Writing Thank You Notes For Graduation

Graduation is an exciting time! Whether you are graduating from high school, college, or any other academic or training program, it is important to show your appreciation to those who honored you on the day.

This guide will provide tips on examples to help you write thank-you notes for your graduation gifts. For graduation thank you cards, you may want to see what Minted (affiliate link) has to offer.

You may also want to thank one or more of your teachers. There are thank your teacher example notes here.

There are sections below for high school and college graduations. At the bottom, you'll find examples to thank someone for coming to your graduation that could work for either college or high school.

High School Graduation

If you have a child (or children) graduating high school, they will need to write thank-you notes for any gifts that they receive. If you are a parent reading this, your child may need your help to get organized and to not feel overwhelmed by the task. Your attitude could impact how much they enjoy or do enjoy the process. Being prepared will hopefully lead to less nagging to get your graduate to finish the thank-you note.

Tips:

Help your graduate get started. If your child did not grow up writing thank-you notes for birthday and holiday gifts, they may need some help to get started with knowing what to say. The examples below can help. If they've been writing thank-you notes already, it will be easier for them. The difference will be that they will have more to write than usual.
Stay organized when opening gifts. Make a list of who gave each gift and what the gift was as it is opened. Remember to keep track of gifts received in the mail too! Perhaps a parent or another family can make the list while the graduate opens each gift. Record the gift giver's name and the gift. If a list is not made, they will likely feel frustrated when it is time to write the notes and can't remember who gave what. Do not convince yourselves that you/they will remember! Do you remember what you had for lunch three days ago?
Involve the graduate early. Let them help choose the thank-you note design. They may get excited about the thank-you note process if the design of the card is to their personal taste.
Share the space. I have a twin brother and we had a joint high school graduation party. This was another opportunity where we were able to share thank-you note cards. For people that gave us both a gift, I wrote my thank-you note on one side of the card and my brother used the other. We had to be careful to make sure we didn't write the same message! This approach also allowed my parents to save a bit on the cost of thank-you note cards and stamps.
For the money.Money is a popular graduation gift, so you may also want to check out these thank you for the money note examples.

High School Graduation Thank You Note Examples

#1 Thank you for coming to my graduation party and for the cash. I appreciate it and will be saving it for when I start college in the fall. I will put it in my fund to cover the costs of books as I hear they can be expensive.

#2I am thankful for the gas gift cards. They will be great when I'm on my own and having to buy all of my own gas. Also, thanks for coming to the party. I hope you had a nice time.

#3I enjoyed visiting with you at my graduation party. I'm sorry that your kids were not able to make it, but liked hearing the updates on all of them. Thanks for the crockpot. It will be very useful in my dorm room.

#4Thank you for the toaster. I will use it often in my dorm room as I love to warm up Pop-Tarts. Perhaps, I will also find a healthy alternative to toast. Thank you for coming to the party as well!

#5I was sorry to hear that you were not well enough to come to my graduation party. I hope you are feeling better now. Thank you for mailing the check. I am saving all graduation money for college expenses which can be expensive! I will stop by and visit with you before I head to [School Name].

#6Thank you for the graduation money. You are very generous! I will be putting it towards a used car this summer as I have a job now at [Company]. I feel one step closer to being independent.

#7I am grateful for [Book Title] that you gave to me for graduation. I've started reading it already and it offers advice I can take action on right away to be better at managing my finances. Perhaps, we can get together in a few weeks to discuss. I would love to hear your thoughts on it. This could be a life-changing book!

#8I was excited to see you at my graduation party. Thank you so much for coming. I was very surprised and I hope you enjoyed the food and the cake. I also am grateful for the money you gave me which will be spent on new clothes for school, as I will need much warmer clothing for the move to [City/Region Name].

#9Thank you for the graduation gift. I will use the money towards items I discover I need once I move into the dorm. I am excited to start the next phase of my life.

#10You are very generous! Thank you for giving me so much. I was very surprised and will be diligent with how I spend the money. You can have confidence that I will use it only towards college expenses as indicated in your note. Thank you again for helping me to start college life.

College Graduation

Graduating from college was one of the happiest days of my life and I felt very accomplished to receive a bachelor's degree (I majored in math if you were wondering). I didn't have a big party for college graduation as I did for high school graduation, but I probably received a few gifts from family members—to be honest, I don't really remember!

