Graduation season has been in full swing! If someone you know is graduating, you might want to get them a gift to celebrate their milestone. But what makes a great graduation gift? From the latest gadget to something more sentimental, here’s our pick of the best graduation gifts.
Tech Gifts
Today’s graduates are stepping out to a fully digital world. Here’s some top graduation present picks for the tech savvy graduate in your life.
Wireless, noise cancelling headphones
Bluetooth Speaker
A Kindle for a book lover
a lap desk for their laptop
Cash or gift cards
If you’re unsure on what graduation presents to get, you really can’t go wrong with cash or a gift card.
A gift card is a great graduation gift for friends as it takes the stress out of finding their perfect gift and allows them to choose what they want.
Jewellery/Watches
For sentimental graduation gifts you could consider an item they might wear every day.
A smart watch (Fitbit, garmin)- not only will keep them on time but smart watches have many features such as step counters, heart rate monitors and digital wallets.
A classic watch like a Cassio- they are fairly budget friendly, have a classic look making them easy to pair with many outfits.
A bracelet- to make it a more sentimental graduation gift you could get the year of their graduation engraved on it.
Graduation cuff links
Experiences
For a more unique graduation gift why not consider an experience. After lots of time spent studying and waiting for results, an experience can be something to look forward to.
A spa treatment like a massage or facial
Theatre tickets.
A concert
A lesson like surfing, yoga or perhaps pottery class
Keepsakes
For a sentimental graduation gift you could consider something like a photo frame and picture of their graduation day. For graduation gifts for friends, why not frame a photo of you together. You could even get a metal frame engraved with their graduation date on.
Other graduation presents:
An illustration of their university
A glass graduation plaque with their graduation year on
Your graduation ceremony day marks the end of your academic journey. It’s a day to celebrate your hard work and the end of an important chapter in your life.
Graduation preparation isn’t just about your graduation ceremony, it’s all the things you need to do before and after you officially graduate.
Here is everything you need to know about your graduation ceremony day:
1. You will need to register for your Graduation day
With most universities you’ll need to register for your ceremony in advance. Check with your University for registration details and deadlines.
2. You’ll need to book your tickets
If you have family members or other guests who want to attend your graduation day, you’ll need to make sure that you book their tickets in advance. Your university will normally have a policy on how many guests can attend. If you're unsure, check with your graduation organiser.
3. You must hire your cap and gown for your graduation ceremony in advance
As part of your graduation preparation, you will need to hire or buy a graduation gown and cap. Your university will advise you on what sort of gown is needed and what colour stole or hood you should wear. Normally, caps are plain black with a black tassel, but sometimes you can personalise your cap with your university's signature colours. Make sure you do this in advance, to avoid stress running up to the graduation celebration.
At Evess, we make hiring or purchasing your cap and gown for your graduation ceremony as hassle-free as possible. If you need help finding the correct gown, get in touch with our friendly team today.
4. You need to make sure you organise accommodation
If you no longer live in the area of your University, ensure that you and any family members attending book their accommodation in advance. It’s advised to book your accommodation as soon as you know your graduation date as many local hotels will get booked up quickly.
Note: A lot of hotels use dynamic pricing, where with demand, prices go up. It’s always worth provisionally booking early with free cancellation, so you cancel and rebook nearer the time if prices have gone down.
5. Plan your travel in advance
Again, if you no longer live in your University town, you’ll need to plan how you’re going to get to your graduation day ceremony. Taxi companies will be busy so be sure to book taxis in advance. If driving, ensure you know where you can park and allow yourself plenty of time to get there.
6. There will be an academic procession and speeches
As your graduation day begins, there will normally be a formal academic procession where key members of the faculty and university officials wearing traditional academic attire will enter the venue. Then, usually the university chancellor will give a brief speech followed by one or more guest speakers.
7. You’ll walk across the stage to collect your award
Normally, each graduate will walk across the stage one by one when their name and degree classification are called. You will usually shake the chancellor’s hand or doff your cap and be given your degree scroll. Your actual degree certificate will be given out after or before your graduation day.
You’ll know what your degree classification is before your graduation ceremony day.If you want to appeal your classification you’ll normally have 10-21 working days to do so after your official results have been published by the board of examiners.
8. Professional graduation photos are booked in advance
Your graduation ceremony day is a big life milestone, one that you’ll likely look back on in years to come. What better way to treasure the memory than to have a graduation photoshoot?
You’ll need to book your graduation photoshoot in advance, and after it, you’ll choose which photo package you would like.
