A Guide to Graduation Thank You Card Messages & Wording

Graduation is a major milestone in life, and it is important to show gratitude to those who have helped you along the way. It might be tempting to drop the traditional etiquette, but thank you notes are always more personal and special to people that have been supporting and caring for you. This includes your teacher and school staffs.

Sending a handwritten thank you card is especially important to communicate gratitude for any graduation gifts you get. Your friends and family took the time to select a personal gift for you. Show them how grateful you are not just for the gift but for their friendship and support!

Handwritten notes feel much more personal than something that is typed, so make sure you take the time to craft a personal message for each gift giver. Typically, graduation thank you messages are 3-5 sentences long. Below you’ll find a trusted, expert-crafted formula that includes all the elements of a successful graduation thank you note:

1. Greeting/Salutation: Start with a formal greeting or hello. For example “Dear Uncle Mike,” “Aloha Aunt Sally,” etc.
2. Acknowledge the gift:Make sure that you reference the specific gift that the loved one gave you so the message feels authentic and specific to the gift that they gave you.. Consider adding a sentence about why you like the gift and how you intend to use it.
3. Acknowledge the relationship: Include a sentence detailing the scope of your relationship, a favorite memory, or something about how they supported you in your journey to graduation. For example: “I often think about your inspirational classes. You were one of my favorite high school teachers.”
4. A final thank you: Be sure to end your thank you note with a final expression of your gratitude and appreciation for the gift.
5. Sign off: Rather than simply signing your name, include a more formal goodbye such as “warmly” ”gratefully,” or “sincerely.”

Now that we’ve laid out the basic components of a sincere graduation thank you note, let’s review examples of actual wording you can use. Remember to be sincere and heartfelt in your message, and to mention the specific ways in which the person has made a difference in your life.

Graduation thank you card wording should be more personal and informal when writing to your closest friends. These example messages help to convey a heartfelt message to the friends who supported you as you worked toward graduation:

• I am lucky to have a [grandma/father/best friend/sister] like you.
• You supported me in so many ways and, for that, I will always be grateful. [You can list specific ways such as “always making sure I had a good home-cooked meal” or “encouraging me to major in history.”]
• Above and beyond gifts, I am so grateful for the support you have offered me on this journey.
• Words simply won’t be enough to describe how much you mean to me.
• Your example of hard work was an inspiration to me.
• Knowing I had your support enabled me to push through when things got hard.
• I can’t wait for our next adventure in [name a place you both like].
• I couldn’t have gotten this degree without your support. For that I will always be grateful!
• You are a wonderful friend and I appreciate your love, kindness, support, and generosity.
• While this degree took a lot of work, you made it fun.
• Without your pep talks, humor, and general encouragement, I couldn’t have done this.
• Thank you for being a part of my educational journey. Your diverse perspectives and experiences have enriched my life and made me a better person. I am grateful for the friendships and memories we have formed.

• Thank you for your dedication and hard work in shaping me into the person I am today. Your lessons and guidance have had a profound impact on my life and my future. I will never forget the knowledge and skills you have imparted upon me.
• Your classes gave me inspiration and a sense of curiosity about the world. For that I will always be grateful!
• I want to thank you for being my [insert type of subject matter] teacher because your passion for the subject matter drove me toward my career in [insert career here].
• Thank you for your patience with me in [insert class]. You helped me grow as a student and a person and allowed me to reach my full potential.
• I’m so lucky to have encountered your class at such a pivotal moment. It has shaped the direction of my life.
• Your rigorous coursework and attention to detail allowed me to evolve and discover the best version of myself, so thank you!
• While your class was difficult, I am so grateful for the rigorous education it gave me and for the patience you showed me along the way.
• Thank you for opening up my world to so many new things, like [name a fact here].
• I still often think about your class on [insert class subject matter]. I’m lucky to have gotten the kind of education from you that lasts.
• Teachers aren’t given enough credit for the hard work they do, so I want to say you’re appreciated and you’ve impacted me in more ways than you realize.
• While the spotlight is mostly on the graduating seniors, I want to acknowledge and thank you for all that you have helped me accomplish this trying school year.
• Now having graduated, I see how rare it is to have a teacher who is so devoted to their students. I’m so lucky to have had you in [insert class name].
• Thanks to you, I’m better positioned to make the most of my education.

Likely no one has helped you quite as much as your parents. Sending them a heartfelt note will be so meaningful to them.

