Gifts for Engineering Students: Ideas for the New University Year

September means the start of a new university year. For some students, it is the beginning of their engineering journey, while for others it means returning to lectures, projects, labs and probably rather too many hours spent working through calculations.

If you know someone starting or returning to an engineering degree, a small gift can be a lovely way to mark the occasion. It does not have to be expensive or particularly serious. Something useful for lectures, something to personalise a new university room, or simply something that celebrates their choice of subject can all make good gifts.

Engineering students are also quite fun to buy for. There are plenty of opportunities for tools, gadgets and engineering-themed gifts, alongside a few things that are simply there to make them smile. Here are some of our favourites for the new university year.

For the Beginning of Their Engineering Journey

Starting an engineering degree is a big milestone, and one that deserves a little acknowledgement. A Personalised Engineering Student Mug is an easy way to mark the beginning of the journey and can be customised with the student's name.

It should also get plenty of use over the next few years, whether it lives in a university kitchen or beside a laptop during a late study session. Tea and coffee may not officially be part of an engineering degree, but they certainly seem to accompany quite a lot of one.

For More Than Just Taking Notes

A pen is an obvious university essential, but for an engineering student, why stop there? A Personalised Multifunction Tool Pen can take notes in a lecture while also offering a selection of useful little tools for those moments when a normal pen simply isn't enough.

It is the sort of thing that can live in a pencil case, backpack or pocket and prove unexpectedly useful during university life. It can also be personalised with the student's name, making it practical enough to use every day while still feeling like a proper gift.

After all, an engineering student is probably more likely than most to appreciate a pen that does more than write.

For Making Their Study Space Their Own

University accommodation can be fairly plain, and even a small study space feels better once it starts to look like it belongs to you. An engineering or STEM mousepad is a simple way to add some personality without taking up valuable desk space.

Given the amount of time most engineering students eventually spend in front of a computer, it is also likely to get plenty of use.

For the New Laptop

A laptop, water bottle or notebook offers plenty of space for a little engineering personality. Vinyl stickers are an inexpensive option and work particularly well as a small present for a friend or course mate, or as an extra tucked into a larger university gift.

There is also something rather satisfying about watching a completely new laptop gradually acquire stickers over the course of a degree.

For a Little Engineering Pride

A pin is another small way of celebrating someone's subject. An engineering or STEM pin can be added to a backpack, jacket or lanyard and is an easy gift for someone who enjoys showing a little of what they do.

It is also small enough to work as a simple good-luck gift at the start of term.

For Carrying Everything Around Campus

A surprising amount of equipment can be required for an apparently ordinary day at university. Laptop, charger, notebooks, water bottle, calculator, pens and emergency snacks all need to go somewhere.

A STEMinist Tote Bag is a practical option for carrying the extras around campus, particularly for the engineering student who also likes to wear her STEM credentials proudly.

When Ordinary Earrings Aren't Engineering Enough

For someone who enjoys engineering jewellery, miniature callipers are difficult to beat. Our Calliper Earrings are not simply shaped like measuring tools. The smaller sized callipers actually function.

They are a fun option for engineering students who like something a little different and will almost certainly lead to the occasional demonstration of just how small a thing they can measure with their earrings.

For a Little Creativity Between Lectures

Engineering is not only about calculations. Creativity, making and experimenting are all part of it too, which is why building-brick jewellery seems quite at home in an engineering student gift guide.

Our upcycled building-brick cufflinks and geometric earrings can be personalised and changed, giving their new owner the chance to play around with different combinations and make them their own. They are part jewellery, part tiny construction project and, for anyone who likes to keep their hands busy, something to fiddle with while thinking through a problem.

Perhaps just avoid completely redesigning them while the lecturer is explaining the important bit.

For the Engineer Who Likes to Look the Part

University life occasionally requires something smarter than everyday lecture clothes. Presentations, interviews, society dinners and eventually graduation all offer opportunities for a little engineering detail.

Spirit Level Cufflinks are a fun option for engineering students who prefer cufflinks to earrings. The miniature spirit levels really work too, so at least one thing can remain perfectly level when deadlines start piling up.

For Finding Your Way Around Campus

One of the less technical challenges of starting university is simply working out where everything is. New campuses can involve unfamiliar buildings, confusing room numbers and lecture theatres that seem remarkably well hidden.

A Compass Ring or pair of Compass Cufflinks therefore seems like a particularly suitable gift for someone starting university. We cannot promise that a tiny compass will locate the correct engineering building, but at least it can tell them which direction they are heading.

It might even help them find their way home afterwards.

Finding the Right Engineering Student Gift

The best gift for an engineering student does not necessarily need to be expensive. It might be something practical that they use every day, something personalised to mark the start of their degree, or something slightly ridiculous that appeals to their engineering side.

University is a big part of someone's life, particularly when they are just starting out, and a small gift can be a nice way of celebrating that next step. From a pen that makes it through four years of lecture notes to a pair of tiny functioning callipers, there are plenty of ways to wish an engineering student luck for the year ahead.

And if you are shopping for scientists, mathematicians or the wider STEM crowd, don't worry. We'll come back to them in our Christmas gift guide.