15 Universities With Free Laptops, Grants or Laptop Loans in 2026

Looking for universities that offer free laptops? Buying a laptop is one of those costs that sneaks up on you just as term starts. A decent machine can easily cost several hundred pounds or dollars, on top of tuition, books, and everyday living costs.

Buying a laptop is one of those costs that sneaks up on you just as term starts. A decent machine can easily cost several hundred pounds or dollars. That’s on top of tuition, books, and everyday living costs.

Fortunately, a growing number of universities now build technology support into what you get as a student, whether that’s a laptop, a loan scheme, or money towards one.

None of these offers are quite as simple as “free laptop, no strings attached.” Some universities fold the cost into your tuition or a technology fee. Others only lend you the device and want it back at the end. A few genuinely hand you a laptop to keep once you finish your course.

Below, we’ve rounded up 15 real universities that offer free laptops, loan schemes, or laptop grants, so you know what to expect before you apply. Where possible, we’ve checked the current terms directly against each university’s own pages, rather than relying only on third-party summaries; you’ll find the details for each entry below.

Types of Universities With Free Laptops, Grants or Laptop Loans

programmes

In short, a free laptop from a university usually falls into one of these four categories:

Yours to keep: the university gives it outright, often after enrolment or on graduation.

Loan programme: you borrow it for a term or while you’re enrolled, then return it.

Technology grant or loan eligibility: the university gives you cash, a voucher, or extra borrowing capacity towards a laptop you choose yourself.

Included in tuition or fees: the university bundles it into what you’re already paying, so you’re paying for it either way.

Why universities that offer free laptops do it

Universities that provide laptops usually do it for one of three reasons:

Levelling the playing field. Not every student arrives with a working laptop, and coursework increasingly assumes you have one.

Standardising software. If everyone has the same machine, the IT team only has to support one setup. Specialist software, like editing or design tools, can then come pre-installed.

Marketing. A free laptop is an easy thing to put on a prospectus. Therefore, it’s worth checking the small print rather than taking the headline at face value.

For instance, research from BestColleges links greater access to technology with higher academic performance, especially for first-generation college students.

Even so, a 2023-24 survey of 28,000 students found that over 30% struggled with coursework because they lacked a suitable digital device. That gap is exactly what these schemes try to close.

Before you choose a university because it offers a laptop

It’s worth saying this plainly: a laptop worth a few hundred pounds or dollars should never be the deciding factor over things that matter far more to your degree and your finances.

Tuition fees, course quality and reputation, the financial aid package as a whole, accommodation costs, and, above all, whether the programme actually fits your academic and career goals will affect you far more over three or four years than the model of laptop you’re issued in week one.

Instead, treat a laptop scheme as a genuinely useful bonus once you’ve already found a university and course that’s right for you, rather than as a reason to pick one course over a better-fitting one.

Not every one of the universities that offer free laptops below funds them the same way: several programmes fold the laptop into fees or a mandatory tech charge, so it may not represent extra value at all; it’s simply part of the cost of attendance.

If you are planning your overall study costs, our 2026 Budget Guide for International Students can help you work out rent, food, transport and other living expenses before you apply.

15 universities that offer free laptops, loans, or grants

1. Dakota State University

Verified against dsu.edu. DSU requires all full-time, on-campus undergraduates to join its Laptop Program; it isn’t just a giveaway to freshmen. Incoming full-time freshmen receive a new laptop (a Lenovo Yoga X1 from Fall 2026), while continuing, transfer, and re-admitted students get a device from existing inventory instead.

A wireless computing/technology fee built into tuition funds the programme, so it isn’t free in the sense of costing you nothing extra. However, after four years (eight semesters) of continuous, uninterrupted participation, the device becomes the student’s to keep.

Students must cover damage from careless use and pay for replacement if the device is lost or stolen; online-only students don’t join the programme at all.

Source: dsu.edu Laptop Program; DSU IT knowledge base

2. Full Sail University

Full Sail’s Project LaunchBox provides students in many degree programmes a laptop plus industry-specific software tailored to their field, such as media production or design.

