What gifts do college students actually want? That’s a question that will have many people looking like a deer in headlights. And it makes sense: College students and soon-to-be graduates want many impossible things, like a developed prefrontal cortex and shoes from the Erewhon X Uggs collaboration. But the good news is that there are plenty of great gift ideas for college students that will improve their dorm life and make college feel like home.
As a rising junior, I know better than to assume that everything on my wishlist applies to my peers too. That’s why I spoke to over a dozen Gen Z students to hear what practical items they wish they had during their first year. I also asked about unique gifts they have appreciated recently and items on their current wishlists.
Whether you’re shopping for a picnic blanket for the friend who could use some time outdoors, your child who needs a new water bottle or a nostalgic kid who wants to take up scrapbooking, there’s a gift for every dazed, confused and easily excitable college student.
Tech gifts for college students
A MagSafe wallet is perfect for ensuring you have fewer possessions to keep an eye on. Ramani Amon, a student at SUNY New Paltz, wants one because it would be able to safely store her school ID and “make it easy to open the door or pay for stuff on campus.” We also think it’s an excellent choice for carrying less on a night out.
Many students cited a portable speaker as an ideal gift. “Throughout college, my speaker has been an essential for me,” says fellow CNN Underscored intern Nyasha Nyoni. “I use it to play music while getting ready for the day or when I’m out on trips with friends.” This pick also happens to be?one of our tech team’s favorite Bluetooth speakers.
Forget the rude awakening of the iPhone alarm and simply rise at dawn. That doesn’t mean actually getting up at 5 a.m., it means investing in this alarm clock that “slowly lights up over a prolonged period of time, so you basically wake up to a sunrise,” according to Trinity College Dublin student Alice Moynihan.
Without headphones, it is impossible to romanticize your college experience into a meaningful coming-of-age comedy-drama. That’s why so many students mentioned noise-canceling headphones as an essential. Trinity College Dublin student Neasa Nic Corcráin tells us that she “would not survive without them.” These are our testing team’s recommendation for the best noise-canceling over-ear headphones, so you can drown out the weight of the world (and annoying roommates).
Another popular gift among the students we spoke with was an iPad Pro. If you really love whoever you’re shopping for, you should obviously buy them the newest iPad available on the market, the splurge-worthy M4. But if you’re on a tighter budget, we found that the Apple iPad (10th Gen) was the right model for most people.?
In addition to an iPad, Brown student and fellow CNN intern Moonhee Kim thinks an Apple Pencil is a classroom essential that will help students take legible notes — that they can actually find and read through when the time comes to study for that exam.?
Dora Foster is a rising junior who is always thinking about charging her phone, which is exactly why this best-tested portable charger made our list. “I think it is kind of like an understated necessity for a long day at school,” she says. This is especially true for first-year students who don’t know where anything is and need to figure out how to get back to their dorms after late lectures —?practically impossible when their phone’s dead.
A camera is a helpful way to record the unforgettable memories that are bound to happen during college. With a built-in selfie mirror and automatic flash control, this camera takes instant snapshots so it’s all on the record.?
An Apple Watch is a very useful device for college students since it helps with tasks like remembering important due dates, setting timers and managing fitness goals. “It’s super handy having all that info readily accessible on your wrist,” Columbia student India Donohoe says, praising the device for saving time that would otherwise be spent frantically rummaging through a tote bag or backpack for their phone.
Kim also wants “a mini photo printer that connects to [her] phone” so she can decorate her walls with all the best memories from college. It’s a fun alternative to instant cameras.
Travel and educational gifts for college students
Keeping a journal is an excellent way to track your personal development. Columbia student Olivia Bulis recommends using a notebook as a tool for reflection. “I relish the opportunity to read my journals from my first ever semester of college and see how I’ve grown and evolved,” she says. She is a fan of this one that’s dotted so “you can doodle too or fill it with whatever you please” and compact enough to fit in a small bag.
Traveling is a great way to learn about the world around you. The college students in your life will especially appreciate a gift card to their airline of choice so they don’t miss out on their friend group’s side quest during spring break. Trinity College Dublin student Zoya Sachdeva recalls receiving a flight voucher as a gift: “[It] was great because it encouraged me to travel by making the flights free.”?
