35 Colleges Offering Free Laptops in 2025
May 26, 2025
In addition to a college or university鈥檚 sticker price, which includes tuition, fees, and room and board, there are a number of additional hidden costs, from books and course materials to travel expenses and health care. One of the most costly鈥攂ut increasingly necessary鈥攊tems is a personal laptop and reliable internet access. Not all students have the means to invest in a quality laptop that will last the length of their studies and beyond. Seeing this gap in access, there are a growing number of colleges offering free laptops to students
Some of these free laptop programs are available to all students, while some might have additional eligibility requirements, such as proof of financial need. There are also a number of community colleges and online colleges offering free laptops. We鈥檝e compiled a list of these programs below, divided into the following categories:
- Colleges Offering Free Laptops for All Students
- Free Laptop Programs with Eligibility Requirements
- Online Colleges Offering Free Laptops
- Community Colleges with Free Laptop Programs
- Colleges Offering Discounted Laptops
- Additional Resources for Free or Discounted Laptops for Students
Under each school on our list, we鈥檝e included the eligibility criteria, the specific kind of laptops available, whether the program is a gift program or a loan program, as well as any other pertinent details. You can also follow the links below to learn more about each institution.
Colleges Offering Free Laptops for All Students
The following colleges have programs that offer free laptops to any students who need them. While some free laptop programs have more specific eligibility requirements, these colleges are either universal laptop programs or are simply available to all students who might need them.
1)
Eligibility: All full-time first-year or transfer students
Technology offered: MacBook Pro, iPad, Apple Pencil, and Apple Watch
Details: As an Apple Distinguished School, Moravian provides a suite of free Apple technology to every incoming undergraduate (both freshmen and transfer students) after they accept their offer of admission. The devices are the students鈥 to keep, throughout their time at Moravian and after they graduate.
2)
Eligibility: All incoming students
Technology offered: MacBook Pro, iPad mini, Apple Pencil
Details: Through its Digital Excellence Commitment, Bowdoin College provides every incoming student with a suite of free Apple technology. Students have the option to pay $1 to keep their equipment when they graduate.
3)
Eligibility: All students
Technology offered: iPad Air, Apple Pencil Pro
Details: The University of Kentucky iPad Initiative provides incoming first-year and transfer students with new devices. Upon graduation, the ownership of the device transfers to the graduating student.
4)
Eligibility: All full-time first-year students
Technology offered: New Dell laptops
Details: As part of DSU鈥檚 Wireless Mobile Computing Initiative, all incoming full-time freshmen are provided with new Dell laptops. After four years of continuous uninterrupted participation in the WMCI laptop program, students are eligible to keep their laptop. Incoming spring-semester freshmen and transfer students are provided with new or refurbished laptops, based on inventory.
5)
Eligibility: All students
Technology offered: iPad, Apple Pencil, Smart Keyboard
Details: As an Apple Distinguished School, SVU provides all full-time students with an iPad kit, at no extra cost above tuition. Students who complete their degrees can keep their devices.
6)
Eligibility: All on-campus undergraduate students
Technology offered: iPad, Apple Pencil, Smart Keyboard
Details: The iFisher Next Generation Learning Initiative provides all on-campus undergraduates (including first-years and transfer students) and Pharmacy P1 students with devices. Upon graduation, the ownership of the device transfers to the graduating student.
7)
Eligibility: All students
Technology offered: Laptop computers, models vary
Details: Northwest provides free laptops on loan to all students (with the exception of Online Professional program students). Students can keep and use these laptops for the entirety of their enrollment at Northwest, including summers, but must return the laptops on or before the last day of final exams in their last semester.
8)
Eligibility: All students
Technology offered: MacBook Pro, Dell Windows, Dell Chromebook
Details: SDSU offers a range of technology loans through its university library. Students can check out laptops for a semester at a time (renewable each semester). There are also short-term loans for laptop equipment, as well as tablets, cameras, and projectors.
9)
Eligibility: All students (first come, first served)
Technology offered: Dell laptops
Details: Students with current SBU student IDs can request short-term or semester-long laptop loans. The number of loaner laptops is limited, so students are encouraged to request devices at the start of the semester.
10)
Eligibility: All students (priority given to students with financial need)
Technology offered: Laptop computers, models vary
Details: The Laptop Loan Program at SUNY Empire provides students with laptops on loan for a semester at a time. As a primarily online institution, students will have their laptops shipped directly to them, and can renew their devices for the duration of their studies. While all students are eligible, priority is given to students who are Pell recipients, low-income, or are members of an opportunity program at SUNY Empire.
11)
Eligibility: All students (first come, first served)
Technology offered: Laptop computers, models vary
Details: UT Dallas鈥檚 Office of Information Technology has a limited number of computers and webcams that currently enrolled students can borrow on a semester-long basis. Loans are reserved for students who do not have access to their own personal devices for coursework.
12)
Eligibility: All students (first come, first served)
Technology offered: PCs, MacBooks, iPads
Details: The Center for Equitable Digital Access at Cal State Fullerton offers a semester-long device loan program for enrolled students. Along with one primary device, students can also request monitors, eGPUs, and MiFi personal hotspots.
