Graduation Thank You Messages

Graduating from school is a significant achievement. Whether you are graduating from high school, college, or graduate school, friends and family will want to celebrate your outstanding achievement. They will also like to wish you well on your continued journey.

Once you walk across that stage and receive your diploma, you can move towards the celebratory part of the evening. Graduation parties are full of warmth and joy with families, friends, good food, and of course, cards and gifts from your well-wishers. After all the fun is over, you will need to send out some thank you cards. Not sure how to write a graduation thank you message? Let’s take a look at some best practices, or, if you’d like, check out “what to write in a graduation thank you card” we’ve posted to make it easy.

To Whom Do You Send Graduation Thank You Cards?

It is customary to send a thank you note to everyone who gave you a gift, whether it be a physical gift or a monetary one. If you have graduation attendees who made a great effort to be present for your special day, i.e., traveled a great distance, be sure to write them a special note for being a part of your day, too.

Six Sections of A Graduation Thank You Message

It is good manners to send out thank you notes after receiving gifts, regardless of the occasion. However,  writing graduation thank you messages does not have to be complicated. It is entirely appropriate to make them informal. Be sure to write from the heart and let your sincerity shine through. If you need help organizing your thoughts, here is a basic format to follow.

• Address the appropriate relative/friend by their name.
• Reference the gift.
• Talk about how you plan to use the gift or what makes you like it.
• Add in a personal message to the gift giver or pay them a compliment.
• Reinforce your thankfulness for their gift.
• Sign the letter with a closing and your name.

Sample Graduation Thank You Messages for Gifts

The process of writing a graduation thank you message is relatively straightforward for a physical gift.  Some examples of what graduation thank you messages may look like are:

Hello Aunt Kathy,

Thank you for the beautiful necklace you sent.  It is stunning, and I love rose gold! I love that you remembered my love for that metal.

I look forward to seeing you again soon. Thank you again for your thoughtful gift.

Love always,

Amy

Another example is:

Dear Jamie,

I appreciate you thinking of me at this momentous occasion in my life. I have wanted to read this book for a while. I can’t wait to dig into it soon. Thank you for remembering how much I love to read. Thank you again for thinking of me.

Warmly,

Amy

With a little creativity, you’re sure to come up with more ideas. 

What To Put in a Graduation Message for Monetary Gifts

Thankfully, once you have the general format down, it is a lot easier to write thank you messages for all of your gift items. If you receive a gift that is a check, gift card, or even cash, you may feel like it is harder to write a nice message.

However, it is not as difficult as you may think. You can use the identical structure as the message for gifts, but instead of talking about how you love the present, address what you will do with the money or gift card. If you are still stumped, here are a couple of examples:

Hi Grammie,

I appreciate you and grandpa sending me a check for my graduation gift. It will be such a big help toward my college books next semester, covering almost all of them. You guys are so thoughtful.

Your card was so sweet too. I love you guys! Thank you so much.

Love you both,

Amy

Dear Mrs. Spalding,

Thank you so much for the thoughtful gift card. I am in the process of selecting items for my dorm, and this will be so helpful. I can’t wait to go shopping now. Thank you again for your thoughtfulness.

Much gratitude,

Amy

Inspiration for your own messages can come from events in your life that you have shared with others.

Thanking Others at Graduation

People do not have to give you a gift to receive a graduation thank you message from you. Relatives who traveled a great distance or took off work to come to see you accept your diploma will appreciate acknowledgment just as much as those who gave you gifts. You can even write a thank you card to your parents for all the support they have given you while you were in school. If they threw you a graduation party, you could write them a note about that as well.

Here are a few ideas of what these two types of graduation thank you messages may look like.

Dear Aunt Karen,

I cannot tell you how much it means that you and Uncle Ed traveled from North Carolina to attend my graduation here in California. Having you both there to see me graduate was so special. I hope you had a wonderful time catching up with everyone. I hope to see you both again soon.

Love you both,

Amy

Hello Kevin!

I cannot believe how quickly graduation day went! I am so glad I got to say hi and talk with you for a little bit. I wish we had more time to catch up. I am so thrilled you were able to make it. It has been too long. Thank you again for coming.

With appreciation,

Amy

Don’t Like To Write?

If you aren’t a fan of your handwriting, you can have us here at Handwrytten create them for you. Our robotic machine will write out your messages in a beautifully written style that almost looks like you wrote them! Type up your message, and our robot will write it out for you as many times as you need. You can also upload a spreadsheet filled with your recipient’s addresses, and we will mail it out for you. Just make sure to send it at the right time to get there at graduation time.

Now there is no way to forget to send out a thank you note, as the whole process can be completely automated. With our customizable handwriting styles, you can pick one that closely resembles your writing style.