The Best Gifts For College Students (When You Can’t Cancel Their Student Loans)

We're pretty sure that if the college students in your life were to give a completely honest answer to what they want for graduation or just in general, their answers would be: pay off my student loans; give me a job; make going into an actual classroom safe again. We're also pretty sure that not many who are reading this can provide such things. Even so, you probably won't disappoint with a lesser but still well-thought-out gift for those friends, siblings, and cousins who are almost done working their way through an unprecedented school year.

The thing is, we know college students are a very diverse bunch. If we were to put any other group into one category — say, "people in their 30s" — it would sound a bit ridiculous to pick out a handful of the best gifts that would please them all. But, we know some basic things that most people in college have in common (this also goes for people in their late teens and early 20s who are not currently earning a post-secondary school degree): they live in dorms or cramped shared apartments; they recently moved back in with their parents; they're figuring out how to be adults during a global pandemic and economic crisis; they could use a few extra comforts.

With those needs in mind, we made sure the following options were a little bit practical but also super fun — both to give and to receive. Click through the slides ahead to find the best gifts for college students.