Pondering of shopping for a Mac or MacBook for varsity, faculty or college? Right here, in our greatest Mac for college kids information, we check out Apple’s present line-up to judge which Mac is greatest for college kids. We’ll examine the MacBook Air vs MacBook Professional for school and look at whether or not one other Mac may really be a better option.
Selecting the most effective Mac for school or college relies on what you’re going to be learning in addition to how a lot it’s important to spend. Fortunately registered college students can get monetary savings on a brand new Mac by buying at Apple’s Training Retailer, or with one among Apple’s companions. We talk about Easy methods to get an Apple pupil low cost at Apple’s Training Retailer individually, though we additionally speak concerning the other ways it can save you cash as a pupil beneath.
It can save you lots of on a MacBook Air, MacBook Professional, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio and even a Mac Professional at Apple’s Training Retailer all yr spherical. Click on on the next hyperlinks for the Training shops within the international locations the place most of our readers reside:
Plus, beginning in June within the U.S., July within the U.Ok, and in January in Australia, Apple runs a “Again To Uni” occasion, the place Apple provides individuals seeking to purchase a Mac for college vouchers or a free pair of AirPods! Between January and March 2023 Apple gave away AirPods in Australia, however the U.S. deal for 2023 is vouchers in differing quantities, decided by what you buy.
Should you’re a pupil, you can even get Apple Music for half value with free Apple TV+ included.
Apple
We’ll run via precisely how a lot cash it can save you on a brand new Mac in case you are a pupil beneath, then we are going to assess which Mac to decide on based mostly in your wants as a pupil and the course you take. Be aware that you simply might be able to get much more cash off your Mac buy in the event you go straight to a reseller and make the most of a reduction, you’ll see the most effective offers for every Mac beneath.
Should you’re doing a level in movie and video, or music, or graphic design then it would make sense to additionally have a look at one among our different Greatest Mac For… guides for that topic space:
We even have a information that can assist you get the most effective MacBook offers for college kids.
How a lot can college students save on a Mac?
Earlier than we start let’s solid our eyes over what’s out there and the way a lot it can save you with the training low cost.
College students can sometimes save $100 to $200 within the U.S., within the U.Ok. the financial savings are from £100 to £200, Australian college students can save between $150 and $330 and Canadian college students can sometimes save from $130 to $270. Financial savings are even greater on high-end merchandise just like the Mac Professional, though we aren’t certain that many college students want a type of.
| Product | U.S. | U.Ok. | Australia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13.3-inch MacBook Air, M1, MSRP | $999 | £999 | $1,499 | $1,299 |
| 13.3-inch MacBook Air, M1, Scholar low cost | $899 | £899 | $1,349 | $1,169 |
| 13.6-inch MacBook Air, M2, MSRP | $1,099 | £1,149 | $1,799 | $1,449 |
| 13.6-inch MacBook Air, M2, Scholar low cost | $999 | £1,049 | $1,649 | $1,299 |
| 15-inch MacBook Air, M2, MSRP | $1,299 | £1,399 | $2,199 | $1,749 |
| 15-inch MacBook Air, M2, Scholar low cost | $1,199 | £1,289 | $1,999 | $1,599 |
| 13-inch MacBook Professional MSRP | $1,299 | £1,349 | $1,999 | $1,699 |
| 13-inch MacBook Professional Scholar low cost | $1,199 | £1,249 | $1,849 | $1,574 |
| 14-inch MacBook Professional MSRP | $1,999 | £2,149 | $3,199 | $2,599 |
| 14-inch MacBook Professional Scholar low cost | $1,849 | £1,989 | $2,959 | $2,399 |
| 16-inch MacBook Professional MSRP | $2,499 | £2,699 | $3,999 | $3,199 |
| 16-inch MacBook Professional Scholar low cost | $2,299 | £2,479 | $3,679 | $2,939 |
| iMac MSRP | $1,299 | £1,399 | $1,999 | $1,699 |
| iMac Scholar low cost | $1,249 | £1,349 | $1,919 | $1,629 |
| Mac mini MSRP | $599 | £649 | $999 | $799 |
| Mac mini Scholar low cost | $499 | £539 | $829 | $669 |
| Mac Studio MSRP | $1,999 | £2,099 | $3,299 | $2,699 |
| Mac Studio Scholar low cost | $1,799 | £1,889 | $2,969 | $2,429 |
| Mac Professional MSRP | $6,999 | £7,199 | $11,999 | $8,999 |
| Mac Professional Scholar low cost | $6,599 | £6,789 | $11,309 | $8,479 |
MacBook Air vs MacBook Professional for school/college?
