Super Useful College Birthday Gift Ideas They’ll Love

If you know a college student with a birthday coming up, you’re probably looking for the best college birthday gift ideas. Here are some of the best ideas for college birthday gifts that they’re sure to love!

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college birthday gift ideas

It can be so hard to know what to give a college student as a gift, so if you know someone whose birthday is coming up, you might be looking for college birthday gift ideas for them.

With college students, you want to get them a good gift, but you want to make sure it’s actually something they’ll love and use because of their limited amount of space.

Coming from a recent college grad, here are some of the best birthday gifts you can give a college student that they’re guaranteed to love!

This post is all about the best college birthday gift ideas.

1. Flower Subscription

A flower subscription is one of the most genius ideas for a gift for a college girl I’ve seen. You can order this to get flowers delivered every month! Every college girl I know would absolutely love this. It’s such a unique gift idea too!

This idea is especially great if they live in the dorms or a dreary apartment. Flowers really help liven things up!

2. Gratitude Journal

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The five minute journal is a gratitude journal you can use for five minutes every day. I’ve heard such amazing things about this journal, and it is such an amazing gift idea for a college student!

3. Shower Steamers

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If you wanna help them level up their self care, getting them some shower steamers would be great! You pop one of these into your shower and it immediately transforms it into your own little spa.

You could also DIY these! I’ve made them a couple times and it’s so much fun. I use a 2 to 1 ratio with baking soda and citric acid. I add some essential oils in, and then tiny tiny bits of water at a time until the mixture holds its form when I clump it together in my hand. Then you just pop it in molds and voila!

If you want to make your own, there are a bunch of tutorials out there!

4. Keurig

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If your college student likes coffee, a Keurig or coffee maker will save them TONS of money in college. A Keurig was at the top of my wishlist when I was in college, and once I finally got one, I used it all the time.

5. Noise Cancelling Headphones

Noise cancelling headphones are an essential for college! Campuses can be really noisy, which can make it hard to focus and study.

Any college student would love a pair of Airpods Max. If you want a cheaper alternative, the headphones on the right have amazing reviews on amazon!

6. Earplugs

Earplugs are another college essential. My life changed when I was living in the dorms and finally bought some earplugs. I recently got a new pair from this brand and I absolutely love them. They’re super comfortable and would be the perfect gift for a college student.

This is a great gift because it’s something most students wouldn’t think to get themselves, but they would definitely use them.

7. Wireless Charger

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Wireless chargers are so cool because you can just lay your phone on it and it’ll charge! I always recommend these as a gift for college boys because guys always seem to forget to charge their phones, but it would be a good gift for any college student!

8. Gift Cards For Food

You can’t go wrong with gift cards when it comes to college students. I was always so happy to get food gift cards in college because I was so broke I rarely allowed myself to eat out.

9. Memory Journal

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A memory journal is one of the best gifts I ever got as a college student. You write one line a day for five years. I got one after my first semester of college, so now I can look back and see what I was up to every day throughout my time in college!

It’s such a perfect way to capture memories from such a specific and special phase of life.

10. Beauty Subscription Box

When I was in college, my mom would sometimes share things from her beauty subscription boxes with me, and it was my favorite thing ever. Getting a college student a beauty subscription box would be so cute and a great way to boost their mood every single month!

11. Room Decor

When I was in college, my room decor was super minimal because I couldn’t really justify the expense of decorating my room. Some cute decor or lighting like this would’ve made my room so much more cozy and cheerful! I have both of these now and I absolutely love them. They make my apartment look so magical!

12. Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker

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A bluetooth speaker is an amazing gift for college students. Make sure you get them a waterproof one so they can take it in the shower with them as well!

13. Stress Toys

Every college student needs a few stress toys. They can really help with being able to focus while studying, and they’re also just fun to play with. I have the one on the right, and I am obsessed. I’ve had so many people ask me what it is, and one of my friends played with it and immediately went and bought herself one lol.

14. Eye Mask For Bed

An eye mask is essential for a college student living in the dorms. I always wished I had an eye mask in the dorms because my roommate woke up way earlier than me, and it would wake me up when she turned the lights on.

15. Essential Oil Diffuser

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Essential oil diffusers are so nice for creating a calm and peaceful environment. I had mine diffusing jasmine essential oil yesterday, and it was so lovely.

I absolutely loved using my diffuser when I was living in the dorms, as well. You usually aren’t allowed to light candles in the dorms, so an essential oil diffuser is a must for making your room smell good!

16. Snack Subscription Box

College students are always in need of snacks. A snack subscription box would be the perfect birthday preset to keep them stocked up on snacks.

This is an international snack subscription box! It would be so cool for them to try snacks from all over the world!

17. Self Love Journal

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This is another really amazing gift if you want to level up your college student’s self care. This journal inspires personal growth and helps you learn to love yourself more.

18. Tech

If your college student is in need of any new tech, like a laptop or Ipad, their birthday is the perfect time to get that for them!

19. Lap Desk

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A lot of college students like to do homework in bed or on the couch. A lap desk will make it SO much easier for them to do that! They would use it all the time.

20. Self Care Subscription Box

A self care box is another really cute subscription box idea for a college student birthday. It would send them self care stuff (that they’re probably in dire need of) monthly!

21. Gratitude Morse Code Bracelet

I love the idea behind these bracelets! Basically, you choose a specific message, and the bracelet says it in morse code. Gratitude is a cute one, but you can also create your own custom message!

22. Phone Sterilizer

A phone sterilizer is a super practical gift for someone going to college. College campuses are filled with tons of people and germs, so college student’s phones get super dirty. This would help keep their phone clean, and consequently, would probably help keep them from getting sick.

24. Stanley Cup

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Every college student needs a reusable cup or bottle to keep drinks in. Stanley cups are super popular for college students!

25. Amazon Kindle

If your college student likes to read, a Kindle would be the best gift ever. I got my Kindle when I was in college, and it’s still one of my favorite gifts I’ve ever received!

26. Revlon One Step

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The Revlon one step is so good for getting at home blowouts. I have the thicker version of this and I love it! It’s so easy to use and is so quick.

27. Slippers

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Slippers are another thing that was on my wishlist for a while in college before I finally broke down and bought some for myself. Every college student needs a pair!

28. Sunrise Alarm Clock

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If your college student has trouble waking up in the morning, a sunrise alarm clock could do the trick! It simulates a sunrise to help you wake up more easily.

29. Claw Clips

This would be the perfect small gift for college girls!

30. Shark Flexstyle

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This, or the Dyson Airwrap, is something that is on 99% of girl’s wishlists. This one is a fraction of the price of the Dyson, and I’ve heard it works just as well, if not better!

This post was all about the best college birthday gift ideas.

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