6 Best Highlighters for Students - Our Top Picks

As a student, you know that highlighting is an essential part of studying and note-taking. A good highlighter can help you identify key information, organize your thoughts, and help you retain information more effectively when revising. But with so many options on the market, it can be hard to know which highlighter is the best.

That's where we come in. We've tested dozens of the best highlighters to bring you our favorites.  Whether you're looking for something bright and bold or fun and unusual, we've got you covered. Read on to discover your perfect highlighter.

1. Stabilo BOSS - The Original Highlighter

Top of the list is the Stabilo BOSS, the Original Highlighter and the one that started it all.  Invented in 1971, the design has barely changed, and this means it does its job well. 

Fun Fact: The flattened shape of the design is actually the part of the pen that is Trademarked.  Created by accident, the shape was a product of a frustrated designer who smashed his fist into a cylindrical clay model, creating the flattened shape and the boss loved it.

The Stabilo BOSS is the only highlighter to come in 23 amazing colours, including neon  and pastel, giving you a huge choice for your highlighting needs.  It has STABILO Anti-Dry-Out Technology which means if you forget to put the cap back on, it will last 4 hours before it dries out.

The nib has been shaped to give you 2 highlighting widths, 2mm and 5mm, giving you flexibility with your highlighting efforts.

The ink is water based so it is washable and won't stain your clothes, and the pens are actually refillable.  Stabilo offer refills for their Stabilo highlighters, you simply dip the dried out nib into the eco ink refill and allow capillary action draw the ink into the pen. 

A great start to our list, the Stabilo BOSS will take some beating.  We recommend this pen because of its huge colour choice and unrivaled performance.

2. Sharpie Accent Chisel Tip Pocket Highlighter

Sharpie is another name that is synonymous with highlighting, and we have chosen the Sharpie Accent Chisel Tip Pocket Highlighter for a few reasons.  It is less bulky than the BOSS above, and comes with a handy pocket clip so is more portable for work on the go.  The ink is non smudge, so will not smudge the writing you are highlighting and is also quick drying.

The nib of the Sharpie accent pens are specially chiselled into a shape that allows you to either highlight text as normal or use a very thin line to underline your text instead, giving you some flexibility with your work. 

Lastly, Sharpies are always very affordable and they are a cheap highlighter option for people on a budget so they will not break the bank.  For these reasons, we recommend the Sharpie Accent Pocket Highlighter.

3. Faber-Castell Textliners Metallic Highlighters

Next on the list are Faber Castell Textliners.  We have chosen the Metallic options here.  Although Faber Castell make a lot of highlighters, these ones are a bit special.  Sure, you can pick up a Stabilo or Sharpie and enjoy their neon colours, but these Metallic highlighters offer something different. 

When using a Faber-Castell Metallic Highlighter, you get a satisfying glitter effect that adds an extra dimension to your highlighted text. The metallic ink creates a shimmering and eye-catching effect that is perfect for emphasizing essential information in your notes or textbooks.

Additionally, the pen's precisely chiselled tip gives you 3 width options: 1mm, 2mm and 5mm to give multiple highlighting options ensuring that the ink goes only where it's intended, reducing smudging and blotting.  The pen's long-lasting ink resists fading, ensuring that your highlighted text remains legible and vibrant over time. 

The pens come in 4 vibrant colours, Glamorous Gold, Brilliant Ruby, Pearl Rose  and Shiny Silver so for something a bit different we highly recommend the Faber Castell Metallic Textliners. 

4. Legami Magic Erasable Highlighters

Legami are relatively new to the stationery scene, but they are already world renowned for their fun and interesting stationery and exuberant use of colour.  It should come as no surprise that they have a large offering of Highlighters.  Our pick of the bunch are their Legami Magic Erasable Highlighters.

With these pens, you get the usual things like 6 bold neon colours, a tip that can write in thick for highlighting and thin for underscoring and washable ink that does not stain.

But what we love about these pens is they have 2 tips, one for writing and one for erasing.  Legami have come up with a very useful innovation here; so if you make a mistake, you simply turn the pen upside down and use the erasable tip. 

5. Faber-Castell Grip Textliner Highlighter Pen Wallet of 4

For people who prefer the most comfortable pen for writing, Faber Castell have designed a 3 sided highlighter with an ergonomic shape that reduces hand fatigue.  It also comes with rubber grip spots along the sides of the barrel to give even more comfort and control over your highlighting.  These pens are ideal for long duration work with the most comfort when writing.

They also come in 4 vibrant fluorescent colours, Pink, Orange, Yellow and Green and they have a chiselled tip that allows for 3 line widths, 1mm, 2mm and 5mm to give a range of highlight options.  And the ink is Universal water-based ink which is suitable for all standard paper that doesn't smudge or blur.

6. Sakura Gelly Roll: Moonlight Gel Pens

 

Lastly, we have chosen the Sakura Gelly Roll Moonlight Gel Pen.  Although this pen not strictly a highlighter, there are occasions when you need to highlight with a very thin line.  Most highlighters can do this, but the Sakura Gelly Roll Neon Gel Pens have a fine nib and can be used for underlining and circling very accurately.  Perfect if your handwriting or text is very small.

They come in Fluorescent Yellow, Fluorescent Orange and Fluorescent Green and because the ink is gel based, you can use it on most papers without any bleed through or feathering.  What's more, because they are gel and not highlighter ink, you can use them on black paper and coloured card, and they will still be as vivid as on white paper. 

Final Thoughts

We absolutely love pens, and in particular, highlighters.  They are on every desk in our office.  They are fun and creative but they are also very useful.  When used correctly, they can help you to absorb and recall information and separate the important from the less important data.  Whether you prefer a classic yellow highlighter or something more colorful and creative, there are many great options available.

From the versatile Sharpie Accent Highlighters to the fun glitter of the Faber-Castell Metallics, there is a highlighter out there for every situation.  Check out our collection of Highlighter Pens for more choice.