It’s probably that that is the query you might be hoping to get a solution to: ought to I purchase a MacBook Air or a MacBook Professional for school? We examine the MacBook Air vs MacBook Professional intimately individually. Under we’ll consider the completely different MacBooks from the angle of a typical pupil within the order that we advocate them for college kids.
1. MacBook Air, 13.6-inch, M2, 2022
Value When Reviewed:
$1,099 (WAS $1,199)
You may assume that the MacBook Air is low-powered compared to the MacBook Professional, however now solely does this 13.6-inch MacBook Air provide the identical M2 chip because the 13-inch MacBook Professional, it additionally has a much bigger and brighter display screen, higher FaceTime cameras, is thinner and lighter than the Professional, and has different advantages when in comparison with the choice.
Should you’re searching for a MacBook that doesn’t break the financial institution and provides the last word in portability and nice battery life, then this MacBook Air is the proper match. The mannequin we’re recommending right here isn’t the most affordable MacBook Air, however it provides the most effective worth for cash and the worth distinction between this and the older M1 mannequin is so small that it’s a type of circumstances the place spending somewhat extra will get you much more. That is much more true since Apple decreased the worth of this June 2022 MacBook Air in June 2023.
This MacBook Air provides 18 hours of battery life, in keeping with Apple. That is lower than the 13-inch MacBook Professional’s 20 hours, however it’s certain to be greater than sufficient to get you thru a day and an all-nighter at college.
There are not any USB-A ports on the MacBook Air or MacBook Professional, simply two USB-C and a headphone jack. Nonetheless, the M2 MacBook Air does provide a MagSafe port (which isn’t discovered on the cheaper M1-powered MacBook Air) so you’ll be able to cost your laptop computer and nonetheless have two USB ports free.
It’s possible you’ll really feel that you simply want extra storage than the entry-level mannequin provides (through which case the MacBook Air will value somewhat extra). There are advantages to selecting the 512GB model, in actual fact, we’ve discovered that Apple’s smaller SSDs aren’t as quick because the bigger ones, however the pace of the SSD is prone to solely matter if the type of apps you might be utilizing entry the SSD often, which is unlikely in case you are simply typing essays or researching on the web. Quite than fork out for additional storage built-in you could discover exterior storage, and even iCloud storage, works out cheaper. (In case you have an enormous Music library, for instance, pay for iTunes Match so you’ll be able to hold your music within the cloud. In case you have an enormous photograph library activate iCloud Images and get extra iCloud storage).
How a lot can college students save on the 13-inch MacBook Air, M2?
MSRP: $1,099 / £1,149 / AU$1,799 / CA$1,449
Scholar: $999 / £1,049 / AU$1,649 / CA$1,299
College students save: $100 / £100 / AU$150 / CA$150
You’ll see the most effective costs proper now within the block above, which can be even higher than Apple’s training pricing.
Learn our full
Apple 13-inch MacBook Air (2022, M2) assessment
2. MacBook Air, 15-inch, M2, 2023
Value When Reviewed:
$1,299
There may be actually just one purpose to not purchase the 13-inch MacBook Air with M2, the 15-inch MacBook Air with M2. The 15-inch MacBook Air prices $200 greater than the entry-level 13.6-inch M2 mannequin, however it provides a greater M2 chip as commonplace with a 10-core GPU, relatively than an 8-core GPU. There’s additionally a much bigger display screen, clearly.
One other profit pertains to the audio system, that are higher than the smaller MacBook Air’s: a six-speaker sound system with force-canceling woofers relatively than the four-speaker sound system of the 13-inch M2, and the stereo audio system of the M1 mannequin.
The 15-inch MacBook Air weighs somewhat extra and can take up more room in your bag, however if you’d like a much bigger display screen then that’s a good value to pay.
Battery life is similar 18-hours as the opposite 13-inch MacBook Air fashions.
How a lot can college students save on the 15-inch MacBook Air, M2?
MSRP: $1,299 / £1,399 / AU$2,199 / CA$1,749
Scholar: $1,199 / £1,289 / AU$1,999 / CA$1,599
College students save: $100 / £110 / AU$200 / CA$150
You’ll see the most effective costs proper now within the block above, which can be even higher than Apple’s training pricing.
