Not at all tacky, a great gift for those going off to college. Another nice gift I think and very useable is an extra large bath sheet towel, with matching wash cloths. I have given these and my son rec.'d one that was monogramed. You might want to monogram the recepient's name on it as well. Also something that every student can use is a duffle bag style dirty clothes hamper. My two really used theirs that I made them and of course they were always full of dirty clothes when they came home from college. Grad. can become so expensive, and it really surprising how appreciated a nice homemade gift can be.