Graduation season is already hard enough on students saying goodbye to their home away from home, and the COVID-19 pandemic has made it even harder.

For China's class of 2020, the last months at school have been anything but usual. Some haven't been on campus for most of this year, others were forced to take their final semester online. And a great deal of robe-wearing cap-sporting graduates attended their commencement ceremony from the comforts of their home, missing out on catching up with classmates for one last time or throwing their hats in the air in true graduation fashion.

Celebrations may be relatively muted this year, but some institutions have decided to bid farewell to their students with a bit of a bang, giving them well-thought-out and carefully-crafted going-away gifts.

Dress to impress

They might make you look smart, but graduation robes aren't exactly the most fashion-forward outfits out there. They're predictable, both in terms of design and color scheme. But the Central Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA), one of the best art schools in China, has put its own spin on the academic regalia.

They sent out boxes with silver grey dresses that have been re-imagined with stand-up collars, giving the robes a traditional Chinese touch.

The colors of collars were chosen according to academic degrees: orange for undergraduates, blue for postgraduates and red for PhD students.

The dresses were so appealing that many online joked about their interest in attending the school, if nothing else to get their hands on the outfits.

Traditional Chinese culture was also palpable in the presents that Shaanxi Normal University (SNNU) and Northwest University (NWU) gifted their students – a customized name seal.

Back in the old days, seals were an essential accessory and a type of art for scholars, usually made of precious stones, wood or metals. SNNU prepared designs made of sandalwood while NWU splurged on jade. But both the school badge and motto were engraved on the seals.

Bringing out the big guns

Perhaps China University of Geosciences (CUG) takes the cake, pulling out all the stops with flashy bling.

Each student received a customized silver ring, plated with platinum and completed with a gemstone – crystals for BA students, sapphire for MA graduates and diamond for postdoctoral candidates. And as if this wasn't thoughtful enough, every ring featured the receiver's name and student ID number.

"I never expected not being able to return when I left, but I will love you forever," a CUG student wrote online as they posted pictures of the jewelry.

While not as swanky, the graduation gift from the University of Electronic Science and Technology (UESTC) is every bit as considerate.

Students received a key chain with chips they designed embedded inside. The chips were an experimental project, but now students get to take their homework with them wherever they go.

A piece of campus

Other universities opted for something with a sentimental value, gifting graduates a memory that will stay with them forever and ever. The Shaanxi University of Science and Technology (SUST) designed a set of pen holders in the shape of landmark buildings on campus – the library and university's gate.

Xi'an Jiaotong University (XJTU) shrank a stone monument on campus and turned it into a small statue.

There are five branches of the university, first established in 1921, across China, namely in Hsinchu City of Taiwan, Shanghai, Beijing, Xi'an City of Shaanxi and Chengdu City of Sichuan. Each branch featured its own monument, along with an ancient Chinese proverb, reminding the students not to forget about their roots.

The small statue could also be used as a USB drive.

Other presents offered this year include graduation letters, cards with beautiful scenery and hoodies imprinted with the name of the university.

But whether they're jaw-dropping or simply unassuming, the gifts don't matter as much as the gesture. After all, it's the thought that counts.

Copy Editor: Nadim Diab

Cover image designer: Yu Peng