Learn our full
Apple 15-inch MacBook Air (M2, 256 GB, 2023) assessment
3. MacBook Professional, 13-inch, M2, 2022
Value When Reviewed:
$1,299
The MacBook Professional are dearer and extra highly effective Mac laptops than the Air. The vary begins from $1,299/£1,349 for the 13-inch MacBook Professional and goes as much as $3,499/£3,749 for the top-of-the-range 16-inch model (we don’t suppose you’ll want that mannequin!)
There are two variations of the 13-inch MacBook Professional to select from: one has 256GB of storage whereas the opposite has 512GB, however prices an additional £200/$200. There isn’t any different distinction between the 2 fashions so it’s worthwhile to determine if the additional storage is critical. Should you suppose you want extra storage due to the dimensions of your photograph or music library we might recommend that you simply to iCloud storage options corresponding to iCloud Images and iTunes Match. If you’re probably to make use of apps that entry the SSD often then you could profit from the larger drive, which in assessments has been confirmed to be sooner.
One other good thing about the 13-inch MacBook Professional in comparison with the MacBook Air is its 20 hours of battery life. This beats the MacBook Air by 2 hours. The truth is, it beats the 14-inch MacBook Professional by 3 hours. Older Intel-powered Mac laptops solely claimed 10 hours so it is a good thing about the M1 and later Macs.
This entry-level MacBook Professional comes with two Thunderbolt 3 ports (which double up as USB 4). You gained’t discover the older USB-A port on any new Mac laptop computer. In order for you USB-A ports you would need to contemplate a second-hand Mac laptop computer, a desktop Mac, get an adaptor, or simply do away with your previous mouse and keyboard and go wi-fi. Right here’s our round-up of the most effective USB C docks. The 14-inch or 16-inch MacBook Professional provide a wider collection of ports together with HDMI, SD card reader, and MagSafe charging along with the USB/Thunderbolt ports.
For many, the entry-level MacBook Professional mannequin ought to be a good sufficient spec to get your work executed with none points.
How a lot can college students save on the 13-inch MacBook Professional, M2?
MSRP: $1,299 / £1,349 / AU$1,999 / CA$1,699
Scholar: $1,199 / £1,249 / AU$1,849 / CA$1,574
College students save: $100 / £150 / AU$150 / CA$125
Learn our full
Apple 13-inch MacBook Professional (M2, 2022) assessment
4. MacBook Professional, 14-inch, M2 Professional, 2023
Value When Reviewed:
From $1,999 | Mannequin reviewed $2,499
It’s unlikely that college students want the facility of a 14-inch MacBook Professional, or 16-inch MacBook Professional for that matter, and the worth is prone to be prohibitive anyway. However we do see some excellent MacBook Professional offers on occasion, so if you may get a discount then these bigger MacBook Professional fashions are value contemplating.
Should you want a extra highly effective Mac as a result of your course requires it, or maybe as a result of you’re a gamer searching for a machine that may meet these calls for, then it can save you a bit of cash by selecting the 14-inch MacBook Professional over the 16-inch mannequin. Each fashions provide the identical specs, so that you aren’t forfeiting any high-power choices. Learn: 14-inch vs 16-inch MacBook Professional.
The 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Professional provide a a lot wider collection of ports than every other Mac laptop computer, together with HDMI, SD card reader, and MagSafe charging along with the USB/Thunderbolt ports.
How a lot can college students save on the 14-inch MacBook Professional, M2 Professional?
MSRP: $1,999 / £2,149 / AU$3,199 / CA$2,599
Scholar: $1,849 / £1,989 / AU$2,959 / CA$2,399
College students save: $150 / £160 / AU$240 / CA$200
Learn our full
Apple 14-inch MacBook Professional (M2 Professional, 2023) assessment
5. MacBook Air, 13.3-inch, M1, 2020
Value When Reviewed:
From $999
College students seeking to spend as little cash as doable might be contemplating the M1 MacBook Air, which is simply $899/£899 for college kids. That’s $100/£150 lower than the newer M2 MacBook Air ($999/£1,049 for college kids).
That’s not an enormous saving, so, if it’s all it’s important to spend, we advise you store round a bit before you purchase: you could discover a low cost on the M2 13-inch MacBook Air that beats Apple’s Scholar low cost on the older mannequin.
We advocate spending that additional $100 as a result of the M2 MacBook Air is the higher buy. The M1 MacBook Air, which launched in November 2020, will probably be three years previous earlier than the top of 2023, it doesn’t provide the larger display screen or the superior FaceTime digital camera of the M2 MacBook Air, and the newer M2-chip is superior to the M1 inside this MacBook Air. The M2 mannequin additionally benefited from a redesign.
