Thinking of buying a Mac or MacBook for school, college or university? Here, in our best Mac for students guide, Macworld’s experts take a look at Apple’s current line-up and evaluate which Mac is best for students. We compare the MacBook Air vs MacBook Pro for college and examine whether a desktop Mac might actually be a better choice. And we’ll recommend which Mac to choose based on your needs as a student and the course you are taking.
Choosing the best Mac for college or university depends on what you are going to be studying as well as how much you have to spend. Luckily registered students can save money on a new Mac by shopping at Apple’s Education Store.
Students can typically save $100 to $200 in the U.S., in the U.K. the savings are from £100 to £200, Australian students can save between $150 and $330 and Canadian students can typically save from $130 to $270. Plus, during the summer months students can also get a free pair of AirPods or an Apple Pencil with a purchase of a new Mac (or iPad) in Apple’s Higher Education offer.
Despite Apple’s Student Discount and summer offer, our advice is to shop around for deals that may be even better. You may be able to get even more money off your Mac purchase if you go straight to a reseller and you can see the best offers right now below.
How to find Apple’s Education Store
Click on the links below to go straight to Apple’s Education Stores in the countries where most of our readers reside.
- Apple’s U.S. Education Store
- Apple’s U.K. Education Store (in the UK you will need to verify your student status via UNiDAYS before you can view the online store).
- Apple’s Canada Education Store
- Apple’s Australian Education Store
Just note that some resellers may offer a better discount than the one Apple offers students, so check the best prices right now shown below before deciding where to buy your new Mac.
Is MacBook Air or MacBook Pro better for students?
This is likely the question you are hoping to get an answer to: should I buy a MacBook Air or a MacBook Pro for college? As you will see from the summaries below, the MacBook Air is the model we would recommend for most students, it’s light, has great battery life, and comes at a great price.
But there are reasons to choose the MacBook Pro, with its superior screen, extra ports, and 24-hour battery life possibly being essentials for your needs.
We also have a dedicated article where we compare the MacBook Air vs MacBook Pro in detail that you might find useful.
Best MacBook for students
Below we’ll evaluate the different MacBooks from the perspective of a typical student in the order that we recommend them for students.
1. MacBook Air, 13-inch (M4, 2025): Ideal student laptop
If you’re looking for a MacBook that doesn’t break the bank and offers the ultimate in portability and great battery life, then the MacBook Air is the perfect fit.
You might assume that the MacBook Air is low-powered in comparison to the MacBook Pro, but the MacBook Air and entry-level 14-inch MacBook Pro both share the same M4 chip and both come with 16GB RAM as standard. On paper they look the same, but the MacBook Air costs much less. It looks like an easy decision.
There are some differences to the specs if you look closer, though. The entry-level MacBook Air costs $999, but it has an 8-core GPU rather than a 10-core GPU (which would be better suited to more demanding applications, like high-end games and graphics). It also only offers 256GB storage.
But, for an extra $200 you can get a MacBook Air with 10-core GPU and 512GB storage. It would certainly be worth the extra money if you can afford the mid-range $1,199 MacBook Air model. If your budget doesn’t stretch to that then we recommend that you factor in some iCloud storage so that you can avoid filling your Mac with photos and music).
The MacBook Pro with a similar spec to that mid-range MacBook Air costs $1,599, which is a big jump in price. For some people the extra $400 will be worth paying (as we will discuss below), but for the majority of students we think the MacBook Air will be more than suitable for your needs.
There are a few other things to consider. The 13-inch MacBook Air offers 18 hours of battery life, according to Apple. This is less than the 14-inch MacBook Pro’s 24 hours, but more than enough if you forget to bring your charging cable to the library.
The other difference is that there are fewer ports on the MacBook Air compared to the MacBook Pro, but the two USB-C ports and separate MagSafe port for charging should be sufficient.
How much can students save on the 13-inch MacBook Air, M4?
MSRP: $999 / £999 / AU$1,699 / CA$1,399
Student: $899 / £899 / AU$1,549 / CA$1,249
Students save: $100 / £100 / AU$150 / CA$150
You’ll see the best prices right now in the block above, which may be even better than Apple’s education pricing.
2. MacBook Air, 15-inch (M4, 2025): Best value big screen laptop
There is only one reason not to buy the 13-inch MacBook Air with M4: the 15-inch MacBook Air with M4.
The 15-inch MacBook Air costs $200 more than the entry-level 13-inch model, but it offers a better M4 chip as standard with the 10-core GPU, rather than an 8-core GPU. And there’s also a bigger screen.
Another benefit relates to the speakers, which are better than the smaller MacBook Air’s. Here you get a six-speaker sound system with force-canceling woofers rather than the four-speaker sound system of the 13-inch MacBook Air.
