16 Farewell Gifts For Students That Are Off To College

If you have kids leaving for college, here are some farewell gift ideas that will come in handy for life on campus.

Many people say that their college years were among the best of their life.

As you're living away from home for the first time, surrounded by people your own age, and learning and experiencing new things every day.

So it's a couple of years of fun and rewarding times as you work towards graduating and building the future you want for yourself.

However, staying on campus brings it's challenges as well, as it will be their first time living alone, and most students are pretty much always broke.

So getting them a farewell gift to make their campus life easier is a great idea, and will be something they really appreciate.

And the following list of farewell gift ideas for college students leaving for campus are all things that will help them to enjoy the whole college experience and dorm living in some way.

1. A Loud Alarm Clock To Get Them Up On Time

College is a time for learning, but it's also a time for having fun and making friends too.

So there will no doubt be plenty of late nights spent partying and hanging out with the other students on campus, along with the all night study sessions when they're trying to meet deadlines.

And this can make getting out of bed in the morning to get to their lectures on time harder than it needs to be.

So a gift idea that can help them out with this is to buy them an alarm clock such as the Sonic Boom.

As this one is powerful enough to wake a bear up from hibernation, so it should be able to get a hungover student out of their pit too!

2. A Coffee Maker For Their Dorm Room

Another way to give them a kick start in the mornings is with a strong cup of coffee.

So, our next gift idea is to get them a coffee maker for their dorm, as this way they'll be able to brew themselves a cup whenever they need one.

And one that is ideal is the Keurig K-Mini Plus, as this is a single cup coffee maker that won't take up much room in their small dorm rooms.

Plus there is zero mess with this one, as you use coffee pods to make each cup of coffee.

So they'll have access to a caffeine boost in the mornings and when studying late into the night too.

3. A College-Themed Tumbler

Once they can brew their own coffee, it's also a good idea to buy them a tumbler so they can take it with them to class and lectures.

And for a tumbler that makes for a great gift for a college student, how about getting them one with their own college emblem on the side?

As this is what you can do with the YETI college-themed tumblers.

So not only will they have a hot coffee to get them through lectures, they'll be flying the college flag as they walk around campus too.

And you can also extend the college themed gift ideas to things like branded t-shirts and hoodies too.

4. A Reusable Water Bottle

Another gift you can get for a college student to keep them hydrated throughout the day is a reusable water bottle, such as a Hydro Flask.

As they can fill this with whatever beverage they like and it will keep it cool and fresh throughout the day.

So they'll always have a cold drink on hand to keep their mind focused and concentrated.

And this is a great gift for the eco-conscious student too, as it will cut down on their use of single use plastic water bottles, which is good for the planet.

5. A Stylish Backpack to Use On Campus

Having a good backpack to carry all their books, stationary, laptop, and other stuff around campus is a necessity for every student.

So, getting them one that also looks really cool is a fantastic gift idea for them.

And one I'd recommend is the Fjallraven Kanken backpack, as this one is stylish, has an iconic design, and is full of different compartments to store all their things safely and securely.

And there is a padded laptop compartment to keep their expensive electronics protected too.

6. A Cool Set Of Headphones

A good set of headphones is another college essential for a student.

As not only will this give them something to listen to their music and podcasts with, they can also use them to block out any distracting noise.

Which is great for helping them to fully focus and concentrate on their studying, and can also help them to get to sleep if they are in a noisy student dorm.

And if you want to get a student the ultimate gift, then they'd absolutely love you for getting them a pair of Apple AirPods Pro.

As these earphones are super cool, have great sound clarity and quality, and every student will want a pair of these, but most will be too broke to be able to buy them for themselves.

7. A Student Planner To Keep Them Organised

When you become a college student you have a lot to stay on top off, whether that be lecture times, approaching deadlines, social events, or birthdays and holidays.

So getting them a gift to help them stay well organised is a good idea, and you can do that by giving them a student day planner.

As this lets them keep track of important dates, appointments, and goals, throughout the academic year.

And there are tons of these planners to choose from on Amazon, but I thought the one above looked quite pretty and gift worthy.

8. A Portable Bluetooth Speaker For Tunes Anywhere

A portable speaker is a really useful gift for a college student.

As they can use these to listen to music in their dorm rooms, or pack them into their bag and play their music when hanging out with friends outside too.

