Computer Discounts for College Students

How to get a good deal on a computer for college

Most students get a computer before they go to college as a gift from their parents, or they use high school graduation money to purchase one. College students should hold out as long as possible, because most colleges have significant discounts at major companies such as Apple and HP. Find out more about the best laptop computer for college students. This site also has additional resources that can help both parents and college students choose a laptop computer based on a budget and needs.

Refurbished Computers

College students can save money and get discounts on laptops, desktops or other PCs because refurbished computers are cheaper than brand new computers. Refurbished just means at some point there was a minor problem with a brand new computer, it was fixed and thoroughly tested to make sure it is as good as new. Refurbished computers are tested more thoroughly than brand new computers sent out, but the company can not offically sell it as new. So college students are able to pick up a great "new again" computer at a discount.

Computer Education Discounts

Most colleges and universities have large education contracts with computer and technology companies because they are constantly upgrading and buying new hardware. These large purchases allow schools to pass along a discount to its students when they are looking to buy a computer or software.

If your school does not have a special education discount, you can still get a slight discount by going to major company websites and looking for the education section. You will probably need your student ID and or some other type of verification that you are a current student, but this can save you hundreds of dollars.

Saving money on computer software

Try to find the academic or "education" version of software, it is usually significantly cheaper and the only drawback is you usually can not upgrade it. Chances are by the time the student needs to upgrade, they usually have graduated and have a job.

Other options include trying to hunt down and find friends or anyone that works at these major companies (Apple, Microsoft, Adobe...) typically full time employees receive a very significant discount on software. (sometimes up to 90% off)

Software Demos

If college students are in a pinch and need software temporarily, products demos are also a way to get working software for free. Typically this type of software lasts 30 days, but does allow you to perform basic tasks.

Open Source Software

This type of software is free, and is perfectly legal to download and use for free because software developers are kind enough to donate time and develop software, and they believe software should be free. The only drawback is open source typically does not come with customer support (but you can post on forums and ask if you have problems) and sometime it is hard to know what open source software is legit, so make sure you do your homework before you start downloading and running programs on your computer.

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