Gifts for Graduate Student Instructors
Personalized graduate student instructor shirts, hoodies and mugs. Add their name, title or workplace to any design and see the exact print before you order.
30 designs for graduate student instructor · T-shirts · page 1 of 2
Picking a gift for a graduate student instructor
A graduate student instructor, or GSI, is the person students actually see in section: they run the discussion, hold office hours, grade the problem sets and somehow still have to finish their own dissertation. Most of them are paid a stipend that barely covers rent, and they're often teaching a course they didn't design while being the first point of contact for a room full of anxious undergraduates. A gift that says GSI on it acknowledges that work in a way a generic thank-you card doesn't. Put the course number or department on the second line if you know it, and the shirt becomes a little inside joke only their students and colleagues will fully get. A hoodie suits the cold library hours and late-night grading sessions, and a mug fits the coffee that keeps them going through the stack of blue books. If they're finishing their program, a year on the design marks the milestone without overstating it.
Graduate Student Instructor gift questions
Can I add the department or course number to the design?
Yes. Many designs have a second line for a department, course or year. Type it in and the preview will show you how it sits on the shirt.
Is there a version for a whole teaching team?
Yes. Use the Team Shop: choose one design, paste the names of everyone on the team, and pick a size for each person so each shirt prints with its own name.
Do the designs work for a graduate student who isn't an instructor?
Many of the designs use the phrase as written, so check the preview. If the wording doesn't fit their role, a design with their name or program can work just as well.
What sizes do the graduate student instructor shirts come in?
Adult tees come in S to 3XL. Hoodies, kids tees and onesies list their own sizes on each product page.
How long does a graduate student instructor gift take to arrive?
Each order is printed after you place it, in 2 to 4 business days, then ships by ground in 3 to 5 business days. The product page shows the delivery window for today's orders.
What if the print has a mistake?
If we print something different from the preview you approved, or it arrives damaged, we reprint it free.
Graduate Student Instructor gift ideas
- A tee for section dayAdd the department or course number on the second line so students and fellow TAs recognize it.
- A hoodie for the grading marathonWarm enough for the library's cold corners and late-night problem sets.
- A mug for the office hours coffeeAn 11 oz mug for the cup that gets them through a full stack of exams.
- A gift for the year they finishPut the year they defend or finish their program on a tee or hoodie to mark the milestone.