Appropriate Gifts for College Professors

The best way to show your appreciation of the time and effort your teacher has put in your education is a heartfelt gift. If you think professors are too serious to jump for joy over some little thing, you’re wrong. A thoughtful gift will make even the grumpiest professor’s heart melt.

If you know your teacher well enough to get them something you know they’ll love, go for it. But if you aren’t sure, check out this selection of 25 gifts for professors. Maybe it will help you find an idea for the perfect gift that will make their day!

gifts for professors

personalized gifts for professors

Pop Quiz Math Clock

This is a great gift for a math professor! You literally won’t find anything cooler than this clock that indicates each number with a different math problem. This is an analog display wall clock made of matte black powder-coated metal with white chalk letters and numbers imitating a classroom chalkboard. It’s an amazing addition to any space!


gifts for professors men

I’ll Just Wait Until It’s Quiet Socks

All teachers have this superpower to calmly wait for an uncontrollable class to calm down. For them, it probably feels like forever. How do they manage not to lose their sanity at the end of a crazy day? This awesome pair of socks features a fun all-over print relatable to every teacher out there who has to deal with noisy students on a daily basis. Show them your appreciation of their endless patience!


thank you gifts for professors

Haven’t Graded the Paper Yet Mug

Have you graded our papers yet? Just imagine how many times a day a professor has to answer this question. It must be quite an annoyance for all professors out there. With this coffee mug, they can take it with a smile. The white ceramic mug features the popular professor saying “No, I Haven’t Graded Your Paper Yet” in black. Your professor will love it!


gifts for professors women

Indoor Temperature Monitor

With this cool indoor temperature monitor, your professor will always know how comfortable their students are. The monitor shows time, humidity, and temperature and has a built-in calendar and alarm clock. They can place it on their desk or hang on the wall to always keep up to date with the temperature and humidity in class.


gifts for nursing professors

WTF Notes

This gift is for a professor who’s sick and tired of it all. These WTF notes are a great way to say it without actually saying it. Let them know what made you befuddled in the simplest way. The checkbox is the most effective means of communication that will never get old. It helps to get even the most difficult message across and spread some fun around. The pad contains 50 4” x 5.25” sheets.


thank you gifts for college professors

Periodic Table Cutting Board

Cooking is the best way to unwind after a long day at work. If your professor likes cooking as much as teaching, they will love this cutting board. Made from natural bamboo, the board is way stronger and more durable than traditional hardwood ones. Use the solid side for cutting, and display the engraved side that features the periodic table and the saying “I Cook Meals Periodically”. This nice cutting board makes a nice addition to your kitchen while being useful!


gifts for college professors

Terrarium Kit

This one makes a great decoration for a professor’s desk. This tiny aquarium comes with one marimo moss ball inside, a rare form of algae that looks like a perfectly round fluffy green ball. The kit also includes rocks and sea fan that you’ll have to put inside yourself and a cork lid to close the bottle. Don’t forget to add some water. Growing slowly in the jar, the marimo ball will bring joy to your professor for years to come.


small gifts for professors

Desk Cup Holder Clip

This small gift can save your paper! It’s a cup holder that you can clip to the edge of a desk or shelf. This holder securely holds a cup of your favorite drink and prevents it from spilling all over your desk. It can also be used for holding bottles, pens, smartphones, makeup, anything really. If your professor loves sipping coffee while marking papers, they can find this one very useful!


good gifts professors

Freudian Slips Sticky Notes

This gift is a great choice for a psychiatrist or psychology professor. The booklet contains a set of Freudian Slips sticky notes with hundreds of self-sticking sheets of different shapes and colors. The largest of them feature legendary Sigmund Freud with a cigar. The booklet measures 3 ¼" x 4 ¼” and will perfectly fit your shirt or back pocket!


professor gifts

Teacher Teabags

If your professor loves a good cuppa, this is a great gift for them. Each of these 25 tea bags of English Breakfast tea has a colorful tag with a witty message. Each message is different, there are no two alike. This will make them look forward even more to a tea break! The tea bags come in a lovely tin that can be reused for storage or decoration purposes (or both!).


college professor gifts

Newton’s Balls

Newton’s cradle is classic! Every physics professor must have this one on their desk. Not only does it demonstrate Newton's laws of motion but is also amusing to look at. The frame and balls are made of metal while the base is made of pressed wood. The item is sturdy, well-constructed and looks awesome. An educational and fun piece of science!


gifts for professor

Aristotle Engraved Quote Pen

Engraved with Aristotle’s famous inspirational quote, "Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom", this pen is such an inspiring piece of stationery! This fancy metal pen is lacquered with a wood-colored finish and filled with black ink. It can also be refilled with the standard Parker-type ballpoint refill providing a great alternative to disposable ballpoint pens. Comes in a stylish paper box.


