Gifts for College Students

At Shutterfly, choosing gifts for college students is made to be fun and easy for boys and girls alike. We have numerous creative and useful gifts for college students in addition to plenty of dorm gift ideas for those who plan to live on-campus. Rely on us to help you pick out the perfect gift for college students either just beginning their academic careers or on their way to graduation.

Perfect Gifts for College Students

Fun gifts for college students and useful gifts for recent grads alike come in many shapes and sizes. Whether you’re packing them up for their first year at school or you’re helping them prepare for graduation, Shutterfly has plenty of easy ways to find perfect gifts for college kids of every stage. From customized notepads and planners to personalized mugs and decor, you can create something they’re sure to love and make use of every step of the way. You can guarantee they’ll think of you and the thought that was put into crafting their special gift with every use. Create unique gifts college students can cherish for a lifetime.

Back-to-School Gifts for College Students

When students are heading back to school, the best gifts for them will be those that help prep them for the semester ahead. Consider creating any number of essential school supplies, such as personalized notebooks, desk caddies, mouse pads, paperweights, sticky notes, pens, and other classroom must-haves. You could even create a collection of these college gifts and surprise your college student with a backpack or personalized tote bag filled with all their essentials. With this custom back-to-school kit, your college gifts ideas can keep them well-stocked through midterms and beyond. Browse our home office and office stationery pages to put together a creative school kit they’ll be sure to love and get a lot of use out of.

For those who live on-campus or are planning to live on-campus when returning to school, some of the best dorm gift ideas for college students will be those that help their dorm feel more like home. Shutterfly photo tiles are an excellent option for doing just that, particularly because they offer personalized photos that won’t leave a mark or harm the walls, making them easy to use and safe for dorm rooms and apartments. Your college giftee will have good reason to thank you—the photo tiles you design can remind them of home, break the ice during conversations with their new roommate, or simply inspire them to make the most of their college years as they go.

Explore Exam Gifts for College Students

Just like school supplies make great gifts for college students when the year begins, they also help make exam season a more enjoyable time, even amidst study sessions and revisions. Pick out some personalized journals or notepads where they can write out their to-do lists between exams or customize a planner or calendar that can help them manage their ever-evolving schedule. Best of all, these gifts can be designed with meaningful photos and encouraging words to help them feel more confident and bring a smile to their face despite the mounds of notes and study guides that pile up around them.

Find Great Graduation Gifts for College Students

Eventually, your options of gifts for college students will evolve into gifts for college grads. At this point, many students are, for all intents and purposes, adapting to adulthood for the first time. From creating a social life where friends are further than a few doors down the hall to navigating their professional lives, graduation gifts can be both celebratory and functional, helping grad students to manage well into the foreseeable future. Design a photo book filled with photos from their college years or celebrate their new adulthood with a personalized planner to keep them together through it all.

When you use Shutterfly to craft any of these gifts for college students, you‘ll have a variety of colors, styles, and designs to choose from. As you narrow your options to the most fitting for your favorite college student, consider the intention you have for the gift. Some of the best gifts are perfect for college students ready to graduate and move on into the real world. Others are ideal for those students who simply want to bring a little piece of home along with them once they settle in a new environment after graduation.

Prepare Them for Their Next Chapter

Whether they’re just starting school or are seasoned pros, the best gifts for college students will get them started for whatever is still to come. If they’ve been accepted into their top choice institution, supply them with everything they’ll need for a school project and late nights poring over textbooks. If they’re graduating or about to graduate, you can surprise them with gifts that can get them ready for adulthood, or even invest in cookware or other custom home goods for life outside their dorms.

While lots of great gifts for college students help them through school itself, others can encourage them to have fun beyond the classroom and the confines of their dorm. By creating gifts that encourage new hobbies, you can give them a healthy outlet to relieve stress and otherwise foster skills beyond their course of study. Older students, for instance, might be interested in mixology. You can create personalized drinkware and bar accessories to start them off on the right foot. Take some time to study your student and consider what sorts of activities will most appeal to them—and what gifts you could offer to inspire them.

Help Them Feel Closer to Home

Other gifts for college students might help offer peace of mind as they embark on their next steps at school or beyond. Many students, especially first-year college kids, will deal with homesickness while away from home. If they can reach for a warm cup of tea in a custom mug, for instance, they’ll feel a bit closer to the ones they love as those friends and family members smile back at them from the design of their special custom cup.