It’s no secret that college and grad school is expensive.
Along with pricey textbooks, tuition, and rent, you’ll likely need to invest in a new computer and software for your studies. If you’re living off of Ramen noodles, blowing money on a new laptop may seem totally nuts. Luckily, cash-strapped students don’t need to shortchange themselves on good tech. One of (very few economic perks) of being a student are the deals and discounts tech companies dole out year-round.
Here are some of our favorites.
Apple
Students and educators can save up to $200 on a new Macbook and $20 on a new iPad. Apple traditionally doesn’t offer student discounts on any of its software, including Final Cut Pro X or Keynote for Mac. But you can save on Apple software by buying discounted iTunes gift cards, which often go on sale at big-box retailers for 15 percent off or more.
Adobe
Students who are at least 13 years of age can qualify for up to a 70 percent discount on Adobe products, including Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign and more. High school and college instructors are also eligible.
Amazon
Amazon Student is essentially six free months of Amazon Prime, with all the perks, most notably two-day free shipping and unlimited photo storage included. After that six months is over, students can opt into Amazon Prime at a 50 percent discount. It’s a great deal if you plan on shopping on Amazon at all during the school year.
Best Buy
Best Buy offers a wide range of student discounts on desktops, laptops, and tablets. If you sign-up for Best Buy’s College Student Deals email list, you’ll receive coupons as they become available.
Bose
Educators can receive up to 15 percent off on Bose headphones, entertainment systems, speakers, and accessories. There’s just one catch: The offer is only available by phone at (800) 353-4207. Be sure to mention the “Educators’ Program.”
Dell
Students and educators, both college and K-12, qualify for Dell University’s discounts on laptops and desktops. Deals include a free Samsung TV with any purchase of a $699.99 Dell laptop.
Lenovo
Lenovo offers multiple student discounts of 20 percent or more on laptops, tablets, and home computers. Notable deals include a $694.99 Ideapad Y700 gaming laptop.
Spotify
Students get 50 percent off the monthly price of Spotify Premium, which comes down to $4.99 a month. Considering it’s unlimited ad-free streaming music, it’s not a bad deal if you use Spotify Premium as a substitute for buying music. It’s the same price as Pandora One, which allows for unlimited skips and ad-free listening.
Sprint
Sprint offers a 10 percent student discount on regularly priced monthly service plans and waives activation fees. Best Buy and Sprint also offer a My Way Student promotion, which offers students 12 months of free talk, text, and 1 GB of data with purchase of a smartphone.