thank you professor gifts

Infuser Bottle

This infuser bottle makes a cool gift for anyone really because staying hydrated is the essential step to making a healthy lifestyle. This bottle comes with a full-length infusion rod, an insulating sleeve, and the Flavor Up Your Days ebook with 27 delicious infused water recipes. The stunning modern design will make you want to show off this infuser bottle while adopting your healthy drinking habit. Simply fantastic!


professor gifts for men

Aluminum Alloy Round Pen Holder

It will make a great choice for anyone who uses a pan once in a while. Get your stationery organized with this classy pen holder! Its heavy-duty aluminum-alloy body and an anti-slip rubber mat on the bottom keeps it in place and leaves no scratches. Minimalist design lovers will appreciate this simple but useful gift.


professor gifts for women

Laptop Carrying Bag

If your professor carries their laptop everywhere with them, they will appreciate this gift. This laptop carrying bag is a safe and easy way to transport a laptop around. And just look how cute it is! It’s available in several colors so you can choose the one to match your professor’s style best. Compatible with 13-13.5” laptops, this bag comes with a lovely mini-bag for laptop accessories, like a charger, mouse, or headphones.


science professor gifts

Levitating Globe

If you think you can’t surprise a geography teacher with a globe, you’re wrong. This globe will leave them with their mouth open because it can levitate! For real. It works with no support other than magnetic fields, which looks just as cool as it sounds. Besides, the globe shows all the countries very clearly, so it can be used in educational purposes, too.


valentine gifts for professor

Quality Leather Bag

If your professor doesn’t carry around all their professor stuff in a leather bag like this one, you should fix it immediately! Seeing a professor without this essential element is like catching Superman without his cape. This bag is a classic. Made of cowhide crazy horse leather and water-resistant waxed canvas, this bag will withstand bad weather and the test of time. Besides, it will look great with any outfit.


birthday gifts professor

Tears of My Students Mug

This hilarious mug is bound to make your professor smile. With the sarcastic saying “Tears of My Students” on the front, the mug stands a chance of becoming your professor’s favorite item on their desk. The mug is available in different colors, white, metallic gold, and metallic pink. Choose the one that matches your professor’s character best!


gifts to professor

F in Exams: The Very Best Totally Wrong Test Answers

Every time you’re being reckless enough to go to a party the night before an exam instead of preparing for it, your professor cries while grading your paper. With laughter, of course. This hilarious book is a conglomeration of the cleverest (in a way) and funniest answers recorded in exams. Inspire your professor to start their own collection!


retirement gifts for professor

Steam Punk Lamp

This Victorian-style lamp is sure to inspire your professor to new inventions. It’s made from genuine malleable iron pipe and valve to produce this stunning Edison-esque look. The lamp is the perfect decorative source of light that will add an industrial feel to a room. Your professor will love to have this one in their cave.


gifts for history professor

Vintage-Style Journal Gift Set

A leather journal set is the most thoughtful gift you can give to someone who enjoys writing their thoughts down. With this nice set, they can do it anywhere. The set includes a stylish metal & leather pen with a little decoration of threaded leather on the grip and vintage-inspired leather journal with 300 thick pages great for writing, doodling, sketching, and even watercolor painting.


professor teacher gifts

Personalized Clock

This sleek book clock is a great way to show your gratitude to the person who put in so much effort in educating their students. Inside the book, there’s a clock that features a gold spun dial with a three-hand movement and a black brass plate. You can choose the words you want to be engraved on this plate. This heartfelt gift will not only look great on your professor’s desktop or bookcase and but also remind them of how rewarding their hard work is.


college professor gifts for men

Harry and Severus Snape Tree Ornament

This tree ornament repeats the iconic scene from Harry Potter’s first day in potions class with Professor Snape. This initial interaction marked the beginning of their precarious yet incredibly emotional and touching relationship. The battery-operated keepsake also features the audio from this classic scene. It comes in a cute box making this little one the perfect Christmas gift for your professor!


professor gifts women

Yes & No Buzzer Buttons

Every professor would make use of these hilarious talking Yes & No buzzer buttons in the classroom. Just imagine hearing a dramatic “No...No..No...No!” after giving your answer to your professor’s question. It will make everyone in the classroom burst out laughing! Each button has 10 different sayings, which makes it even more fun!


engineering professor gifts

Turning Itself Off Box

Let them know that it’s none of their business with this mysterious wooden box with a switch on top. Place it on your desktop and wait for curiosity do its bit. Anyone who dares flip the switch will see a little finger that pops out of the box and turns it back off. This little prank item will put a smile on your professor’s face when their nosey colleagues give in to the temptation to see what’s inside!