s design matters—but it’s well made, with replaceable parts. Our cats loved lounging on it.

• Literally Everything

  Photograph: Leon Neal/Getty Images 

  Two things are genuine markers of adulthood these days: getting your own Netflix account and getting your own Amazon Prime subscription. The benefits of Amazon Prime are legion, from free shipping and access to Prime Video to exclusive savings on Prime-only products. Your recent graduate’s student discount may be disappearing, but you can save the day by gifting them another year. This is the graduation gift that keeps on giving. They will likely save the money several times over.

• A Cash Gift

  Giftcast

  There was nothing I needed more than cash after spending every dime on college textbooks and food for four years, with a lifetime of student loans to look forward to. If you aren’t in the same place to be able to physically hand cash or a check to the new grads in your life, consider GiftCast. It’s a simple app that lets you virtually gift-wrap your cash with a heartfelt video message and a promise to see them in person as soon as you can. WIRED reviewers have also used and liked services such as Givingli.

  ★ Gift cards are great, too: A gift card to somewhere like Amazon or Target lets them pick exactly what they want or need for the next phase in life. Other useful options include Grubhub for easy dinners, or a membership to a big box store like Costco.