That stated, the M1 MacBook Air will probably be greater than sufficient for a pupil, particularly these predominantly writing essays and conducting analysis.
If upgrading to the M2 MacBook Air isn’t doable, this may nonetheless be a very good buy that may stand you in good stead for a couple of years.
How a lot can college students save on the 13-inch MacBook Air, M1?
MSRP: $999 / £999 / AU$1,499 / CA$1,299
Scholar: $899 / £899 /AU$1,349 / CA$1,169
College students save: $100 / £100 / AU$150 / CA$130
Learn our full
Apple MacBook Air (2020) M1 assessment
MacBook vs Mac desktop for college kids?
Scholar life usually includes a good quantity of mobility – touring to lectures, libraries, the occasional espresso store, after which probably house for weekends and time period breaks–so it is smart to think about a laptop computer relatively than a desktop Mac.
Whereas the display screen sizes in MacBooks are smaller than iMacs, you’ll be able to at all times purchase an affordable display screen and use that together with your laptop computer when you’re house. Or, in the event you even have an iPad, you may have the ability to hyperlink your iPad to your MacBook and use the iPad display screen too (right here’s find out how to use your iPad as a second display screen to your Mac). You could possibly additionally use that iPad for taking notes when you’re at lectures (learn our information to the most effective iPad for college kids).
Nonetheless, there are some advantages to purchasing a Mac desktop. Typically, it’s the case that you simply pay extra for a Mac laptop computer, in comparison with the identical specs on a desktop. The Mac mini, for instance, is Apple’s least expensive Mac regardless of having some fairly spectacular specs. Nonetheless, in the event you examine the 24-inch iMac with a equally speced Mac laptop computer the iMac is significantly dearer.
iMac vs Mac mini vs Mac Studio for college kids
Whereas we admire that there are many advantages related to selecting a laptop computer for college, you could be higher off with a desktop.
1. Mac mini, M2, 2023
Value When Reviewed:
From $599
The Mac mini was final upgraded in January 2023 when it gained the M2 chip (and the M2 Professional chip choice mentioned beneath). Apple additionally decreased the worth to $599/£649 so the most affordable Mac going is now even cheaper! The one actual compromise is the dearth of monitor and keyboard.
The Mac mini is about as moveable as a desktop Mac can get. You could possibly, in idea, take it house on the prepare, so long as you had a spare monitor ready for you whenever you received there.
If you’re on a funds the Mac mini is the best way to go. Get an entry-level Mac mini and ask round for an previous keyboard, mouse and monitor.
How a lot can college students save on the Mac mini, M2?
MSRP: $599 / £649 / AU$999 / CA$799
Scholar: $499 / £539 / AU$829 / CA$669
College students save: $100 / £110 / AU$170 / CA$130
Learn our full
Apple Mac mini (M2, 2023) assessment
2. Apple Mac mini (M2 Professional, 2023)
Value When Reviewed:
$1,299
The M2 Professional Mac mini provides all the advantages of the Mac mini mentioned above together with the extra highly effective M2 Professional chip which brings extra GPUs and assist for extra RAM (unified reminiscence).
Should you want an M2 Professional chip the Mac mini with M2 Professional is rather a lot cheaper, at $1,199 (pupil value) than a 14-inch MacBook Professional, which begins at $1,849 for college kids.
Learn our full
Apple Mac mini (M2 Professional, 2023) assessment
3. Mac Studio, M2 Max, 2023
Value When Reviewed:
£1,999
Just like the M2 Professional Mac mini, the M2 Max Mac Studio brings a extra highly effective chip, with extra GPU cores and assist for extra RAM, at a a lot lower cost than equally specced Mac laptops.
Should you want a robust Mac, both as a result of your course calls for it, or since you need to spend your free time gaming, the Mac Studio is value consideration, and the coed low cost is fairly good.
As with the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Professional fashions although, we’d recommend that you simply most likely don’t want this a lot energy and will most likely use the cash for one thing extra necessary, like lodging or meals.
How a lot can college students save on the Mac Studio?