13)
Eligibility: All students (first come, first served)
Technology offered: Dell Laptops, Microsoft Surface Go devices, Apple iPads
Details: Through an initiative called STEP (Student Technology Equity Program), CSU Bakersfield offers students free devices on loan through the academic school year. Students can renew their device access for each year of their studies.
14)
Eligibility: All students (first come, first served)
Technology offered: Laptop computers, models vary
Details: Cal State East Bay offers a laptop loaner program for students to check out devices for a semester at a time. Device rentals are renewable as long as students provide proof of continued enrollment.
15)
Eligibility: All students (first come, first served)
Technology offered: Dell Latitude or MacBook Pro
Details: Cal State Dominguez Hills offers a Technology Checkout Program for currently enrolled students. Loans are typically for a semester, but students can renew their equipment if they continue to be enrolled in the following semester.
Free Laptop Programs with Eligibility Requirements
Below you鈥檒l find a list of colleges offering free laptops for students in particular majors or fields of study, or with particular academic standing. There are also programs here that require students to meet particular need-based thresholds.
16)
Eligibility: Incoming first-year and transfer students receiving financial aid
Technology offered: Laptop computers, models vary
Details: WashU assigns Technology Grants (store credit of $1,525) to all eligible incoming first-year and transfer students. Grants are given to financial aid recipients coming from families with $200,000 or less in annual income. Funds can only be used to purchase a laptop through the WashU Campus Store, and computers must be purchased during a student鈥檚 first semester.
17)
Eligibility: Students receiving scholarships
Technology offered: MacBook Air or Surface laptop
Details: The WakeWare program offers Technology Grants to incoming undergraduate students who receive need-based, merit, or athletic scholarships during their first two years of enrollment. The grant covers the full cost of a standard WakeWare laptop.
18)
Eligibility: Pell grant-eligible students
Technology offered: New Dell laptops, models vary
Details: The UT for Me program at UT Austin is for Pell grant-eligible incoming first-years enrolling full-time. There is no separate application for UT for Me; benefits are awarded based on financial need information included in the student鈥檚 FAFSA. Students receive new laptops that are theirs to keep, as well as textbook credits to purchase course materials.
19)
Eligibility: Students with financial need
Technology offered: Microsoft Surface or iPads
Details: OSU鈥檚 Student Technology Loan Program provides devices on loan to students with demonstrated financial need and limited technology access. Loans are typically assigned by semester, and students can renew their loan if they continue to meet eligibility requirements.
20)
Eligibility: Students with financial need
Technology offered: Laptop computers, models vary
Details: The Internet for All initiative at Mercy University offers students free laptops and WiFi hotspots, with priority to those with the highest financial need. Students are able to keep their devices after they complete their degree programs.
21)
Eligibility: Students with financial need or emergency circumstances
Technology offered: Laptop computers, models vary
Details: The Student Care and Resource Center at Indiana University offers a semester-long loaner laptop program for students with financial need facing unforeseen circumstances. Loans may be renewed on a case-by-case basis. There is also a separate short-term laptop loan program for students having their devices repaired or replaced.
22)
Eligibility: Students who are eligible for emergency funding through FAFSA; UNH Law students
Technology offered: Laptop computers, models vary
Details: UNH鈥檚 Laptop Loaner Program is available for undergraduate and graduate students with financial need who don鈥檛 have access to their own devices. Loan periods are semester-long, and students must reapply to keep the laptop for a future semester. There is also a separate laptop program offered through the UNH School of Law.
23)
Eligibility: Students in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
Technology offered: Laptop computers, models vary
Details: The ATLAS Share program provides long-term loaner computers to undergraduate students who may not have access to their own computer. Students must be currently enrolled in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences.
24)
Eligibility: Students in the College of Business and Administration
Technology offered: MacBook Pro laptops
Details: Through the Apple Loan Program, students in ASU鈥檚 College of Business and Administration are eligible to check out laptops for semester-long loans.
Online Colleges Offering Free Laptops
For online degree programs in particular, access to reliable technology is imperative. These online colleges offering free laptops make it easier for their students to complete coursework, meet for online classes, and access resources as they complete their degrees.
25)
Eligibility: All students
Technology offered: New Lenovo laptops
Details: UA Grantham offers new laptops to every student who has enrolled in an associate, bachelor, or master’s degree program. These laptops are provided at no cost, and students are eligible to keep their laptops once they complete two full semesters of coursework.
26)
Eligibility: Students who have barriers to technology/internet access
Technology offered: Lenovo laptops and WiFi hotspots
Details: WGU offers an Online Access Scholarship for incoming students who don鈥檛 have access to reliable internet or whose devices don鈥檛 meet the minimum requirements for WGU鈥檚 online coursework. Students who receive laptops are able to keep them after they complete their degree.
Community Colleges with Free Laptop Programs
Four-year colleges aren鈥檛 the only ones with free laptop programs. Community college is a more affordable and accessible option for many students, and these community colleges offering free laptops understand and serve the particular needs of their student populations.
