Graduation gift ideas: from high school to a BA, MA or PhD

Graduating isn't just another birthday. Someone sat through matriculation exams, seminar papers or a thesis, and now stands between a chapter that ended and one that hasn't started yet. The best gift speaks to exactly that moment.

Three questions help: what are they doing next — a trip, national service, a job or another degree? What cost them the most effort along the way? And what will make them smile at the ceremony itself, in front of everyone?

Timing is worth thinking about too. A gift given on results day, at the graduation party or at the ceremony itself feels completely different from one that arrives two weeks later. If there's an event, aim for it.

At the end of 12th grade, graduates care about two things: celebrating and getting ready for what's next. So the gifts that work here serve this summer or the year ahead.

• An experience to share with friends: a weekend in a cabin, an escape room night or concert tickets.
• Driving lessons, or a contribution towards them, for anyone who hasn't got a licence yet.
• Gear for the year ahead: a good bag, headphones, a power bank. For more focused ideas there's our guide to gifts for basic training, courses and army release.
• An album or photo wall from the high school years, with notes from classmates.
• A letter from the parents, opened on the very last day of school.

Want to give something together, from the whole family or a group of friends? A shared fund for the post-school trip or a course they dream of makes a meaningful gift possible without anyone carrying it alone. Add a card with wishes from everyone and the gift gets an emotional side too.

A degree ceremony sometimes comes months after the studies actually ended, but for graduates it's the moment it becomes official. The family shows up, photos with the cap, and something small in hand makes the day feel festive.

• BA: something for the first job, like a quality laptop bag, an engraved pen or a desk organiser. A celebratory meal after the ceremony always works.
• MA: they already know what they need, so think of an experience or a treat they never find time to buy themselves, like a weekend away from the computer.
• PhD: the thesis title page framed, a fine binding of the dissertation, or a celebration with everyone who was there through the research years.
• Any degree: a frame for the certificate and a photo from the ceremony, because that certificate ends up on a wall eventually.

And what about people who graduate later in life, after years of juggling work and family? Here recognition matters as much as the gift. A dinner with the kids, a short speech after the ceremony or a recorded greeting from everyone who saw the effort up close says what really matters.

You don't need to break the bank to get it right. A quick split by budget and by personality narrows things down fast.

• Small budget: a book with a personal dedication, a mug or notebook with an inside joke from their studies, a jar of notes from friends.
• Medium budget: headphones, a work bag, dinner at a restaurant they love.
• Bigger budget: a weekend abroad, a contribution to the post-graduation trip, a new laptop for the job ahead.
• For practical types: something they'll use every day, not another thing for the shelf.
• For adventurers: an experience, ideally one you do together.
• For sentimental types: a letter, an album or a video of wishes from everyone who was there along the way.
• For the one who has everything: a moment no shop sells, like a personal greeting from the creator they've followed for years.

Want to write something in a card or on WhatsApp but not sure how to start? Here are a few lines. Copy one, swap the name and add a detail of your own.

On Cow you choose a creator, write who the greeting is for, the occasion and a sentence or two that makes it personal: what they studied, a nickname from uni or the joke everyone knows. The creator records a video made only for you, and it arrives on your order page. From there you download it, send it on WhatsApp or play it on the screen at the graduation party.

You can choose from creators for graduation greetings or creators for degree ceremony greetings. Every creator shows a final price in shekels and a delivery time up front, so you know when the greeting will arrive.

What should you tell the creator? Small details make the difference: the course they hated most, the project they're proudest of, the city where they studied or their plans for next year. A greeting that says “well done on your engineering degree, now go sleep for a week” sounds like someone who knows them, not a template.

1. Check the date of the ceremony or party.
2. Pick a creator the graduate actually watches, and check the delivery time on their profile.
3. In the request, write the name, what they finished and one personal detail.
4. Order a few days ahead so the video is ready and waiting.