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Graduation card messages.
What to write.

Name what they studied, say one true thing about the work it took, and wish them well in whatever comes next.

The graduation messages below are sorted by who is signing: close friends, family, the wider circle, funny ones, and short ones for when you are stuck.

Create a cardRead a sample card

Everyone's words in one card.

Updated

Botanical congrats card. Congratulations.

You did it. All those library Sundays and 7am alarms. Worth it.

From Tom

This is your day. Enjoy every minute of it.

From Maya

Congratulations on graduating. Well deserved.

From Dev

Pick a design

  • Marker lettering. Congratulations. The rest of us are proud. "jealous" is crossed out and "proud" written above it.
  • A rosette. First place. Obviously.
  • A house. You're a homeowner. First job: find the stopcock.
  • Cutpaper congrats card. Congratulations.
  • Two clay lamps lit on a stone step at dusk. Happy Diwali.
  • Lino-cut lettering in a printed band. Congratulations on the new job. They're lucky to have you.
  • Marker lettering with a highlighter stroke. Qualified. Officially clever now.
  • A medal. Congratulations on finishing. Sit down now.
  • A trophy. Well done. Genuinely.
  • Two glasses. Congratulations. Pop something.

The question

Each writer gets a question.

One at a time, about Sam. They answer in their own words, or write without one.

Who they are to you
  1. Something you saw Sam do to get here.
  2. The moment you knew Sam would manage it.
  3. Something Sam put up with on the way.
  4. A thing about Sam that made this no surprise.
  5. The part of this that was all Sam's own doing.
  6. Something you hope Sam will stop and enjoy.
  1. The moment you knew you had a proper friend in Sam.
  2. Something Sam did that only a friend would.
  3. A thing you still laugh about together.
  4. The time Sam turned up when it mattered.
  5. Something Sam knew about you before you said it.
  1. Something Sam did for the family that went unsaid.
  2. A habit of Sam's that you have caught yourself copying.
  3. A memory of Sam from when you were younger.
  4. Something Sam put up with from you.
  5. Something Sam taught you, mostly by example.
  1. A small thing Sam did that you noticed and never mentioned.
  2. The moment you knew.
  3. Something Sam did this year that made things easier for you.
  4. A thing about Sam you would not change.
  5. Something Sam carried that was yours to carry.
  1. The thing you go to Sam for.
  2. Something you picked up from working beside Sam.
  3. A bad day at work that Sam turned round.
  4. Something a new starter should be told about Sam.
  5. Something Sam did that made the job feel worth doing.

Or write without one.

Graduation card messages to copy

Pick one, put their subject or their name in it, and sign.

From a close friend

  • You did it. All those library Sundays and 7am alarms. Worth it.

  • Nobody worked harder than you this year, and most of us watched you do it. Congratulations.

  • Proud of you in a way I can't really say out loud, so: well done, doctor.

  • The degree is official. The night we celebrate is pending. Congratulations.

  • You said you would do this and then you did it. Some people are like that. You are like that.

From family

  • We have watched you get here, step by step. Today the whole family is proud of you.

  • Congratulations. Your grandparents would not stop smiling if they could see this.

  • The hard years paid off. Come home soon so we can say this properly.

  • We always knew you had it in you. You just had to go and prove it to everyone else too.

  • This is your day. Enjoy every minute of it.

From a wider circle

  • Congratulations on graduating. Well deserved.

  • Huge news. Congratulations on the result and everything it cost you to get there.

  • Well done. That qualification will open a lot of doors.

  • Congratulations. You should be very pleased with yourself.

Funny

  • Congratulations. You are now qualified and in debt. One of those things is exciting.

  • Years of lectures and you still turned up. Respect.

  • You have a degree and no idea what to do next. That is exactly right at this stage.

  • The hat suits you. Keep the confidence, lose the hat.

  • Congratulations. Your parents can finally stop answering that question at parties.

Short

  • Congratulations. You earned this.

  • Well done. Properly proud of you.

  • Graduate. Finally. Congratulations.

  • You did it. What's next?

  • Congratulations on the result.

What to leave out

Do not ask what they are doing next if you do not already know. The card is not the place for a career conversation, and many graduates are still working it out.

Do not mention the debt, the job market, or how hard it is out there. They know. This is the one day to skip the context.

Do not write a message that is more about how proud you are than about them. A card full of 'I' is a card about the signer.

Do not make jokes about the subject they chose. Some people are still tender about it, and a card read out loud in a room full of family is not the moment.

One card from everyone

Friends, family, the whole group. One link, and it opens on graduation day.

  1. 01

    Set graduation day as the date.

    The card sits ready until that morning, then opens. They read it when the gown goes on.

  2. 02

    Send the link to whoever is signing.

    The whole group, the flat, the family WhatsApp. Each person writes once, in a browser, from any phone.

  3. 03

    They read every message in one place.

    Every message signed with a name. Better than a card passed round a room that half the group never sees.

Create a card

Questions

What do you write in a graduation card?

Name the subject or the year, say one true thing about what it took, and wish them well in what comes next. Two sentences is enough.

Is congratulations or well done better for a graduation card?

Both work. Congratulations is for the result, well done is for the effort. If you know they worked hard for it, say so.

Can you send a graduation card late?

Yes. A card arriving a week after the ceremony still lands well, especially if the message is specific. Late and personal beats prompt and generic.

Part of group congratulations card.

More guides

Somebody has a day coming up.

Create a card

Everyone's words in one card.