Obviously, the 15-inch MacBook Air weighs a little more and will take up more space in your bag, but if you want a bigger screen then that’s a fair price to pay.
Battery life is the same 18-hours as the 13-inch MacBook Air.
How much can students save on the 15-inch MacBook Air, M4?
MSRP: $1,199 / £1,199 / AU$2,099 / CA$1,699
Student: $1,099 / £1,099 / AU$1,949 / CA$1,549
Students save: $100 / £110 / AU$150 / CA$150
You’ll see the best prices right now in the block above, which may be even better than Apple’s education pricing.
Read our full Apple 15-inch MacBook Air (M4, 2025) review
3. Apple 14-inch MacBook Pro (M4, 2024): Premium screen
The 14-inch MacBook Pro with M4 is quite a leap up from the MacBook Air in terms of price, so you may be wondering why anyone would want to pay more for the MacBook Pro.
There are four main reasons to buy the MacBook Pro rather than the MacBook Air though. One is if the MacBook Air won’t be powerful enough for your needs. The thing about the MacBook Air is that it lacks a fan, which means that if you really push it then the Mac might slow down to avoid overheating. For this reason, if you want to use your Mac for heavy processing then you might be better off with a MacBook Pro. Although, in this case, if you have the budget, you might actually want to consider the M4 Pro option (discussed next).
Another reason to choose the MacBook Pro over the MacBook Air is the display. The MacBook Pro offers a 120Hz Pro Motion mini-LED display with up to 1,600 nits brightness in HDR, while the MacBook Air display is a standard 60HZ LED display and 500 nits. Due to the higher-quality display, you can expect smoother visuals, better visibility in bright environments, and better contrast from the MacBook Pro.
One other benefit of the MacBook Pro is the wider selection of ports than on the MacBook Air. The MacBook Air includes two Thunderbolt/USB C ports while the MacBook Pro models feature three Thunderbolt/USB C ports along with HDMI and an SDXC card reader, which will be convenient for those who want to connect external displays or transfer files directly from devices like cameras.
Finally the MacBook Pro battery life is an impressive 24 hours. More than enough to get you through a day and an all-nighter at university.
Are those extra features worth the extra money? The answer depends on what you need from the laptop. It offers better performance for CPU-intensive tasks, like video rendering, and the higher refresh rates will result in smoother visuals and be better suited to high-end games.
How much can students save on the 14-inch MacBook Pro, M4?
MSRP: $1,599 / £1,599 / AU$2,499 / CA$2,099
Student: $1,499 / £1,499 / AU$2,349 / CA$1,969
Students save: $100 / £100 / AU$150 / CA$130
Read our full Apple 14-inch MacBook Pro (M4, 2024) review
4. MacBook Pro 14-inch (M4 Pro, 2024): Ultimate MacBook
It is unlikely that students need the power of the M4 Pro in the 14-inch MacBook Pro (or 16-inch MacBook Pro for that matter) and the price is likely to be prohibitive anyway. But we do see some good MacBook Pro deals, so if you can get a bargain then these more powerful MacBook Pro models are worth considering.
If you need a more powerful Mac because your course calls for it, or perhaps because you are a gamer looking for a machine that can meet those demands, then you can save a bit of money by choosing the 14-inch MacBook Pro over the 16-inch model. Both models offer the same specs, so you aren’t forfeiting any high-power options. Read: 14-inch vs 16-inch MacBook Pro.
How much can students save on the 14-inch MacBook Pro, M4 Pro?
MSRP: $1,999 / £1,999 / AU$3,299 / CA$2,699
Student: $1,849 / £1,849 / AU$3,069 / CA$2,509
Students save: $150 / £150 / AU$230 / CA$190
MacBook vs Mac desktop for students?
Student life normally involves a fair amount of mobility – traveling to lectures, libraries, the occasional coffee shop, and then possibly home for weekends and term breaks–so it makes sense to consider a laptop rather than a desktop Mac.
While the screen sizes in MacBooks are smaller than iMacs, you can always buy a cheap screen and use that with your laptop when you are home. Or, if you also have an iPad, you might be able to link your iPad to your MacBook and use the iPad screen too (here’s how to use your iPad as a second screen for your Mac). You could also use that iPad for taking notes when you are at lectures (read our guide to the best iPad for students).
However, there are some benefits to buying a Mac desktop. Generally, it is the case that you pay more for a Mac laptop, compared to the same specs on a desktop. The Mac mini, for example, is Apple’s cheapest Mac despite having some pretty impressive specs. However, if you compare the 24-inch iMac with a similarly speced Mac laptop the iMac is considerably more expensive.