At Evess, we offer professional studio photography for your graduation day with a range of packages available from digital galleries to full print packages.
9. You’ll want to get the infamous cap throw shot
Your graduation celebration wouldn’t be complete without grabbing your year group and getting a shot of you all throwing your caps in the air. It’s such a lovely way to signify the end of an era, and you’ll have a great photo to look back on!
10. You can benefit from Gradtag
Gradtag technology not only speeds up the process of collecting and returning your gown, but it also means you can get photos sent of you collecting your award.
When you collect your gown, register your details, and your Gradtag will be issued to you. You’ll be sent your onstage photos before you’ve even sat down!
11. There may be live stream options available
If some of your family members are unable to attend, some universities may offer a live stream of the graduation ceremony so they can watch as if they are there. You’ll need to ask your graduation ceremony day organisers for details of this in advance.
12. You’ll need to prepare an appropriate outfit
As part of your graduation preparation, make sure you pick a suitable outfit to wear underneath your gown for your graduation ceremony. It’s advised to wear something smart and formal. You might also want to consider what shoes you’ll wear as you will be walking across a stage to collect your award, so something comfortable that fits well is advised. Try to organise these in advance to avoid stressful last minute shopping trips.
13. Continue your celebrations!
Continue your graduation celebrations by booking a table at a nice restaurant or celebrating with your classmates at a local pub. Be mindful that local restaurants may get booked up, so make sure you make your reservation in advance.
Your graduation is a special day worth celebrating, so be sure you write yourself a checklist to make sure you don’t forget anything.
Post Graduation preparations
14. Ending tenancies and sorting deposits and final bills
After or just before you graduate you may be ending tenancies or giving notice to end one.
Ensure you plan and organise removal of your belongings in advance and ensure any bill accounts are closed and balances settled. Once you move out, your landlord or the agency running the property will notify you of any deposit deductions which you usually have 10 working days to agree to. If you don’t agree to proposed deductions, you’ll need to appeal with your landlord, agent or go through the deposit protection scheme.
15. Prepare a CV for job applications
Your graduation day marks a new beginning in your adult life. You’ll be thinking about your future and your career. Part of your graduation preparation is applying for graduate jobs. Applying for jobs can be a lengthy process, so get ahead by working on your CV before your graduation.
When you graduate it might be helpful to get a Linkedin profile so you can network. It’s also recommended to maintain connections with your university’s career services.
16. Prepare new accommodation
At University you might have been in student halls or a house share. As you transition from student to graduate, you’ll need to think about ongoing accommodation. Can you feasibly stay with family whilst you search for a graduate job or do you need to find accommodation for a new job you're starting?It can be helpful when applying for jobs to look at the prices of rent in that area, if you get a few job offers this could help make your decision on which job to take.
17. Prepare keepsakes
After your graduation ceremony day, you might want to have some keepsakes of the day.
You should pick out which graduation photo you would like and frame your degree certificate. You might also want to get a book where professors or fellow students can write messages for you to look back on in years to come. You might also want to purchase University branded graduation memorabilia.
18. Be excited for the future!
Your graduation marks years of study and hard work, although you might be apprehensive about the future, it’s an exciting time where you can make new connections and continue to develop. Here, adult life really begins!
At Evess, we take the stress out of your graduation day. You can hire all you need for your graduation ceremony day with ease!
With lots of graduates set to collect their scrolls at their graduation day in the coming months, you might be thinking about graduation gift ideas for the graduate in your life.
From personalised gifts to experiences, we’ve compiled a list of graduation gift ideas so you don’t have to!
Tech gifts
2026 graduates are more tech savvy than ever. In an increasingly tech driven world, here’s our pick of the best graduation gifts for the tech loving graduate.
Apple MacBook Neo
The new budget friendly MacBook Neo is the perfect gift for a graduate looking for a simple laptop without all the bells and whistles. Coming in at just under £600, it's the perfect laptop for everyday use.
Hardrives
Hard drives can come in super handy for transporting files or photos when your laptop or phone storage is running low, so could be a great budget friendly graduation gift idea.
Kindle
Kindles are a great idea for a book lover. Often in post university houseshares there isn’t a lot of room for keeping lots of books, so a kindle is a great way to get lots of reading done without worrying about book storage!
Headphones
Noise cancelling headphones can be great for commuting or the gym. Wireless headphones are the most versatile and will be sure to get used daily.
Bluetooth speaker
You can’t go wrong with a Bluetooth speaker. Bose have some great portable speakers.
Sentimental gifts
Looking for something a little more special? Here’s a few more sentimental gift ideas.
