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If you are looking for some university student gift ideas then you are in the right place. In this post you will find 10 innovative and useful gift ideas for university (with recommendations!).
Choosing the right gift for a student is not easy at all. You want something that is useful but that sounds like an actual present rather than another student essential.
It’s the usual dilemma, traditional or innovative? In this list we focus on the last one, but you will also find more functional student gift ideas in the study essential lists for university at the end of the post.
Innovative student gift ideas for university
As usual, you will find a direct link for each item to Amazon UK so that you can check current prices, features and reviews.
Now without further ado, let’s go over the list of university student gift ideas.
1. World Globe
Rather than the traditional picture frame, this is something different to put on a study desk. University is a multicultural environment, and this gift reflects that.
As well as making students dream of travelling around the world, it also acts as a great decoration for a study room.
This world globe comes in different sizes and colours, although the black and silver colours is more elegant.
2. Vintage Backpack
What about a good and comfortable backpack to carry a laptop, notebooks and other student stuff? This is often overlooked as a student gift.
As well as being a useful gift for university, this backpack is also stylish and it comes in different colours as well. Vintage backpacks with a rectangular shape are very trendy!
A nice backpack is definitely another great university student gift idea to consider.
3. Card Holder Wallet
There are two main reasons that make this a great student gift idea. Firstly, with cash becoming less common, there is no need to carry large wallets/purses anymore; which is a plus considering how much stuff students carry to university everyday.
Secondly, these wallets are made of a material that shields and protects cards from being cloned or scanned by scammers. It can make students feel safe from all that.
This card holder wallet can hold multiple cards and it also has little pockets for notes. You can definitely consider it a great and innovative student gift idea!
4. Mini Projector
You might think that this is a student gift idea to encourage social activities, and it is partially true. It’s great for organizing social movie nights with friends and flatmates at university.
However, this is also great at an individual level. After those long and exhausting study days, lying in bed while projecting a nice movie “on the wall” is a great way to relax!
5. Echo Dot
A perfect gift for students who like technology. If you are not familiar with it, basically it’s a speaker that acts as a “personal assistant” (Alexa should ring a bell).
You can use voice commands to ask questions, play the news, play music, and many other tasks.
Having an echo Dot is the first step towards setting up a smart student room. This is certainly a good student gift idea for technology lovers or for those who would like to become more tech savvy.
6. Earbuds
These are very, extremely popular among students at the moment. Very easy to carry, students love to listen to music while walking around the campus.
The noise cancelling feature which helps students focus when studying in noisy environments. Moreover, they are also useful for those students who like going for a run or to the gym.
These earbuds make another great student gift idea!
7. Coffee machine
The perfect student gift, actually a perfect gift for anyone really! Coffee and students have a close relationship at university.
A coffee machine will give them the opportunity to make cappuccinos, lattes and all sorts of coffees they want!
This has a large availability of capsules/pods (either original or adaptable) available in local supermarkets.
This is important when you run out and don’t want to wait for an online delivery. A coffee machine makes a great student gift for university!
8. Smart Watch & Fitness Tracker
Another great student gift idea for technology lovers. Smart watches are becoming more and more popular among students.
This smart watch acts as a fitness tracker and it’s very common to wear at the gym or when doing sports. It is surely something to take into consideration as a student gift.
9. JBL Speaker
A cool student gift idea, especially for those who like having a BBQ at the park with friends (or those lucky ones living near a beach). It’s very small and you can easily take it with you anywhere.
This is definitely something more social to enjoy some music in groups, whether outside or inside. So if you are still not sure about student gifts, the JBL speaker is surely something to consider.
10. Kindle
This is a great student gift idea for readers and book lovers! It’s obviously lighter and easier to carry compared to actual books.
For students, this also mean they could download their readings to the kindle and study off it!
There also is a front light you can adjust when reading in darkness without having to rely on other lights and so on.
A kindle reader is another great student gift idea, particularly for book lovers but not only!
More university student gift ideas
The gift ideas above are suitable for any occasions; for a first year university student, or maybe to celebrate the end of the year, or perhaps to cheer someone up or reward him/her after an exam.
However if you are looking for more functional student gift ideas, you can check out the student essentials lists below:
🎓 University Essentials – Everything You Need for Uni
Did you know? We’ve put together tailored student essential lists to help you through every aspect of university life!
- 📝 Student essentials: Everything you’ll need to stay prepared, productive, and comfortable during a typical Uni day.
- 💡 Accommodation essentials: Make your space feel like home (and don’t forget the stuff everyone forgets!).
- 🖥️ Study from home essentials: Tools and tips to create a distraction-free, efficient study setup.
- 🥘 Kitchen essentials: From budget-friendly basics to smart cooking tools that make life easier.
- 🎧 Coolest gadgets for university: Level up your uni experience with tech and tools students actually use.
#tags: best student gift ideas UK university; gift ideas for first year university; gift ideas for end of year; useful gifts for university