Reported terms indicate this is bundled into programme costs rather than a separate freebie. 2026 status not independently verified. Confirm directly with the university before applying.

3. University of Arkansas Grantham

This online-first university suits distance learners well. Reported terms: eligible students receive a new Lenovo laptop running Windows 11 after completing their first semester and enrolling in a second, with a two-year warranty.

If the agreement terms aren’t met, students may need to return the laptop or pay an estimated $450. 2026 status not independently verified. Confirm directly with the university before applying.

4. Seton Hall University

Verified against shu.edu. Seton Hall requires every full-time undergraduate (and some graduate programmes) to join its Mobile Computing Program; it isn’t an optional perk.

The university charges a Mobile Computing Access fee for the first four semesters, plus a technology fee each semester a student stays enrolled, so, like Dakota State, fees fund it rather than the university giving it away free.

That said, students who complete their coursework, pass a degree audit, and stay in good standing can take ownership of the laptop upon graduation by filing a Transfer of Ownership Form.

Source: shu.edu Mobile Computing; Mobile Computing Terms and Conditions

5. Moravian University

Reported terms: new students receive both a MacBook Pro and an iPad for their coursework. 2026 status not independently verified, including whether the cost is bundled into fees. Confirm directly with the university before applying.

6. California State University, Bakersfield

Reported terms: CSU Bakersfield’s STEP scheme provides free loaner laptops to students with demonstrated financial need; several other CSU campuses run similar semester-long loaner schemes. 2026 status not independently verified. Confirm directly with the university before applying.

7. University of California, Irvine

Partially verified against uci.edu. UC Irvine’s engineering school confirms that students already receiving financial aid can request an additional one-time budget increase of up to $2,000 to put towards a new computer.

Importantly, this is not a grant: it draws on additional student and/or parent loan eligibility, depending on what you already qualify for. You must repay it like any other student loan, within your existing borrowing limits. So treat this as “extra loan eligibility for a laptop,” not free money.

Source: UCI Engineering Laptops

8. San Diego State University

Reported: SDSU’s library allows students to check out free loaner laptops directly, useful as a backup even if you already own a machine. 2026 status not independently verified. Confirm directly with the university before applying.

9. Northwest Missouri State University

Reported: the university issues every student a laptop for their studies, to be returned at graduation, and carries out free repairs for normal wear and tear, alongside a long-running textbook rental scheme. 2026 status not independently verified. Confirm directly with the university before applying.

10. Duke University

Verified against duke.edu. DukeLIFE runs a loaner laptop programme for first-generation and lower-income undergraduates. Per DukeLIFE’s own site, eligibility covers actively enrolled Trinity College or Pratt School of Engineering undergraduates who meet DukeLIFE’s high-financial-need criteria, as their need-based financial aid record determines.

DukeLIFE notifies eligible students by email at the start of each academic year. However, we could not independently confirm the specific “for all four years” duration that some secondary sources cite. Confirm the current loan length directly with DukeLIFE (dukelife@duke.edu) before relying on it.

Source: DukeLIFE Loaner Laptop Program

11. University of Minnesota, Crookston

Reported: Every on-campus, degree-seeking student receives a Lenovo ThinkPad to use while enrolled. 2026 status not independently verified. Confirm directly with the university before applying.

12. Valley City State University

Reported: Full-time students receive a MacBook Air or an HP ZBook Firefly G10, factored into their technology fees. So, similar to Dakota State and Seton Hall, students pay for this through fees rather than getting it free. 2026 status not independently verified. Confirm directly with the university before applying.

13. University of Michigan-Ann Arbor

Reported: The university contacts eligible incoming students directly and provides a free MacBook Air, which becomes theirs after their first semester. This appears to be a targeted, not universal, offer. 2026 status not independently verified. Confirm directly with the university before applying.

14. University of Texas at Austin

Verified and updated against utexas.edu. UT Austin’s “UT for Me, Powered by Dell Scholars” programme, which included a laptop and textbook credit, covered Pell-eligible students who entered UT Austin between Fall 2020 and Fall 2025.