Moynihan once received a Montblanc pen from her parents, which she admits may sound pretentious. “It’s a real marker that you’re moving into adulthood — nothing like a fancy pen to give you a wakeup call,” she says.
Rising Boston University senior Maya Bradley says a notebook or planner with “sleek and subtle branding” is on her wishlist. This notebook is a designated space for the student with wanderlust to record their travels and experiences, so they have a record to show they were actually cool in college.
College students can also document their memories through a scrapbook. Jimena Alvarez, a rising senior at Trinity College Dublin, fondly recalls receiving “a scrapbook of memories” with space to add more throughout the year. Phoebe Pascoe also appreciated receiving a notebook “half-filled with photos and memories from the last semester” with blank space for tracking antics within an adventurous final year.
Kitchen gifts for college students
With a packed college schedule, I rely on my Keurig to survive a busy workday. Queens College student Sammy Ali agrees, saying, “It literally takes me 30 seconds to make my morning cup of coffee.”
HGTV intern and rising University of Maryland senior Chelsea Collier loves Dash’s mini appliances for dorm kitchens. This rice cooker and steamer is perfect for making quick and easy one-pot meals, a shiny upgrade to college meal prep.
Kim currently has matcha on her wishlist for college, which makes sense — not only is it delicious, but it usually means less jitters than coffee for already stressed college students. This premium set has everything you need to make a café-worthy matcha latte in your dorm kitchen, with a USB-rechargeable frother and matcha powder rich in antioxidants and amino acids.
Trinity College Dublin student Catherine Furby has an air fryer on her wishlist. This one has a compact size, which means it’s easier to store with limited counter space in your dorm kitchen.
This viral, editor-loved kitchen appliance makes it easy to churn out custom ice cream, sorbet, milkshakes and more. Your college kid (and their roommates) would be eternally grateful to receive this as a gift.
Some of the most memorable moments in college don’t entail going out, but enjoying a comforting meal at home with your friends. Jeanne Fontaine, a rising junior at Columbia, thinks having a waffle maker is “the best thing on Earth” since it allows you to whip up fluffy waffles your friends will devour in the blink of an eye.
A quality insulated mug is another excellent gift for college students. This stainless steel mug is our pick for the best travel coffee mug. It keeps your coffee or tea hot so you can make it through a busy day of lectures without the agony of lukewarm caffeine.
The Stanley tumbler remains a hot item on any college campus. It's available in five sizes and a variety of limited-edition models. Lily Ainsley, rising junior at Trinity College Dublin, cites the sold-out Olivia Rodrigo collaboration (available via resale) as particularly covetable.
A mini fridge comes in handy whenever you want to grab a cool drink or bite to eat between classes or late at night. This one has one shelf for stockpiling snacking essentials and a vintage Coca-Cola design that exudes a fun retro appeal.
Home gifts for college students
Surprisingly, many college students desire a mini clothes steamer. It may seem dramatic, but Ainsley says “If anything, hand steamers changed my life.” Our choice for the best clothes steamer, this pick powers away wrinkles with high heat and steam.?
A candle warmer lamp allows you to enjoy scented candles without having an open flame in your college dorm room. Sarah Bligh, an incoming freshman at Franklin and Marshall College, has a flower candle lamp on her wishlist for her college dorm. This one has four dimming settings to control how fast the wax melts.
If your college student loves building Lego sets, this will make a cute gift for their dorm room. Donohoe says she appreciated receiving these Lego flowers from her girlfriend for her birthday. “Not only were we able to build them together, which was great fun, [but] it also meant I had a floral accessory in my bedroom that didn’t need repurchasing once every two weeks.”
One of my biggest realizations in college has been understanding that every problem is manageable after a night of sound sleep. A mattress topper like this one, the best firm mattress topper among the six we tested, can help you achieve this. University of British Columbia student Jaden Gunn agrees that hers “made a huge difference” in improving sleep quality.?
While college students aren’t likely to splurge for a fan themselves, they will appreciate having one, especially if their accommodation lacks air conditioning. Columbia student Alex Nagin says it gets hot in the winter too, so a fan would be useful year-round. This is our pick for the best cooling fan, with eight speeds and a narrow build so it’s easy to fit in a dorm room.
