100+ Best Gifts for Professors 2024

Expert Tips

How to Study up on Finding Gifts for a Professor You Know

Professors know a thing or two about research. Anyone with the title professor has undoubtedly studied, written papers, passed exams, and researched thesis topics for years to reach that top level of professorship. For professors related to you, here's how to pass the gift test with flying colors.

Ask Profs

You are failing to uncover what could be the best gifts for professors. You’re feeling as frozen as that first moment one hears “pop quiz”. Enlist help! Don’t research alone! Ask other professors at the college, as your sweetheart’s fellow professor friends are likely to have some smart ideas.

Lunch Eats

It goes without saying that the professor in your life doesn’t want to hit up the student union for food — and would prefer to save the cash on pricey lunches out. If your professor sometimes picnics out on the green, that’s another reason he’d love bento-style dishes for portable lunches.

Smart Cause

Does your professor like to talk big issues over the dinner table? Maybe she’s passionate about a particular cause — you could give a donation in her name or look for gifts that give back to the cause.

Commuter Reads

Your professor brother has a long commute from his suburban home to campus. So think on gifts for a college professor to make best use of that commuting time — like a subscription to a newspaper or magazine to keep them informed on the world.

Chic Supplies

Nowadays you can find design-forward school supplies that go way beyond the ordinary memo pad. Help the professor in your life with a stocked basket of supplies, so that she’s set with highlighters and notebooks for the year. Be sure to ask how your professor likes to grade student’s work — you’ll want to include multiples of that particular pen.

Caffeine Fix

Maybe your professor burns the midnight oil with work (or teaches evening classes). Does he drink coffee? Does he have an office at the university to keep a small coffee maker? Or are coffeeshop runs the only option? Think on Christmas gifts that offer a solution for a caffeine fix between lectures.

Presentation Power

University professors have long presentations to prepare and be ready to share with students for class. Ask your professor how all that information is sorted and saved on the tech side. You might score a great idea for stocking stuffers — like a portable memory drive to save that sociology lecture.

Keep in Mind

We’re not suggesting that students should give gifts to their professors — since that can be seen as awkward or trying to curry a good grade! Wait to thank your professors until after final grades are submitted so that your praises aren't misconstrued.

What about inspiration for teachers, doctors, and lawyers?

We've got you covered with these gifting guides: Get Schooled on the Best Christmas Gifts for Teachers Code Red! Here’s How to Find the Best Gifts for Doctors Gift Ideas to Win Over the Lawyer You Love