• I don’t know how to begin to thank you for all you’ve done for me to make graduation possible.
• Your love and support means more to me than you’ll ever know.
• One of the most important things I learned from you was how to persevere when things got hard. Thanks to you I feel I can take on any challenge.
• Your belief in me made me believe in myself. I’m here today because of your love.
• Thank you for creating a loving and supportive home for me to thrive in. When my coursework was hard, you gave me home cooked meals, a quiet place to study, and words of encouragement.
• While everyone keeps reminding me that this is my day, this is your day too. Your hard work and support made this all possible.
• With role models like you, I can shoot for the stars. Thanks for giving me something to dream of.
• While a lot of hard work went into getting this degree, I know there was luck too. The luckiest thing of all was having parents like you.
• Thank you for always pushing me to reach my full potential. Without your love and support this wouldn’t have been possible.
• Thank you for your unwavering love and support throughout my educational journey. Your sacrifices and encouragement have meant the world to me, and I couldn't have done it without you. I am forever grateful.

• I wish you could stand on that stage with me because you deserve as much credit for my success as I do.
• Thank you for being patient and holding our family together this whole time.
• When I try to imagine what it would have been like to do this without you, I just can’t.
• Those long nights of studying are over. Thank you for bearing with me.
• While this took a lot of hard work and studying, I won the lottery when it came to you. You have been so supportive and I couldn’t have done this without you.
• I don’t know where to begin in thanking you. Thank you for the home cooked meals, for cleaning up the house when I was too busy, for [insert other specific examples]. Most of all thank you for your love and support.
• Watching you believe in me made me believe in myself. For that I will always be grateful.
• No more exams and assignments. I am all yours now. Thank you for always being there.
• Your support made my dreams possible. I hope one day I can help make your dreams come true too.
• When I was tired or didn’t believe in myself, you were there. When I was stressed or worried, you took on my burden. I am so lucky to have you in my life.

• Thank you for being my unpaid therapist while I made my way through [insert level of school].
• They say you’re the company you keep and I’m not sure what that says about either of us, but I sure am grateful for you!
• I may be the smart and good looking one, but I couldn’t have done this without you.
• While some might say you caused me more trouble than you helped me, I consider our friendship well worth it.
• If work hard, play hard was our motto, you made sure I never skipped the play.
• While you were more often tempting me away from my studies than helping me with them, it wouldn’t have been any fun to do this without you.
• I probably could have done this without you, but I wouldn’t have wanted to.
• I couldn’t have done this without you. Literally. You paid the bills.
• It’s safe to say we have enough blackmail on each other at this point that we better keep each other around. That’s my way of saying I value you deeply as a friend.

Cash and gift cards are wonderful graduation gifts because you can use them for anything you want. It can be especially helpful when you are embarking on a new phase of life too. The only downside is that it can be hard to know what to say in a thank you note for graduation money. Here are some examples of things you could write:

• Thank you for the gift! It will come in handy as I prepare for this next chapter of my life.
• From the bottom of my heart, thank you for the generous cash gift. I can’t wait to use it for dorm room decorations [or insert some other spending plans].
• You’ve already supported me in so many ways, so I’m truly grateful for the monetary support as well.
• Thank you for doubling my graduation excitement with a generous gift!
• [Insert name of store where the gift card is from] is one of my favorite stores. I can’t wait to go. Thank you so much for the generous gift card!
• Your generosity really went above and beyond and I am truly touched!

• It was so wonderful to be surrounded by all the friends and family who supported me during my studies. I’m so glad you could come celebrate with me.
• Seeing your face made all the hard work worthwhile!
• Thank you for showing up for me—both at my graduation party and just in life in general!
• Thank you for celebrating with me and supporting me along the way!
• I’m so grateful that I was able to be surrounded by all the friends like you who supported me along the way!
• I loved sharing my celebration with you! It meant so much to me that you could be there on my special day.

Now that you understand the formatting that makes a great graduation thank you note and have a lot of examples of the kinds of things you might say, we’d like to leave you with a few final pieces of etiquette and tips:

• Send timely notes of gratitude: Wondering when you should send your graduation notes? A great rule of thumb is to send them within two weeks of receiving your gift. Plan ahead by ordering a set of thank you cards before any party or event is hosted. As you purchase your graduation announcements or graduation invitations, simply add some thank you cards to the order. If you want to include a picture on your card, be sure to organize your graduation photo shoot early. This way you can have cards on hand to quickly compose your messaging and get them in the mail.
• Don’t write all your messages at once: If you do this, all your cards will sound the same and they’ll begin to feel insincere. Budget enough time to spread the work out over at least a few days.
• Penmanship and spelling do matter: If your letter is filled with typos or your handwriting looks sloppy, it will seem like you didn’t really care and were just rushing through. On the other hand, if you take your time and compose your message thoughtfully, this will come across to your recipient and they will feel genuinely thanked. If you need to, practice what you’d like to say on a piece of scrap paper before you use a card to avoid wasting cards.