Dorm rooms aren’t known for their great lighting. Nyoni fixed a “subpar” lighting situation with “an LED sunset lamp that added a lot more dimension to the room.” She recommends buying a similar lamp for a college student, since these double as “a piece of practical decor” and a light source.
New York University student Amanda Korris says she wants a miniature cordless vacuum —?like the best-tested handheld vacuum — to clean her apartment. CNN intern and Boston University student Haley Alvarez-Lauto confirms that this is an extremely useful gift — no need to borrow the communal vacuum anymore.
A picnic is a great way to clear your head on sunny days. Alvarez-Lauto loves laying out on a compact blanket she received. This elevated version from Baggu has a colorful design and a convenient handle.
Growing up doesn’t mean outgrowing stuffed animals. Dora Foster says she appreciated this stuffed animal from her boyfriend, which she found “really sweet." She says she was “very, very happy to receive it” even as “a grown adult” —?proving that some things never change.
Alex Bacro, a rising senior at the University of Chicago, says a hammock from his mom made for a “pretty dope” gift to have at college. On nice days, relax in this one that has a weather-resistant design made for two people. It even folds up and comes with a carrying case.
Most students will miss their pets while they’re at college. University of St. Andrews student Alice Polen says receiving a pillow with a picture of her dog helped alleviate the pain of long-distance pet ownership. She and every person who visits her room can’t help but admire it.
A whiteboard allows college students to divide up chore responsibilities, maintain inside jokes and leave passive-aggressive notes about keeping the kitchen clean. For these reasons, rising junior at Columbia Jeanne Fontaine thinks a whiteboard is a valuable gift for students living in a dorm or shared space.
Alvarez-Lauto says she wants more mood lighting (such as string lights) because she doesn’t “like the vibe of the overhead light,” which can often feel harsh, especially in a dorm. These decorative lights have clips so you can display pictures too — aka your highlight reel from previous semesters.
Iris Ghorbani, rising junior at Columbia, wants a weighted blanket for stress relief and more restful sleep. This weighted blanket from Tranquility is excellent if you’re a hot sleeper who lacks AC because it’s designed to regulate temperature. It applies gentle pressure akin to receiving the hug that college students could stand to receive.
Rising senior Maryann Fadonougbo says as a freshman, she wishes she had more room decor. I don’t think you can go wrong with an art-deco print like a vintage magazine cover, such as this one from a January 1930 Vanity Fair issue.?
Fashion gifts for college students
Ainsley voices the desires of her generation when she says she wants a new pair of Ugg boots. With a soft sheepskin interior, these boots are a winter wardrobe staple for a reason.
This is a great pick for an everyday bag because it contains plenty of space for your laptop and other study essentials. I love this as an alternative to the classic tote because it combines the versatility of a tote bag with a zipper.
A study abroad essential, this backpack has rave reviews from college students. It makes the perfect gift for a student who plans on studying abroad for a semester or simply needs a spacious backpack for holding their personal belongings and school supplies.?
When you’re having a difficult day, running can be a great way to boost your mood. Kim wants a pair of new running shoes, and this pair is our pick for lightweight sneakers, making them a natural choice for your next workout.?
Sharing a bathroom can result in a lack of privacy. That’s why Claire Marchand, a rising senior at Emory, says she has “a good bathrobe on her wishlist.” Recalling freshman year struggles, she says her dorm lacked an en suite bathroom, so she “had to walk down the hall with all my shower stuff to take a shower. It was super helpful to have a robe and made the whole process a lot easier.” This robe from Djerf Avenue is luxuriously soft and stylish.
I have a vintage pair of Frye boots that have been worn to death, so a new pair of boots is on my wishlist going into senior year. They’re expensive but worthwhile since they last for years, and I bet other college students would love a pair too.
These earrings are another gift that I received a few years ago, after my favorite Youtuber at the time, Ashley Rous aka bestdressed, launched a collaboration with Enroute Jewelry. I still love them and recommend them as a chic, vintage-inspired gift that goes with pretty much everything.
Classic sneakers have been trending this summer. Pascoe has a pair of Nike Cortez trainers on her current college wishlist. Available in multiple colors, these timeless shoes will go with all of their everyday college fits.