Best Mac desktops for students
While we appreciate that there are plenty of benefits associated with choosing a laptop for university, you may be better off with a desktop.
1. Mac mini (M4, 2024): Cheapest Mac
The Mac mini was upgraded in October 2024 when it gained the M4 chip (and the M4 Pro chip option discussed below). It also got a brand new, much smaller, design. It now measures a diminutive 5-inches by 5-inches (12.7cm x 12.7cm). So you can find room for it on your desk, or in your bag when heading home for the holidays.
In the U.K. Apple also reduced the price, so it’s now $599/£599 (the price hasn’t changed in the U.S.). Depending on where you are based, the cheapest Mac going is now even cheaper! The only real compromise is the lack of monitor and keyboard.
If you are on a budget the Mac mini is the way to go. Get an entry-level Mac mini and ask around for an old keyboard, mouse and monitor.
How much can students save on the Mac mini, M4?
MSRP: $599 / £599 / AU$999 / CA$799
Student: $499 / £499 / AU$829 / CA$669
Students save: $100 / £110 / AU$170 / CA$130
2. Apple Mac mini (M4 Pro, 2024): More power for less
The M4 Pro Mac mini offers all the benefits of the Mac mini discussed above along with the more powerful M4 Pro chip which brings more GPUs and support for more RAM (unified memory).
If you need an M4 Pro chip the Mac mini with M4 Pro is a lot cheaper, at $1,299 (student price) than a 14-inch MacBook Pro, which starts at $1,849 for students. Sure, you need to buy a monitor, mouse and keyboard, but you can probably find good deal on those accessories.
How much can students save on the Mac mini, M4 Pro?
MSRP: $1,999 / £1,999 / AU$3,299 / CA$2,699
Student: $1,849 / £1,849 / AU$3,069 / CA$2,509
Students save: $150 / £150 / AU$230 / CA$190
Read our full Apple Mac mini (M4 Pro, 2024) review
3. Mac Studio (M4 Max, 2025): Ultimate power, low price
The M4 Max Mac Studio offers more GPU cores and support for more RAM, at a much lower price than similarly specced Mac laptops.
If you need a powerful Mac, either because your course demands it, or because you want to spend your free time gaming, the Mac Studio is worth consideration, and the student discount is pretty good. We’d wait for the new model to launch though.
As with the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models though, we’d suggest that you probably don’t need this much power and could probably use the money for something more important, like accommodation or food.
How much can students save on the Mac Studio?
MSRP: $1,999 / £2,099 / AU$3,499 / CA$2,699
Student: $1,799 / £1,899 / AU$3,199 / CA$2,399
Students save: $200 / £210 / AU$330 / CA$270
Read our full Apple Mac Studio (M4 Max, 2025) review
Which Mac should you get for university?
Our pick of the entire Mac range, if you’re a student, is the M4 MacBook Air. It’s light, fast, and with student pricing starting at $899/£899 it’s very good value. Our advice would be to spend a little more to get the $1,199 MacBook Air with 10-core GPU and 512GB storage, we think the extra $200 is well worth it.
If you are looking for the cheapest Mac you can get, the M4 Mac mini is a very good option. It’s powerful and with Apple’s education discount, it’s just $499/£499. You just need a monitor, mouse and keyboard.
How much can students save on a Mac?
You can save hundreds on a MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iMac, Mac mini, Mac Studio and even a Mac Pro at Apple’s Education Store all year round.
Students can typically save $100 to $200 in the U.S., in the U.K. the savings are from £100 to £200, Australian students can save between $150 and $330 and Canadian students can typically save from $130 to $270. Savings are even bigger on high-end products like the Mac Pro, although we aren’t sure that many students need one of those.
