After two years, graduations are back in person! As commencement day approaches, what is the best way for high schools and colleges to show support for graduates and their families? Many educational institutions choose to distribute graduation survival kits as a fun, heartfelt gift for their departing students.
What is a Graduation Survival Kit?
Graduation survival kits are a unique, personalized way for schools to help grads and their families commemorate a significant milestone—typically through their alumni association or booster club. Graduation kits take many forms and include fun mementos, valuable materials, and practical merchandise that the graduate will greatly appreciate in the coming months following commencement.
Typically, a custom graduation survival kit is a package containing mix of unique and meaningful items for the student with their school’s branding. It might be as simple as a box of commencement-day essentials. Some high school seniors may receive a helpful college survival kit to prepare them for traveling and living away from home for the first time in a dormitory. A graduation kit could even include a tote bag filled with a humorous collection of graduation must-haves for the family to get through several hours of speeches and diploma-granting.
Let your creativity run wild! We recommend ordering branded apparel and promotional items in advance to ensure they arrive in time for packing and distribution.
What items are included in a Graduation Survival Kit?
A graduation survival kit’s contents can be similar to this award-winning, customized box that the Eagle Print team created in 2020 for West Coast University’s virtual commencement. This kit contained printed materials, a school-branded backpack, and an alumni license plate frame, among other items, all in a custom-designed gift box.
During the pandemic, some educational institutions gave students a complete graduation package, including their diploma holder, cap, gown, cords, sashes, and tassels, and a selection of school memorabilia. This method continues to be a fun and convenient way to distribute commencement items in the future, even for in-person graduations.
Here are some additional graduation survival kit options to meet any budget:
Graduation survival kit ideas for the graduate:
- Branded backpack
- Faux flower lei in school colors for commencement day
- Graduation teddy bear
- Coffee and a travel mug
- Reusable water bottles
- School emblem cap or T-shirt
- Enamel lapel pin with school motto and class year
- Luggage tags
- License plate frame
- Pens and markers
Graduation survival kit ideas for the whole family:
- Graduation door decor that wraps an entire door with celebratory graphics
- Graduation lawn decoration, like a custom yard sign with graduate’s name and photo, which can be personalized and ordered in advance by parents from the school
- Noisemakers for cheering at the ceremony
- School pennant, hand flag, or custom cutouts of the grad’s face to wave
- Tissue packets for those inevitable tears
- Branded snack selection and bottled water
- Graduation-themed or customized school mascot chocolates
And any other items you can imagine that your students and families will treasure at graduation and for years to come as engaged alumni!
