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Graduation Gift Guide 2022: find the perfect gifts for graduating students

Graduation season is upon us, so check out our helpful gift guide to help you score some great gear for your favorite graduating students.

Whether your grad is headed off to college or starting their career, these are our favorite gifts that are sure to please any young adult.

iPad Air 5

iPad Air 5

If your grad is headed off to college, it's a good time to think about upgrading their tech arsenal. We believe an iPad is the perfect tool to help your student excel at whatever college throws at them.

Not only does an iPad offer a great place to read digital textbooks, but it can also replace a whole bag full of cumbersome notebooks. Just be sure to pair it with an Apple Pencil.

When paired with a Magic Keyboard or Smart Keyboard Folio, it gives students a great place to work on papers or group projects.

It's perfect for staying in touch with friends and family, thanks to FaceTime and iMessage, too.

Our pick for students is an iPad Air 5 (on sale for $$559). It's got a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display, an M1 processor, USB-C charging and data transfer, and features all-day battery life.

The iPad Air 5 has a retail starting price of $599 with 64GB and 256GB storage options and an optional 5G upgrade. It is available in Space Gray, Starlight, Pink, Purple, and Blue.

HomePod mini

Apple HomePod mini in kitchen
HomePod mini

If your grad is a music lover, a HomePod mini makes a great gift for any dorm or apartment. Its diminutive size makes it an excellent desktop companion, and if you snag two, they make a fantastic stereo system.

The full-range driver and dual passive radiators offer deep bass and crisp high frequencies. It features a 360-degree sound field, computational audio with real-time tuning, and works with Siri.

It can AirPlay other content from the iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Apple TV, and Mac.

The HomePod mini is available from Apple in white, space gray, orange, blue, and yellow and costs $99.

Subscriptions to their favorite streaming service

apple tv+

One sure-fire way to please a grad is to get them a subscription to their favorite streaming service.

Netflix is the most well-known of all the streaming services. It features over 17,000 titles as of 2022, including exclusive content explicitly produced for Netflix. Subscriptions range in price from a basic plan at $9.99 per month to a premium plan for $19.99.

Of course, Apple's streaming service is worth checking out, too. Filled with exclusive content you won't find anywhere else — such as Ted Lasso, CODA, and The Tragedy of Macbeth — Apple TV+ brings prestige content to your smart TV, iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple TV for $4.99 a month.

If your grad loves science, food, nature, or home & garden content, Discovery+ is an excellent choice. It features plenty of content from The Discovery Channel, Food Network, the Science Channel, HGTV, The Travel Channel, TLC, and more. Discovery+ is priced at $4.99 for an ad-light subscription and $6.99 per month for an ad-free subscription.

If you've got a grad who loves Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, or National Geographic, Disney+ is the way to go. Disney+ starts at $7.99 per month or $79.99 per year but can be bundled with Hulu and ESPN+ starting at $13.99.

Nintendo Switch

Nintendo Switch
Nintendo Switch

Give your grad the gift of games with the Nintendo Switch. It's the home of exclusive titles such as Animal Crossing New Horizons and Super Mario Odyssey. It also offers several popular titles such as Dark Souls: Remastered, Hollow Knight, and Minecraft.

The standard version of the Nintendo Switch with the Neon Blue and Neon Red Joy-Cons is currently available for $299 at Amazon.

Of course, if they mainly play in handheld mode, you can snag a Nintendo Switch Lite for $199. It comes in Turquoise, Coral, Blue, Gray, and Yellow.

Keurig K-Mini

Keurig K-Mini
Keurig K-Mini

Coffee is a must whether your grad is heading off to college or gearing up for a full-time career. Getting a Keurig that fits their life is an excellent way to help keep them fueled up for whatever challenges head their way.

Perfect for dorm rooms, studio apartments, or tiny kitchens, the K-mini allows users to brew up to 12 ounces of coffee in just a few minutes. It's compatible with K-Cup pods and coffee pods from third-party manufacturers.

The Keurig K-mini is on sale at Amazon for $69.99, and comes in black, Dusty Rose, Evergreen, Oasis, Poppy Red, and Studio Gray.

Bedding

Burgundy bedding
Enjoy a comfortable place to rest after a long day of college classes

Sometimes, the little things make the most significant impact in our day-to-day lives. One of the best creature comforts we can think of is fresh, new bedding.

Amazon's Jersey Cotton Bed Sheet Set is an ideal gift for someone's first dorm room or apartment. The ultra-soft, lightweight jersey knit fabric is breathable, comfortable, and easy to care for.

They start at $34.99 for a twin-sized set and up to $46.99 for a king-sized set, and are available in a wide range of colors.

And if you're going to pick up sheets, you may as well snag a matching cotton Jersey Quilt and Pillow Shams. Like the cotton sheets, this jersey quilt is breathable and easy to care for. In addition, its quilted texture is timeless and prevents the polyester filling from clumping over time.

You can pick up a Jersey Quilt and Pillow Sham set from Amazon, starting at $31.77 for a twin-sized set and up to $69.99 for a king-sized set.