As a graduate myself, I know how hard student life can be. Everything is expensive and tech is a luxury for most. Taking advantage of Apple student discounts is a great way to help lower costs on some of the best MacBooks for students while at University or College, and Apple tech that's within your budget should be seen as a necessary investment to get you through your studies.
Apple's education prices are available all year round, and usually offer lower-than-retail deals on popular Apple products including the latest MacBook Pro M4 series, and also the iPad Pro M4 models. Keep in mind that Apple's Education Store is great when shopping for the latest products, but not so much for older models. In our experience, we've found that most last-gen Apple devices have better discounts at retailers like Amazon or Best Buy.
All students will also benefit from 20% off AppleCare+ to protect their new Apple device, as well as one month of free Apple Music and Apple TV+ subscriptions. You can always shop for refurbished Apple tech too, if you're not fussed about owning the latest Apple tech. Prefer Samsung? Check out our Samsung Student Discount guide instead for similar savings.
How to get Apple's Student Discount
(Image credit: Apple)
How you go about accessing Apple student discount varies depending on where you're based:
US students
• In the US, head over to the US Apple Store for Education (ideally use your university network for this part), and you should be met with the reduced educational pricing for each product. You may need to sign up and verify as a student first, in which case, It might be helpful to have your student ID or proof of eligibility to hand when signing up. You might not need your proof, but it's good to have it just in case. Next, follow the steps to choose your items and add them to your basket.
In most cases, you'll get a direct price cut on the item you want, but sometimes Apple also offers a promotional gift card towards any future purchases, emailed to you within 24 hours of your item being shipped out for delivery or store collection.
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TLDR: When you land on the Apple Student Discounts site, you should be instantly met with reduced educational pricing (stamped with the Education Savings symbol) for each product if you're signed in as a verified student or teacher.
UK students
• Over in the UK, it's (unfortunately) not as simple. To get your student discount, head over to the UK Apple Store for Education where you can sign up online via the student discount website, Unidays. This website and its app are free, but you will need to provide some details about your course and university to make sure your account gets verified.
Sounding like it's all a bit too complicated? Don't worry. If you call Apple, chat online with someone from Apple, or head in-store to speak with a member of the Apple staff, they'll definitely be able to help you out.
Who is eligible for Apple's Student Discount?
(Image credit: Marko Geber via Getty Images)
We know it's hard to believe, but you don't actually have to be a student to be eligible for Apple's student discount offers. These discounts are available for pretty much anyone in the education industry, including teachers, education workers, parents of students, school board members, and PTA members.
All you have to do is visit the Apple Store for Education and then verify your credentials or current student status – how easy is that?
01. Further or higher education students
If you're 16 or older and are enrolled in further or higher education (like college or university) and you have a valid student ID, then you're eligible for the Apple student discount – yep, it's seriously that simple. As soon as you enrol at your sixth form, college or university, you can sign up to get the discount.
02. Parents of students
Apple is kind enough to extend the Apple student discount to the parents of those students who are eligible for the deal. That means you can save money when buying an Apple product for your child. Remember though, you can't also get the deal if you're purchasing a device for yourself.
03. People working in education
If you've got this far and you're not a student or a parent, but you work in education then you're in luck. Any member of staff that work at colleges, sixth forms or universities (public or private) is also able to sign up for the discount. To claim your Apple student discount, you'll have to provide some documents that prove where you work. Even those of you working for the PTA or PTO can get on board.
Save $100 Being a student means you can take advantage of all sorts of MacBook deals, including on the latest models like the MacBook Air 15-inch model with an M3 chip and 256GB SSD storage for as little as $1,199 with Apple student discount.
Save $100 We don't expect that students will need the latest and most powerful MacBook Pro model when M3, M2, and even M1 models can do the job just fine. However, if you really want an M4 MacBook Pro, then it's worth bagging yourself $100 off.
Save $100 on the new iPad Pro (M4) models The latest iPad Pro (M4) model was released back in May and you can bag a $100 discount on this new model just by being in education (whether you're a student or faculty).