For college graduation gifts people are probably more likely to give you money. You may find the chapter on how to write a thank you for money helpful as well. Beyond gifts, you can use this opportunity to thank the people that have supported you through college in ways that were not financial, such as mentoring and encouragement.

College Graduation Thank You Note Examples

#1Thank you for sending a card and check to recognize my graduation. I am excited to start interviewing for relevant jobs. I appreciate your support and will be putting the money towards a car that I can use once I have secured a position.

#2Thank you for the graduation money. I will be using it towards travel expenses. I am planning to move to [City Name] now that I have a degree as they have many companies that specialize in [Degree Field]. There should be many opportunities for my career there.

#3I am grateful for all the support you've given me while I've been studying for the past four years. You believed in me and my abilities when I didn't. Thank you for encouraging me to keep learning and to stick with it. I love [Degree Field] more than ever and look forward to my first job.

#4Thank you for the money and graduation card you mailed last week. I will use it for things I need as I start interviewing, including a nice suit. I am excited to be moving to the next stage of my life.

#5I am extremely excited to have my degree! I want to thank you for meeting with me once each semester. I enjoyed hearing about what is happening in [Degree Field] at your workplace. Your stories have inspired me that I can make a difference. I also thank you in advance for agreeing to be a reference once I land a job interview.

#6Thank you for doing the independent study class with me during the summer. Because of it, I was able to graduate at the end of the summer instead of the end of the fall semester. I enjoyed the book we read and then discussed together. It's given me a new outlook on [Topic].

#7I appreciate the money you sent to recognize my college graduation. And thank you for noting in the card that it's fine to spend it on something fun! I will use it to take my girlfriend and me out for a celebration dinner. We love the fancy sushi restaurant downtown and normally do not have the budget to go there. It will be a real treat.

#8I am looking forward to reading the book, [Name of Book]. Now that I've graduated it will give me new insights on [Topic]. I am excited that we share an interest in [Topic] and will follow up in a few months to let you know how the book has influenced me.

#9Thank you for the graduation card and encouraging note. Sharing your experience of how your degree impacted your life was inspiring to read. I appreciate the time you spent to write it out. Next time you are in town, let's plan to meet for lunch. I'd love to hear more details from your life story.

#10Thank you for supporting me during the past few years while I was in college. I am extremely excited to be finished! Your encouragement has meant a lot to me and I hope to pay it forward someday.

Thank you for coming to my graduation party or ceremony examples

Note: If the person/family gave you a gift, be sure to thank them for that too. You may want to combine examples from throughout this post.

#1Thank you for celebrating my graduation with me! I was excited to see you at the commencement ceremony. As always, I appreciate the support you've given me over the years.

#2Thank you for coming to my graduation party. Several of my friends were happy to meet you finally after hearing so much about you. Also, thank you for the money. I will try to be responsible with it.

#3I was surprised to see you at my graduation ceremony. Thank you for being there to help me celebrate this milestone in my life. I am looking forward to the next stage of my life.

#4I enjoyed visiting with you at my graduation party and I'm grateful that you were able to make the trip. You are a wonderful mentor and friend. I appreciate the words of wisdom you wrote in the card as well. They will be words I will remember for years to come.

#5You are a wonderful grandma! Thank you for coming to my graduation party and to the ceremony. You've always brought sunshine to my life and thank you for all the encouragement you gave to me to study and finish school.

#6Thank you for coming to my graduation celebration on Zoom. It wasn't the party I dreamed of, but I was glad to have you and so many others wish me congratulations on the virtual party. And thank you for mailing me a card! I am saving the money for college expenses in the fall.

#7You've always been there for me and I was happy that you came to my graduation party. Also, thank you for the book and the money. I will be sure to read the book as I feel like you would only give me a book that you believe will help me out in some way.

#8Thank you for coming to my party. Graduating is a huge accomplishment and I'm glad you were part of my celebration.

#9I want to thank you for celebrating my graduation with me. The party and you and so many others coming, helped me to feel special. Thank you for the cash gift as well.

#10Thank you for helping make my party so fun with your presence. My younger nieces and nephews think you are the funniest guy ever! They were very entertained by you. Also, thank you for the beautiful card and inspiring note.

I hope you have found these tips and examples helpful. Happy Graduation!