Whether they’re a freshman, a senior, or graduate-level student; there’s no telling what your college guy will want or need. Fortunately, we have some fun, useful, silly and simply the best gifts for college guys.
Shopping for college students doesn’t have to be a hassle with our list of 30 absolute best gift options. These are great for when your college-bound son, brother, friend, or whoever has just graduated, is returning to school, or has a special occasion coming up, like their birthday or Christmas.
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Best Gifts for College Students & Gift Ideas for College Guys
College students will love to be surprised with one of our exceptional gift options listed below. The college guys in you’re shopping for will be able to use them for school, for fun, or even for their living space.
We’ve also included some gifts specific to special occasions like birthdays and Christmas for those of you shopping with these events in mind.
He’ll love these gifts for his dorm room and will be very excited to share them with his friends.
School Gifts for College Guys
College can certainly be a stressful and overwhelming environment, especially when your college-bound guy is new to the scene and just getting used to collegiate-level studies. Help make his transition or return to the college classroom a little less stressful with some of these fun and functional gifts.
Upgrade his old, high school wallet with this sleek, leather wallet you can personalize with his initials and an inside message.
Backpacks are extremely common on college campuses, but if he doesn’t want to squish his laptop in with all his books and other materials, this dual briefcase and laptop bag is a great alternative; especially if he doesn’t need all that extra backpack space anyways.
Buying a new notebook for every class in his college career quickly adds up. With this Rocketbook, he only needs one. Each page is reusable, and he can scan and send his notes to himself digitally using the Rocketbook app.
Planners are great, but sometimes it helps to have all your events and assignments written out and clearly visible in your living space. This calendar whiteboard lets him do just that.
Organization is key for college success, so this bamboo desktop bookshelf is perfect for college guys who lives in a cramped dorm with minimal space for the full-sized option.
Funny Gifts for College Guys
Going to college isn’t always about tests, classes, and homework. There are a ton of fun events, social gatherings, and new people to meet as well. Match the funnier side of the college experience with one of these humor-filled gifts.
For the college kid who is of age, this is a great gift to get the party going and learn just how daring and truthful some of his closest or newest friends are.
A college guy’s dorm is hardly complete with donning the “Saturdays are for the boys” flag. It’s the perfect party banner or frat house décor.
Now he can bring his favorite drink anywhere, alcohol-infused or otherwise (if he’s 21). After all, nothing compliments a nice hot shower better than a crisp, cold beverage.
Make sure he has all his college office supply essentials neatly arranged and accessible with this humorous, toilet-inspired desk organizer.
Every college student needs a screaming companion, particularly around finals week. His will be this meme-inspired goat.
Foodie Gifts for College Guys
Whether you’re a freshman, senior, girl, or boy, we all know that the greatest college struggle is when you have to get by without your parents cooking. These foodie gifts are great for college guys that might not have a meal plan and needs to fend for himself in the kitchen.
All college kids who live without a campus meal plan should definitely have a crockpot. These time-saving tools can cook a week’s worth of food in a few hours while your college guy is in class or doing work.
The perfect pair to ensure their life-giving bean juice stays nice and hot during their seemingly endless homework and study sessions.
Buying all the basic cooking spices is more expensive than people realize, not to mention the amount of space they take up. Not only will this tower keep your college guy’s spices neat and organized, but all 20 jars come filled with spices and have free refills for up to 5-years. Plenty of time to graduate.
Help make movie night on campus more of an occasion with this movie night popcorn variety pack. He can choose one of three kernel types and top it with one (or all) of the five seasoning options.
Another fantastic time-saver for the college kid and a practical gift is this dual rice cooker and food steamer. This cooker can have an entire meal ready in under a half-hour with minimal effort.
Dorm/Apartment Gifts for College Guys
Most college dorms, or even college apartments, come with very minimal space and certainly aren’t built for comfort. With these gift ideas for your college guys, you can help maximize the minimal space they have and make their dorm a homier place to be.
This is a fantastic gift for your college guy sharing his dorm with a roommate. Instead of wasting space with a giant dresser, he can store his extra clothes and materials under his bed with these storage bags.
It’s unlikely he’s brought his comfy mattress from home to his college living space, which means the mattress he’s sleeping on is definitely well-used. Luckily, he can add to his bed frame a comfy cushion using this mattress topper pad.
Laundry bags are great for carrying his clothes to the laundry room, but he still has to pack the bag. This laundry hampers with removable bags eliminates this process altogether. It’s the perfect gift for the college boy living in dorm rooms.
You never really know who you’re living with and who might be roaming your college dorm or apartment without your knowledge. Therefore, he’ll want this small security safe to protect his valuables just in case.
Gifting him this metal mesh rolling cart helps keep his space organized, adds extra storage, and is easily portable. It’s perfect for storing bathroom necessities, class materials, and other belongings.
Birthday Gifts for College Guys
Your college guy’s birthday is the perfect occasion to gift him a more creative present. Some of these fun gift ideas are great for adorning his dorm, while others are a little more functional that he can use daily.
This retro TV phone holder is an incredibly clever gift for college guys who don’t have their own TV or wants to watch their favorite show without disturbing his roommate with the noise and lights of his flatscreen.
Asobu’s wireless speaker and water bottle is an ingenious gift that combines two of the most common and useful gift ideas into one. Now he can jam out to his favorite tunes while staying hydrated anywhere.
For those times when he just needs to hide from his roommate, he can use this privacy bed tent. They might still live in the same room as him, but at least this way, he can pretend he’s alone.
Give his room a little more character by gifting him this mushroom neon sign. Its artsy, hipster vibe looks great in any space, from dorm room to common room or even his apartment kitchen wall.
Sometimes you just want to chill on your bed while you do your homework or study versus uncomfortably sitting in a desk chair for hours. This bed rest pillow gives him all the support and comfort he needs for a successful bedridden schoolwork session.
Christmas Gift for College Guys
The holiday season is always a difficult time, but it’s a great opportunity to buy your college guy a unique or potentially pricey present to make his campus experience more fun and stress-free.
Board games are making a comeback in pop culture, and one of the most popular new arrivals is Catan. Your college guy and all his friends will be quickly hooked on this game for hours of stress-relieving fun and socializing. Board games make for great Christmas gifts.
You can’t get him a personal maid, but the iRobot Roomba is pretty close. With the touch of a button, his dorm or apartment floors will be crystal clean without any extra effort from him.
Never forget that wall space is always an option for organization and décor. He can display his favorite pictures with this metal mesh grid panel, clip upcoming assignments, and organize necessities or knick-knacks on the two mini shelves.
He’s definitely going to need a quality lamp for his college dorm desk, but don’t settle for any basic lamp. Instead, gift him this fun and creative wooden dinosaur lamp for a constant study buddy that’ll brighten his life.
Usually, there are laundry facilities for students living in college dorms, but if your college guy lives in an off-campus college apartment, he might be spending a vast number of quarters on laundromat services. Cut those costs by gifting him this portable washing machine.