Save $100 Prefer a full-size computer to a MacBook? That's cool; Apple student discounts are available across configurations of the newest 24-inch iMac with a 4.5K retina display and system powered by the M4 chip. These colourful iMacs are pretty stunning, and for students, the price starts at $1,249.
Be wary of this student deal, as while you might be saving $10 on the retail price (usually $129), other retailers like Amazon have previously listed the Apple Pencil 2 for as low as $89. So be sure to check the best Apple Pencil prices before you opt for this discount.
We recommend this deal only if you like the idea of engraving your stylus, as this is an Apple-exclusive feature.
Get half-price Apple Music and free Apple TV+ As a student you can get Apple Music for half-price, paying just $5.99 a month rather than the usual $10.99. Not only that, but you'll get Apple TV + lobbed in for free, where you can binge award-winning shows like Ted Lasso.
Apple student discount: Get Pro Apps Bundle for $199.99 Need to get to grips with industry-standard creative apps? With your Apple student discount, you can get five of Apple's top apps for $199.99. The Pro Apps Bundle includes Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Motion, Compressor and MainStage - perfect for any creative. Check first if your education provider might cover this for you, as some have software allowances.
Save £110 This is a very high-spec MacBook that might not be the best fit for students on a budget (check out the best laptops for students instead), but if you're convinced you need an M4 chip then this deal is worth grabbing.
Save £100 on a MacBook Air M3 15-inch The MacBook Air 15-inch model with an M3 chip and 256GB SSD would usually set you back £1,299 from the Apple store, but with Apple student discount, you can bag one for £100 less when signed in with Unidays.
Save £100 on the new iPad Pro (M4) models The latest iPad Pro (M4) model was released back in May and you can bag this new model for as little as £899 for the 11-inch model just by being a student in education (or faculty member).
FAQs
What are the best Apple student discounts?
The amount you can save with the Apple student discount scheme varies depending on the products themselves, and any external deals happening at the time. Amazon Prime Day is creeping up and you might be able to bag a betterApple Prime Day deal than the student discounted pricing that Apple is currently offering.
For example, we found that the 13-inch MacBook Air M1 (2020) was priced at $899 as a student offer, yet was also available on Amazon for $799.99.
For more guidance on which Apple device might be the best for your lifestyle (and budget), see our definitive guide to the various iPad generations as well as a comparison of the MacBook Pro vs MacBook Air.
Which products do Apple's student discount apply to?
If you're on the hunt for a Mac, then the Apple Student discount applies to the MacBook Air (with the M1 or M2 chip), the MacBook Pro (13,14 or 16 inches), as well as the iMac, Mac mini, Apple Studio Display, Pro Display XDR, the Mac Pro and even the Mac Studio. But if you're looking for something a little more portable like the iPad, then right now you can save on the iPad, iPad mini, iPad Air and the iPad Pro.
You can also equip your brand-new device with some of the best Apple-compatible apps around, with the Pro Apps bundle. This bundle includes Logic Pro X, Final Cut Pro, Motion, Compressor and MainStage – it's the perfect app bundle for any young creative.
The other big Apple student discount at the moment is on Apple Music. This one's a bit simpler: a straightforward 50 per cent off, which means you pay $5.99 per month rather than the normal $10.99 per month for up to 48 months. Then on top of that, Apple is throwing in two months of Apple TV completely free – how ideal is that?
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Beth is Creative Bloq’s Ecommerce Writer and has the fun job of finding you the very best prices and deals on creative tech. Beth kicked off her journalistic career writing for Digital Camera World, and has since earned bylines on TechRadar too. With a Masters degree in Photography, Beth loves getting to tinker with new cameras, especially camera phones, as the resident Samsung fan on the team. Her background working as a tester for CeX let her play around with all kinds of weird and wonderful products, including robots, and she’s recently gotten into 3D printing too. Outside of CB, you’ll find her gaming on her PS5, photographing local shows under the alias Bethshootsbands, and making TikToks of her dog, Tilly.
