20 Favorite Grad Gift Ideas from Uncommon Goods (2022)

Graduation season is here, and we love suggesting unique gift ideas for the grads in your life. Whether you are looking for a perfect send-off present for a neighbor’s child you have watched grow up or your son or daughter, we have a list of unique gifts from one of our favorite sites, Uncommon Goods.

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Unique grad gift ideas for 2022 grads

1. Collegiate Pouches

Zipper pouches are a handy way for your college student to store make-up, charging cables, earphones, or other valuables inside a backpack or a desk drawer.

2. Wishbeads Necklace

These gorgeous pendant necklaces are available in rose quartz, lapis lazuli, coral jade, and grass agate. The pendant has a cylinder with room for a message of love and encouragement.

3. Bedside Essentials Pocket

One major design flaw with the weirdly elevated twin beds found in most college dorms is the lack of a high nightstand to store glasses, phones, water bottles, etc. The flap of this felt pouch slips underneath the mattress and will keep your teen’s essentials close at hand. Available in two sizes.

4. Long Distance Friendship Lamp

Light up loved ones’ lives — across town or the world — with these in-sync lamps. Buy a pair, and when you touch your lamp, their lamp lights up in the same glow, sending a little “thinking of you” to a faraway loved one.

5. Tabletop Cornhole Game

Playing cornhole has never been easier than with this compact set on a table. Comes with a board, launchers, mini beanbags, scoreboard, and pegs. (Beer for 21+, not included.)

6. Herbal Warming Slippers

These spa-style slippers would be great for the dorm room. The soles can be heated up in the microwave in the winter for a toasty warm feeling or cooled down in the fridge in the summer.

7. Travel Cord Roll

Dorm room organization is a challenge for even the most organized student. With a travel cord roll, your teen can easily pack and untangle their electronics cords to keep on a desk or throw in a backpack for weekend trips home.

8. Collegiate Pillow

We think these pillows are true keepsake items. The design team at Catstudio has discovered and highlighted all the treasured spots at your son or daughter’s college with their unique embroidery style.

9. The Path Necklace

This beautiful necklace is designed with a combination of meaningful stones. According to the artist, green tourmaline promotes creativity, smoky quartz is calming, and the silver bar is symbolic of your grad’s path. With a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson, this necklace will thrill and inspire any freshman.

10. Microwave Pasta Pot

Going to the dining hall for a quick meal isn’t always convenient. This ingenious microwave pasta post makes fixing a snack in the dorm so easy. Just add water and noodles and pop it in a microwave, and it’s done! The lid is a strainer, so your college student will have all they need without leaving their dorm.

11. Personalized Socks

What is it about a pair of socks that makes it easy to misplace one? With these Pima cotton socks, there will be no mistake as to whom their ownership. Personalize them with an initial, a phrase, or a name, in grey or black.

12. Women’s Personalized Socks

Same personalized offer as above; these are Supima cotton and come in white, grey, black, or pink.

13. Long Distance Friendship Frame

Touch this unique frame, and different color lights up, showing your teen that you are thinking of them while they are away.

14. Microwave Popcorn Popper

Having a snack of freshly-popped popcorn will be super easy with this innovative silicone popper. No oil needed wipes clean and is collapsible for easy storage.

15. College Team Spirit Mug

Help your student show school spirit with an officially-licensed university mug. These are sure to warm your soon-to-be college student’s hearts (and drinks). It works well as a place to store desk accessories, too.

16. Wishbeads Bracelet

These beaded bracelets, available in five different stone selections, are all beautiful and can be worn with any outfit — dressy or casual. What makes them unique is the secret clasp space where you can tuck in a note (paper included) with a message of empowerment…or just a reminder to your daughter about how much you love her.

17. College Team Spirit Blanket

This Sherpa blanket is decorated with university mascots, logos, and campus landmarks and would be a great throw blanket for a college dorm or apartment.

18. 75 Iconic US Landmarks Scratch Off Poster

If your grad loves travel and adventure, this is their gift! It includes photos of 75 iconic US landmarks that can be scratched off after visiting each destination. This could be an easy way to decorate a drab dorm wall.

19. Charging Cord Bracelet

This bracelet doubles as a charging cord — so your teen never has to worry about forgetting a charger.

20. Therapy Dough

This dough is modeled after clay used by art therapists and is infused with essential oils for stress relief. Available in orange, peppermint, and lavender scents.

More About Uncommon Goods

Uncommon Perks Membership

Thinking of shopping at Uncommon Goods for multiple recipients this year? Pay $19.90 a year for the “Uncommon Perks” membership, and you will receive free standard shipping on all purchases plus double the regular donation in the Better to Give program.* As a bonus, members will also receive two $5 credits during their membership.

*One more thing — We happen to love Uncommon Goods as a company.  They have a fantastic collection of unique gifts, and we could pour over their website Gift Finder all day long shopping for our grads and, truthfully, everyone in our families.  But they are also a company with altruism in their DNA.

Their Better to Give program connects its customers to nonprofits around the world. With every purchase made, Uncommon Goods donates $1 to a Better to Give partner when customers designate a recipient non-profit at checkout. Since the program began in 2001, Uncommon Goods has donated over $2,000,000.

Still, Looking for Other Gift Ideas?

25 Uncommon Gifts from Uncommon Goods