And a good choice for this is the JBL Flip 5 portable speaker.

As this one is waterproof, durable, has good sound quality and volume, and is small and light enough to fit in their bags.

9. An Easy To Follow Cookbook

Not many students arrive at college knowing how to cook for themselves.

So getting them a cookbook that shows them how to whip up quick and easy student staples such as pastas dishes, noodles, wraps, and toasted sandwiches, is a top idea.

And one that is perfect for this is the Easy College Cookbook.

As this features 75 easy to follow recipes that will keep them well-fed while on campus.

And this gift gives you the added comfort of knowing they will be feeding themselves better while so far away from home.

10. A Set Of Rapid Cooking Microwave Dishes

If you think the cookbook is a good idea, but suspect the student will never get around to using it, then how about getting them a set of rapid cooking microwave dishes instead.

As these are about as easy as it gets for campus cooking.

Because all they need to do is fill the respective dishes with foods like pasta, noodles, rice, veggies, or oatmeal, pop them in the microwave for a couple of minutes, and wait for the ping.

And they'll have instant meals at the ready to satisfy the munchies.

So check out the Rapid Cooker range, as they have special microwave dishes to make student favourites, such as mac and cheese, ramen noodles, and oatmeal, among other things.

11. A Blender For Making Healthy Smoothies

If you want a gift that helps a student stay healthier than just living off quick microwave meals, then how about getting them a Nutribullet Pro blender.

As this way they can easily whip up nutritious smoothies to get some of their five fruit and veg for the day.

Which makes for a much better breakfast than finishing off last night's pizza!

12. A Fan To Keep Their Room Cool

It can be hard to control the temperature in college dorm rooms, and they can often turn into ovens, especially in the warmer months.

So getting a college student a small fan for their dorm is a nice gift idea as this way they can get a breeze going and cool themselves down when things get too hot.

And something like the Vornado air circulator fan would be perfect.

As this one is small, easy to use, and powerful enough to cool down even a large dorm room.

13. A Lava Lamp For Pretty Lighting

Students will want to decorate their dorm rooms with cool and fun stuff to make it feel more comfortable.

This gives you a fair few gift ideas to choose from, such as classic movie posters, throw blankets, cushions, and the like.

And another thing you can get them is a lava lamp.

As these lamps will provide a really cool, psychedelic lighting and atmosphere to their room, as the bubbles rise and fall in vibrant colours.

So check out the Original Lava Lamp, and give a student a gift that can transform their dorm room from dull to groovy. 

14. A Weighted Blanket To Keep Them Calm

College can be fun, but it can also be really stressful at certain times.

As young students are thrust into meeting lots of new people constantly, have challenging deadlines to meet, and feel the pressure of getting good enough grades to graduate and be able to enter their preferred careers.

So a gift that can help calm any anxiety and stress when it arises is a lovely idea, and one thing that can do that is a weighted blanket.

As the weight of these blankets has been shown to calm your nervous system, and help your body and mind to relax.

So using one will help a student sleep more deeply and forget about any worries they may be having.

With a good choice being the Baloo weighted blanket.

15. A Backpack For Trips Home And Away

During their time on campus, a college student may want to take some trips out of town with their friends to get a bit of a break.

And they will definitely want to come home to visit, especially during the holidays and in between term times.

So it can be a nice gift idea to get them a versatile backpack they can use when taking these short trips, and one that fits the bill nicely is the Kelty Redwing 44.

As this one is compact, but also has tons of space inside to fit all their stuff.

And it can also be taken onto flights as carry on luggage too, which will save them time at the airports if they're flying home.

16. An Amazon Prime Student Membership

One of the biggest expenses and hassles for college students is buying all the textbooks, stationary, and school supplies they need for their course.

So our final gift idea is to sign them up for an Amazon Prime Student membership.

As this will give them free and fast delivery on everything they order, along with special discounts, and access to music and video streaming services.

Added to that, some college campuses even have their own Amazon stores on site, so it's even more convenient.

And you could also treat them to an Amazon gift card if you want to help them out with paying for some of their essentials.

Rounding Up

College is a great time for a student, but it can also be a worrying time for their friends and family, as they are so far away from home.

So getting them a gift that will make their life easier on campus is a great idea.

And hopefully you've found something appropriate amongst this list of gift ideas for college students.

As each one will be handy and useful for them in one way or another.