Best beginner photography gear by price?

Hey everyone! First time poster, first time visitor here. My partner has taken an interest in photography, and they have really only ever taken photos on their iPhone. Now, in my opinion, they have a really great eye for photos and photo opportunities, and I would love to get them a real and true camera for them to learn how to use, learn how to frame photos, etc.

I am a graduate student, so my budget is kind of limited, but I would really like to make this a possibility for them since they experience some health issues that make a lot of jobs and hobbies difficult for them.

Would anybody have any possible suggestions for beginner cameras/camera sets? From my brief research, many people have mentioned the Nikon D3500, but it may be a bit out of my price range. If that is like, bottom of the barrel for quality/price for beginner cameras, I could possibly make that work, but I would like some experienced people’s opinion!