MSRP: $1,999 / £2,099 / AU$3,299 / CA$2,699
Scholar: $1,799 / £1,889 / AU$2,969 / CA$2,429
College students save: $200 / £210 / AU$330 / CA$270
Learn our full
Apple Mac Studio (M2 Max, 2023) assessment
4. iMac, 24-inch, M1
Value When Reviewed:
From $1,299
Again in Might 2021 Apple launched a 24-inch iMac with a model new design that is available in a alternative of seven completely different colors and has a M1 processor. Due to its design it’s actually a Mac that may make an announcement to anybody coming into your dorm room.
The iMac could be one for consideration for a pupil–however it’s a non-portable Mac, which could deter many college students from buying one. You gained’t have the ability to take it with you to lectures–or cart it house on a prepare for the vacations–however it is possible for you to to work extra effectively due to its 24-inch display screen.
The largest issues with the iMac although are its age and its value. That is the April 2021 mannequin so it nonetheless options the M1 chip, with each different Mac having been up to date now. It’s additionally received an unfathomably excessive value, even with the coed low cost.
We don’t advocate you purchase one, no less than not till Apple upgrades the specs.
How a lot can college students save on the iMac?
MSRP: $1,299 / £1,399 / AU$1,999 / CA$1,699
Scholar low cost: $1,249 / £1,349 / AU$1,919 / CA$1,629
College students save: $50 / £210 / AU$330 / CA$270
Learn our full
Apple 24-inch iMac (M1, 2021) assessment
Which Mac do you have to get for college?
Our choose of your entire Mac vary, in the event you’re a pupil, is the M2 MacBook Air. It offers you a greater display screen, higher webcam and a beautiful new design to point out off in lectures. It’s mild, quick, and with pupil pricing beginning at $999/£999 it’s excellent worth.
You could possibly save by choosing the older M1 MacBook Air, however, in case you are searching for the most affordable Mac you may get, the M2 Mac mini is an excellent choice. It’s highly effective and with Apple’s training low cost, it’s simply $499/£539. You simply want a monitor, mouse and keyboard.
Easy methods to get a reduction on a Mac for college or college
You may get a pupil low cost at Apple’s training shops, however it’s important to qualify as a pupil in larger training, be a trainer, somebody shopping for for an training establishment, or a house educator. Faculty-age youngsters can solely take benefit if the gear is being bought by their college or if their father or mother is home-educating them. If you’re a registered pupil you’ll have the ability to get a reduction on a brand new Mac in the event you store in Apple’s numerous Training Shops (beneath). You will discover out all about it in additional element in our Apple Training Retailer explainer.
Getting a pupil low cost from Apple’s training retailer isn’t the one solution to get a less expensive Mac as a pupil although. There are numerous methods to get a discount:
Look out for reseller reductions: One other solution to get a discount is to look out for offers at Apple resellers and Amazon, the place now we have see Macs with as a lot as $500 off the worth. Check out our spherical ups of the most effective Mac offers to get the most effective costs proper now:
Purchase a refurbished Mac: Reap the benefits of Apple’s refurbished retailer the place the corporate sells ex-display, returned, and previous-generation Macs at a reduction. The advantage of shopping for refurbished from Apple is that the merchandise are totally checked and include a one-year guarantee. You may as well get a refurbished Mac elsewhere with many resellers providing the identical service, however beware that not all refurbished Macs are equal. Often refurbished signifies that the Mac is assured to be in full working order, however do examine with the reseller. Right here’s a information to find out how to purchase a refurbished Mac. We additionally have a look at why you should purchase a refurbished Mac.
Purchase second hand/used: One benefit of shopping for refurbished is that it ought to be assured to work and you shouldn’t have any drawback returning it if there’s a drawback. These are the explanation why we don’t advocate shopping for a second hand Mac. Should you do see a deal on a second hand or used Mac simply be particularly cautious.
One of the best Mac bargains are normally on older fashions, though we do see reductions on present Macs as nicely. Should you see a very good low cost on an older Mac it’s necessary to concentrate on what the newer fashions provides in order that you understand what you might be lacking out on and might choose whether or not the deal is pretty much as good because it seems to be. For one factor, older Macs are prone to characteristic Intel processors relatively than Apple’s M1, M2 or their variants, which might put you at an obstacle sooner or later (and will definitely imply your Mac depreciates in worth in a short time). If you’re selecting an Intel Mac then ensure that it’s a comparatively current Intel chip to make sure that Apple will no less than assist that Mac till the top of your course. See: How lengthy does Apple assist Macs for.
If you’re a pupil right here’s find out how to get Apple Music for half value. Plus college students with an Apple Music pupil subscription additionally get free entry to Apple TV+ for a restricted time.