This has now changed for new students. Starting Fall 2026, a newly launched, restructured programme called Dell Scholars at UT Austin covers incoming Pell-eligible students instead, in partnership with the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation.

Per UT Austin’s own site, this includes up to $10,000 a year (up to $40,000 over four years) plus a $2,000 annual student success grant toward cost of attendance, priority campus housing consideration for the first two years, an unlimited meal plan, and, continuing the laptop benefit, a laptop and textbook credits.

Therefore, if you’re applying for Fall 2026 entry or later, look up “Dell Scholars at UT Austin” rather than “UT for Me,” a name that now refers only to the legacy 2020 to 2025 cohort.

Source: Dell Scholars at UT Austin; UT for Me

15. Wentworth Institute of Technology

Reported: Wentworth has run its scheme since 2004, and every freshman reportedly receives an HP laptop, with each department choosing software and devices suited to that major. 2026 status not independently verified. Confirm directly with the university before applying.

Quick comparison table

University	What you get	Keep it or return it?	Who qualifies	Directly verified?
Dakota State University	New or refurbished laptop, fee-funded	Yours after 4 years’ continuous enrolment	All full-time on-campus undergraduates (mandatory)	Yes
Full Sail University	Laptop + major-specific software	Bundled into programme cost	Students in most degree programmes	No
University of Arkansas Grantham	Lenovo laptop, Windows 11	Keep after 2 semesters, or pay a fee	Online degree students	No
Seton Hall University	Laptop, fee-funded	Ownership transferable at graduation, in good standing	All full-time undergraduates (mandatory)	Yes
Moravian University	MacBook Pro + iPad	Provided to new students	Incoming students	No
CSU Bakersfield	Loaner laptop	Return each semester	Students with demonstrated financial need	No
UC Irvine	Up to $2,000 in extra loan eligibility	You repay this like any other loan	Students already receiving financial aid	Partial
San Diego State University	Loaner laptop	Return required	Any enrolled student	No
Northwest Missouri State University	University-issued laptop	Return at graduation	All students	No
Duke University (DukeLIFE)	Loaner laptop	Loan while enrolled	Trinity/Pratt undergrads, high financial need	Yes
University of Minnesota, Crookston	Lenovo ThinkPad	Loan while enrolled	All on-campus, degree-seeking students	No
Valley City State University	MacBook Air or HP ZBook	Bundled into tech fees	All full-time students	No
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor	MacBook Air	Yours after first semester	Selected incoming students	No
UT Austin (Dell Scholars at UT Austin, formerly UT for Me)	Laptop + textbook credits + funding	Confirm directly	Pell-eligible students, Fall 2026 entry onward	Yes
Wentworth Institute of Technology	HP laptop	Provided to freshmen	All incoming freshmen	No

Are there UK universities that offer free laptops?

Most of the headline free laptop schemes you’ll find online are American, because US universities often build technology into tuition packages in a way UK universities don’t.

However, that doesn’t mean UK students are left with nothing; it just works differently. Rather than a single list of universities that offer free laptops outright, UK support tends to fall into four categories.

Laptop loan schemes

Several universities lend out laptops rather than gifting them. For example, the University of Strathclyde’s Digital Inclusion Programme offers UK-based students who lack access to a suitable PC or laptop a technology loan, open to both undergraduates and postgraduates. Similarly, the University of Glasgow runs a Laptop Loan Scheme through its student finance team.

Hardship and digital access funds

Rather than issuing a specific device, many universities give you money towards one. The University of Reading’s Digital Support Fund offers grants of £400 per student for a laptop, peripherals, or broadband, aimed at students from areas of high deprivation with a household income below £27,000.

Meanwhile, Birkbeck’s Access to Digital Learning Fund can cover broadband costs plus essential equipment like a mouse, keyboard, or headset, though it doesn’t stretch to a full laptop.

The University of Bristol’s Digital Support Fund also helps students in financial hardship pay for IT equipment, and Bristol runs a short-term emergency laptop loan service too.

Vouchers for a specific model

The University of Kent’s PC/laptop scheme issues vouchers for a predetermined model. As a result, students who need specialist software, such as CAD, may find a standard voucher model doesn’t meet their course’s requirements.