27)
Eligibility: Students with financial need
Technology offered: Lenovo laptops
Details: The Free Laptop Program provides eligible students with free devices to keep, with priority given to students who are Pell-eligible or otherwise low-income. Students must be current students actively enrolled during the semester they would like to receive a laptop.
28)
Eligibility: All students with a GPA of 2.0 or higher
Technology offered: Laptop computers, models vary
Details: The Digital Dons program at Santa Ana College offers laptops on loan to all students who are enrolled in at least 9 units each semester. Students can renew their laptops as long as they continue to meet eligibility requirements.
29)
Eligibility: All full-time or part-time students
Technology offered: Chromebooks
Details: Bristol students can check out loaner Chromebooks through the Library Learning Commons. Loan periods are for one semester at a time.
Colleges Offering Discounted Laptops
While these schools don鈥檛 offer completely free laptops, they have subsidized the cost in order to offer discounted laptops and expand technology access for their students.
30)
Eligibility: All students
Technology offered: HP Zbook or HP Elitebook
Details: All Wentworth students are required to have a laptop that meets the specifications of their major or program. The Student Laptop Purchase Program offers students deeply discounted compatible laptops. First-year undergraduates with financial need can qualify for technology grants to cover the cost of their laptops.
31)
Eligibility: All on-campus degree-seeking students
Technology offered: HP Elitebook
Details: U of M Crookston is known as the first four-year institution in the US to implement a campus-wide laptop program. All students and faculty receive the same standard model laptop to streamline technology use in and out of the classroom. There is a $275 fee each semester for the laptop and technology support, and graduates in good standing can keep their laptops upon graduation.
32)
Eligibility: All students enrolled at least part-time (first come, first served)
Technology offered: Laptop computers, models vary
Details: Saint Leo University鈥檚 Department of Information Technology offers a laptop rental program for undergraduate students (including transfer students, part-time, and commuter students). A $250 deposit is required to rent a laptop.
33)
Eligibility: All students
Technology offered: Laptop computers, models vary
Details: Seton Hall provides all incoming undergraduates (first-years and transfer students) with laptops through their Mobile Computing Program. A Mobile Computing fee of $335 is charged to each student for the first four semesters they attend Seton Hall. Graduates in good standing can keep their laptops upon graduation.
34)
Eligibility: All students
Technology offered: MacBook Air, iPad, Apple Pencil
Details: All incoming full-time undergraduate students and some full-time graduate students receive a suite of Apple products, software, and tech support through the iMLearning program. There is an iMLearning fee of $355 per semester, and students who are enrolled full-time for eight semesters can keep all devices. Fees may be covered by financial aid.
35)
Eligibility: All students
Technology offered: Laptop computers, models vary
Details: OrangeTech at OSU offers deeply discounted laptop bundles for purchase, as well as educational pricing partnerships with several technology companies. They also have a laptop loan program for a small fee.
Additional Resources
There are a number of additional programs outside of academia that offer free or discounted laptops to students and low-income individuals/families in need. We recommend checking out these programs and their eligibility requirements as well!
Eligibility: Pell grant-eligible high school seniors with a GPA of 2.4 or higher
Technology offered: Dell laptops
Details: This scholarship and college completion program is for low-income high school seniors who plan to enroll in college upon graduation. The deadline for applications is December 1st of the student鈥檚 senior year (concurrent with college applications). Along with a laptop, scholars receive a $20,000 flexible scholarship over four years, plus book credits, emergency funds, and professional development.
Eligibility: Anyone in need of a computer, with preference to low-income students and families, foster homes, and the elderly
Technology offered: Refurbished computers, including laptops
Details: This nonprofit organization refurbishes and redistributes donated computers to individuals and organizations. Applicants are required to fill out an application stating their need and providing information about their income/finances.
Eligibility: Low-income students and families
Technology offered: Refurbished computers, including laptops
Details: This nonprofit organization provides low- to no-cost refurbished computer setups and user support to low-income individuals who are legal residents of Northern New England (Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Vermont). Laptop packages are available from $125鈥355 and some grant resources are available to subsidize this cost further.
Eligibility: All students
Technology offered: Refurbished computers, including laptops
Details: Tech Exchange is a nonprofit organization located in Oakland, CA, that refurbishes and sells devices at low cost in order to bridge the digital divide. They sell devices in person at their TecHub Center for those in the Bay Area, as well as discounted devices on their online store.
Eligibility: Low-income adults
Technology offered: Low-cost refurbished laptops or desktop computers
Details: The Kramden Institute offers several technology access programs, including one that provides refurbished computers at low cost ($70 for laptops) to low-income adults. Kramden is located in Durham, NC and they do not ship computers at this time, so recipients will need to be able to pick up their computers in person in Durham.
Final Thoughts 鈥 Colleges Offering Free Laptops
Technology access is a critical component of higher education today. All students deserve to have access to the materials they need to complete their education, and reliable laptops and internet access are an integral part of that. We highly recommend taking advantage of these resources and programs where they鈥檙e offered. They exist to help students!
For more about college costs and affordability, check out the following resources:
