63 Gifts College Students Actually Want

It’s proven that handwritten notes make memorization easier. But digital notes are a lot more convenient for organization and test prep. Moleskine’s smart notebook creates digital copies of their notes and organizes them on the cloud. Best of both worlds!

An exciting gift? Not at first. But once they get to skip the line at the student union copy/print store during finals week, they’ll love you forever. Plus! It can print photos.

Honestly, they won’t care about an Italian leather catchall. But nothing on this list will be more useful. This thing charges their phone (most important to them), and it keeps them from losing their phone, keys, and wallet (most important to everyone around them).

Or just get them a bottle to make their own at-home cold brew.

Or, if they’re lazy, opt for an easy machine. Save them hundreds of dollars on Starbucks with a Nespresso pod machine. The new Pop+ is compact enough for a dorm room and comes in a handful of colors to match their tastes.

Study sessions, dorm-room hangouts, or even just chilling by yourself, every college student needs a good speaker. This JBL is the perfect size and won’t take up too much space. Plus, the sound quality is amazing.

A packable camp blanket to make their study session on the quad lawn more official.

No teenager or twenty-something will turn down a brand new pair of AirPods.

On their budget, they need to be cooking at home a little more often. A 10-in-one pan makes that a lot easier. And the fact that it looks great will help.

Nothing says “new grad” quite like a candle that literally says “new grad.” Sure, it’s a little on the nose, but it smells so damn good, no one will really mind.

Equip the college student with some seriously enviable audio equipment—at a damn good price for your wallet.

A memory-maker for you as much as it is one for your college student, this film scanner is all about bringing retro vibes and modernity into one.

There’s a reason why this nifty phone accessory has gone so viral on TikTok—it’s useful as hell. For under 15 bucks, it lets your phone stick to virtually anything.

For college dorm rooms and starter apartments alike, a portable home projector adds to the vibe like nothing else.

Honestly, what’s better for a broke college kid than the gift of free meals?

It’s a cool and classic accessory that’s a universal crowd-pleaser, whether they’re wearing it on their head, around their neck, or tied to a school bag.

My life changed for the better when my parents bought me a silk pillowcase when I was in college. Not only is it good for your hair and skin, but it just adds a little bit of luxury to that dorm room twin bed.

The gift every college student wants—something that helps them work from the comfort of their bed.

This may not be the chicest gift for a college student, but it will be the most useful one. “My phone was dead!” will be an excuse you never hear again.