25 Personalized Graduation Gifts for Recent Grads
Updated: Aug. 19, 2023
Let's celebrate our newly minted grads! We've rounded up the best personalized graduation gifts for grads of all ages—from custom M&M's to a stamped leather journal.
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Graduation season is a big deal. Whether you’re celebrating a high school grad, college grad or beyond, we rounded up the best personalized graduation gifts. Every gift is customizable, sentimental and best of all, reminds them of their roots. Trust us, these are the gifts your grad really wants.
Graduation Tumbler
Grads of all ages will get plenty of use from this personalized drink tumbler. You can customize it with a name and grad-themed design—and there are a wide range of hues to choose from. Grads can fill this tumbler with fuel (AKA plenty of espresso drinks) for their next stage. Talk about one of the best practical and personalized graduation gifts!
Round Keepsake Box
This ceramic keepsake box is the perfect spot to store meaningful mementos. It’s customized with the grad’s name, as well as an icon of your choosing. Inside, it reads, “Promise me you’ll always remember that you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think.”
Custom M&M’S Gift Jar
Chocolate is an ideal gift for any occasion, but for something special, spring for a custom M&M’s candy dispenser. The “class of 2023” decal is a cute way to commemorate the occasion. Plus, you get to hand-pick the candy inside, so you can match the candy to the grad’s school colors!
Personalized Weekender Bag
High school seniors will get plenty of use from this personalized weekender bag, which can be embroidered with their name. It’s the perfect size to carry belongings back and forth to college or to take on long weekend trips during the summer.
Heirloom Video Book
Whether they’re headed off to college or a new city post-grad, a custom video book will make them feel right at home when home-sickness sets in. It’s loaded with 10 to 20 minutes of your best video clips and memories with the grad and delivered straight to their door with a personal message inside. I mean, it doesn’t get any sweeter than getting to relive some of their favorite memories with their favorite people.
Ode to Home State Pillow
Sometimes the best personalized graduation gifts double as housewarming gifts, like this Ode to Home State pillow. Adorned with illustrations and a charming poem, it whisks your grad back to their home state whether they use it to decorate their new, post-grad apartment or dorm room.
Graduation Bear
Shopping for personalized graduation gifts for a kindergarten or eighth grade grad? Look no further than this adorable graduation bear. It’s customized with their name, graduation year and favorite color for the cap and gown. It serves as a reminder of how far they’ve come and what’s next. How cute!
College Campus Glass
Thoughtful mementos of your grad’s alma mater are always a good idea. This frosted college campus glass features hand-drawn artwork of their college’s most iconic spots and noteworthy icons. It’s a simple yet thoughtful personalized graduation gift whether they’re headed for their university years or graduating college.
Custom Candle
Want to say, “Congrats, grad!” in a sweet yet noteworthy way? This custom soy candle hits all the right notes—literally. The candle is customized with your message and choice of scent. Bonus: The jar is made from glass, so it can last well beyond the candle’s 40+ hour burn time as a heartfelt memento.
Personalized Photo Booth Message Bottle
This adorable photo collage is sure to be a memorable graduation gift. It includes three photographs of your choosing, which are arranged inside an adorable message bottle and mounted on a display stand. You can even have custom text engraved into the stand for an extra-special touch.
Custom University Map Print
College grads will treasure this custom map print of their campus. It can be made to depict any college or university, and you can add custom text along the bottom, such as your gift recipient’s name, graduation year and/or major.
Happy Box
Build a custom gift box that any graduate would love with Happy Box. While there are some curated gift boxes to choose from, it’s arguably more fun to build a box from scratch. You choose everything from the packaging to the contents and card, and when it’s done, it ships right to their door. Read our Happy Box review for the full scoop.
Custom Leather Journal
Whether your graduate is heading off to college or getting their first job, they’re sure to find a good use for this leather journal. It comes in a variety of sizes and colors, and you can have the cover stamped with their name. There’s also an option to leave a custom message on the inner cover.
Graduate Beer Glass
For graduates who are over 21, this custom beer glass is the perfect addition to their bar cart. There are a range of laser-etched designs to choose from, many of which include their name and graduation year.
Graduation Flag
Show your support for graduating seniors with a custom lawn flag. You get to personalize the design from start to finish, including the colors, font, graduate’s name and school name, and it will look great fluttering on your front lawn. (The stand isn’t included, but you can get one for cheap on Amazon.)
Custom Message Shortbread Cookies
Any graduate who has a sweet tooth will love these shortbread cookies, which are personalized with a custom message. They come in a box of 24, and you can write up to three lines of text with 12 characters on each line.
Custom Graduation Card
If you’re planning to give cash as a graduation gift, make it even more special with a custom card. This fun design is personalized with the grad’s name, and the inside is blank, giving you space to write a heartfelt message.
Personalized Leather Padfolio
This personalized leather padfolio is the perfect gift for graduates who are getting ready for big career moves upon graduation. It comes in four different colors, and you can have their initials engraved onto the front cover. Inside, there are pockets for business cards, a pen and a pad of legal paper—everything they need for their first day on the job. And make sure to celebrate their new job with gifts, too.
Graduation Makeup Bag
If you’re shopping for a senior who loves makeup or traveling, this custom makeup bag is a thoughtful present. It’s made from durable cotton canvas, and your recipient’s name and graduation year can be printed on the front. Makeup not your grad’s style? It’s great for holding art supplies and other small mementos.
Personalized Photo Collage
You can create a custom photo collage using this art template—it’s perfect for displaying graduation photos. The print is available in a wide range of sizes, and you can also select from a dozen frame options.
Graduation Wine Label
There’s no shortage of great wine gifts out there, and if your graduate loves a good glass of vino, you can’t go wrong with this custom wine label, which you can adhere to a bottle of their favorite wine. The label reads, “Pairs well with graduating,” and you can change the color of the cap, as well as have their name printed across the bottom. How’s that for personalized graduation gifts?
Graduation Bracelet
This cute charm bracelet is a perfect pick for grads who love to accessorize. It comes in a variety of silver and gold finishes, and it features a graduation cap and their graduation year, as well as a stamped initial charm.
Graduation Art Print
What better way to celebrate this huge accomplishment than with a beautiful graduation print? You’re able to customize so many details of the design, from the hairstyle and dress to the color of the gown and sash. And because it’s delivered as a digital file, you can print and frame it just the way you like.
Custom Leather Tray
This leather tray is the perfect place to stash keys, glasses and even a phone, and it can be personalized with your graduate’s college logo, name and graduation year. It comes in two sizes and three color options, and it ships quickly—in case you’re shopping last minute.
Penny Keychain
Personalized graduation gifts that are equal parts simple and sweet? Check! This adorable penny keychain features a coin from your recipient’s graduation year, and Abraham Lincoln has a graduation cap stamped on his head. It also includes a charm with the graduate’s initials, as well as their birthstone.
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