Here’s how the Mac and MacBook MSRP compares to the student price:
| Product | U.S. | U.K. | Australia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13.6-inch MacBook Air, M4, MSRP | $999 | £999 | $1,699 | $1,399 |
| 13.6-inch MacBook Air, M4, Student discount | $899 | £899 | $1,549 | $1,249 |
| 15-inch MacBook Air, M4, MSRP | $1,199 | £1,199 | $2,099 | $1,699 |
| 15-inch MacBook Air, M4, Student discount | $1,099 | £1,099 | $1,949 | $1,549 |
| 14-inch MacBook Pro M4 MSRP | $1,599 | £1,599 | $2,499 | $2,099 |
| 14-inch MacBook Pro M4 Student discount | $1,499 | £1,499 | $2,349 | $1,969 |
| 14-inch MacBook Pro, M4 Pro MSRP | $1,999 | £1,999 | $3,299 | $2,699 |
| 14-inch MacBook Pro, M4 Pro Student discount | $1,849 | £1,849 | $3,069 | $2,509 |
| 16-inch MacBook Pro, M4 Pro MSRP | $2,499 | £2,499 | $3,999 | $3,299 |
| 16-inch MacBook Pro, M4 Pro Student discount | $2,299 | £2,299 | $3,699 | $3,049 |
| iMac M4 MSRP | $1,299 | £1,299 | $1,999 | $1,699 |
| iMac M4 Student discount | $1,249 | £1,249 | $1,919 | $1,629 |
| Mac mini M4 MSRP | $599 | £599 | $999 | $799 |
| Mac mini M4 Student discount | $499 | £499 | $849 | $669 |
| Mac Studio M4 Max MSRP | $1,999 | £2,099 | $3,499 | $2,699 |
| Mac Studio M4 Max Student discount | $1,799 | £1,899 | $3,199 | $2,399 |
| Mac Pro M2 Ultra MSRP | $6,999 | £7,199 | $11,999 | $8,999 |
| Mac Pro M2 Ultra Student discount | $6,599 | £6,789 | $11,309 | $8,479 |
If you’re a student, you can also get Apple Music for half price with free Apple TV+ included.
How to get a student discount on a Mac
You can get a student discount at Apple’s education stores, but you have to qualify as a student in higher education, be a teacher, someone buying for an education institution, or a home educator.
School-age children can only take advantage if the equipment is being purchased by their school or if their parent is home-educating them.
If you are a registered student you’ll be able to get a discount on a new Mac if you shop in Apple’s various Education Stores (below). You can find out all about it in more detail in our Apple Education Store explainer.
- Apple’s U.S. Education Store
- Apple’s U.K. Education Store (in the UK you will need to verify your student status via UNiDAYS).
- Apple’s Canada Education Store
- Apple’s Australian Education Store
Getting a student discount from Apple’s education store isn’t the only way to get a cheaper Mac as a student though. There are various ways to get a bargain:
Look out for reseller discounts: Another way to get a bargain is to look out for deals at Apple resellers and Amazon, where we have see Macs with as much as $500 off the price. Take a look at our round ups of the best Mac deals to get the best prices right now:
- Best MacBook Air deals this month
- Best Mac Studio deals available now
- Best MacBook Pro deals this month
- Best iMac deals this month
- Best Mac mini deals this month
Buy a refurbished Mac: Take advantage of Apple’s refurbished store where the company sells ex-display, returned, and previous-generation Macs at a discount. The benefit of buying refurbished from Apple is that the products are fully checked and come with a one-year warranty. You can also get a refurbished Mac elsewhere with many resellers offering the same service, but beware that not all refurbished Macs are equal. Usually refurbished means that the Mac is guaranteed to be in full working order, but do check with the reseller. Here’s a guide to how to buy a refurbished Mac. We also look at why you should buy a refurbished Mac. One thing to note: if you find what you think is a good deal on an older Intel Mac we do not recommend that you buy one. Intel Macs will likely only be supported with security updates for a couple more years, so you may find yourself needing to upgrade before the end of your course.
Buy second-hand/used: One advantage of buying refurbished is that it should be guaranteed to work and you should have no problem returning it if there is a problem. These are reasons why we don’t recommend buying a secondhand Mac. If you do see a deal on a secondhand or used Mac just be especially cautious.
The best Mac bargains are usually on older models, although we do see discounts on current Macs as well. If you see a good discount on an older Mac it’s important to be aware of what the newer models offers so that you know what you are missing out on and can judge whether the deal is as good as it appears to be. For one thing, older Macs are likely to feature Intel processors rather than Apple’s M1, M2, M3 or their variants, which could put you at a disadvantage in the future (and will certainly mean your Mac depreciates in value very quickly). Considering an Intel Mac? Our advice is: avoid, Apple will stop support for Intel Macs in September 2026. See: How long does Apple support Macs for.
For buying advice on the best Windows laptops, see our sister site PCWorld.
If you’re doing a degree in film and video, or music, or graphic design then it might make sense to also look at one of our other Best Mac For… guides for that subject area:
- Best Mac for graphic design
- Best Mac for making music
- Best Mac for video editing
- Best Mac for programming
- Best Mac for photo editing
- Best Mac for gaming (in case you have any free time)
We also have a guide to help you get the best MacBook deals for students. We also offer advice about how much storage, RAM
Author: Karen Haslam, Managing Editor, Macworld
Karen has worked on both sides of the Apple divide, clocking up a number of years at Apple's PR agency prior to joining Macworld more than two decades ago. Karen's career highlights include interviewing Apple's Steve Wozniak and discussing Steve Jobs’ legacy on the BBC. Having edited the U.K. print and online editions of Macworld for many years, more recently her focus has been on SEO and evergreen content as well as product recommendations and buying advice.