Graduation diploma tube
A leather graduation diploma tube can be a great gift as it keeps their diploma safe if they aren’t planning on displaying it just yet and is a nice keepsake.
Certificate display frame
After working hard for three years, graduates want to feel proud of their achievement. What better way to show off their achievement than a display frame for everyone to see. A lovely wooden or veneer frame and mount is a lovely gift idea, and you could even get one with a space for their graduation photo too.
Graduation bear
Go a little old school with a graduation bear. It’s a classic memento of their graduation ceremony and will probably sit on their office desk for years to come.
Cufflinks
A smart shirt is likely to be worn on graduation day, so why not gift them some graduation cuff links as a sentimental momento for the day. You could even make it a more personalised graduation gift by having cufflinks with their graduation year engraved on them.
Jewellery
A lovely way to mark this new chapter is to receive a piece of jewellery. You could opt for something simple but symbolic that they’ll want to wear everyday. It will always be a lovely reminder of their achievement.
Watches
You could opt for a more sentimental watch, like a classic Cassio that is both practical and stylish or a tech watch like a Fitbit or Garmin that can monitor step count, heart rate and log workouts.
Engraved fountain pen
An engraved fountain pen is a classic gift that will be sure to come in handy and will be a lovely reminder of their achievement.
Personalised leather bound notebook
You can never have too many notebooks! A leather notebook with personalised binding is a simple but thoughtful option for the graduate in your life.
Practical gifts
As lovely as sentimental gifts are, sometimes the best gifts are the practical ones!
Here’s some graduation gift ideas that will be super helpful in their next chapter.
E gift Voucher
Sometimes it’s easier to get a voucher as then they can buy something they really need or want. Lots of online retailers offer gift vouchers that can be sent via email.
Luggage
New luggage is the perfect practical gift idea. Now the world is their oyster, the graduate in your life might be thinking about booking that big trip before they begin working life. It’s always super handy to have a few different luggage options from a weekend bag, carry-on case or something for the big trips. You could even consider buying a luggage set.
Commuting bag
After three years, an everyday bag might be in need of a refresh. A new backpack or commuting bag with a laptop compartment is a great idea for a new graduate.
Here’s a pick of some brands that offer some cool options.
Olend:
Known for their classic Ona bag which can be worn as a crossover bag or backpack, this practical and stylish bag can house up to a 17” laptop, made from a water resistant fabric with plenty of pockets.
Stubble and Co:
Renowned for their best selling 20L roll top waterproof backpack with an internal laptop sleeve, this bag is both stylish and practical coming in an array of different colours.
Cotopaxi:
For the lover of bright colours, the cotopaxi chiquillo 26L backpack is a great choice for those who want a fun backpack for everyday use.
Weekly planner
Not everything has to be digital! Why not gift someone a weekly planner or journal.
Papier has some lovely journals that are not only practical but look great on your desk!
Experience gifts
Sometimes the best gifts are the things we wouldn’t buy for ourselves. Rather than a physical gift, why not buy an experience gift?
Spa Day Voucher
After a stressful time studying and finishing off what better way to wind down than a relaxing spa day. Many spas offer deals for a spa day with a treatment and a lunch or afternoon tea.
Theatre vouchers
Theatre vouchers are a great gift for someone who loves the arts. Theatre tickets can be expensive for a new graduate so by giving them vouchers, they get to pick a show they really want to see at a time that suits them.
Arts and craft workshops
Workshops are a great way to try something new. From a pottery workshop to a florists workshop, there are lots of options to choose from.
Homeware gifts
After finishing University graduates might be moving cities for jobs or moving into new house shares, so they’ll want to make a new place feel like home. Here’s some homeware graduation gift ideas.
Mocha pot
Mornings are a little easier with coffee, so why not get them a Mocha stove pot and some artisan coffee.
Artwork
Every home needs some nice artwork! Why not buy some cool artwork prints they can hang up to make somewhere feel a little more like home. For cool artwork prints try Drool or Dessino.
Fun Photoframes
Photo frames can instantly make a room more homely. Find something fun and colourful with these cool photo frames from Oliver Bonas.
New Bedding
New bedding can make a new room feel like home. Gift them some luxury new bedding from Piglet in bed.
Candle
Candles are the perfect homeware gift. For natural wax candles with earthy botanicals try St Eval candles hand made in Cornwall.
At Evess we sell a range of graduation gifts as well as selling and hiring Graduation attire.
After working hard for three years, the time has finally come to celebrate your academic achievements with your friends and family at your graduation ceremony.