Library laptop borrowing

This is the most widely available option, even at universities with no formal hardship laptop scheme. At the University of South Wales, for instance, students can collect a laptop from any campus library on a first-come, first-served basis for a one-week loan.

If your UK university doesn’t advertise a laptop scheme on its main website, ask your student support or money advice team directly anyway, since hardship funds are often under-publicised and only open at certain points in the year.

Some schemes also state that this kind of support doesn’t count as public funds, so it shouldn’t affect an international student’s visa status, though you should always check this with your own university before applying.

Disabled students in the UK have an additional route worth knowing about too. Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSA) can pay for disability-specific study equipment, including a laptop, for students with long-term health conditions, disabilities, or specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia.

As with the figures elsewhere in this article, confirm current DSA equipment rules directly with your funding body before applying.

Things to check before you count on universities that offer free laptops

A laptop offer can look brilliant on a prospectus and turn out to be more complicated once you read the terms. Ask the admissions or IT office these questions directly:

• Is it actually free, or is it built into your fees? Several of the programmes above (Dakota State, Seton Hall, and reportedly Valley City State) charge mandatory technology or access fees to fund the laptop, rather than giving it away free on top of tuition.
• Do you keep it, or does it go back? Loaner schemes are common. Returning a damaged or lost laptop can also come with a bill attached.
• What happens if you drop out or transfer? Programmes tied to a set number of semesters, like Arkansas Grantham’s reported terms, often expect the laptop back, or payment, if you leave early. Dakota State’s own terms confirm a similar approach: students who withdraw are asked to return or purchase the device within days of notification.
• Does the laptop actually suit your course? A general-use machine might struggle with video editing, 3D modelling, or engineering software. Check your course’s technical requirements before you assume the university-issued laptop will cope.
• Is it a grant or a loan? As UC Irvine’s own terms show, a laptop funding offer can actually be extra loan eligibility you’ll need to repay, rather than free money. Always check which one you’re being offered.

A laptop is only one part of the cost of university. Our guide to the cost of learning in the UK covers the wider expenses students should plan for.

Look at the Real Saving

For example, imagine University A gives you a laptop worth £700 but its tuition and accommodation cost £3,000 more than University B.

The laptop has not really saved you money.

A laptop offer is most valuable when the university already suits your course, budget and career plans. Treat the device as an extra benefit, not the main reason for choosing where to study.

How to Check a Laptop Offer Before You Apply

Before relying on any laptop offer you find online, take five minutes to check it yourself.

Go to the university’s official website and search for the programme name together with words such as “laptop”, “technology support”, “digital support” or “financial aid”.

Then check:

Who qualifies? Is it for every student or only students with financial need?

Is it free? Look for technology fees, equipment charges or extra borrowing.

Do you keep it? Check whether the laptop must be returned when you graduate or leave the course.

What model do you receive? Make sure it can run the software required for your course.

Is the scheme still running? Check the page date or contact the university if the information looks old.

Do not rely only on an old blog post or comparison website when the university’s own terms are available.

I Need a Laptop Now. What Should I Do?

If you need a laptop urgently, do not start by buying one on credit.

First, check your university library to see whether you can borrow a laptop for a few days or weeks. Then contact your student support or money advice team and ask whether there is a digital hardship fund, equipment grant or longer-term laptop loan scheme.

If your university cannot help, check whether you qualify for a student discount before buying a new laptop. You can also compare refurbished models if your course does not require a high-spec machine.

Before spending anything, check your course requirements. A laptop that works well for essays and online lectures may not be suitable for engineering, video editing, data science or design software.

If your university doesn’t offer one

Not every university runs a laptop scheme, and that’s fine; not all universities that offer free laptops are the right fit for every student anyway. There are still ways to bring the cost down:

• Library loans. Many university libraries run short-term laptop loan schemes, even without a formal “free laptop” programme.
• Manufacturer student discounts. Apple, Dell, and Lenovo all run education pricing. Lenovo, for instance, offers a discount to students who verify their status.
• Technology grants. Some universities, including UC Santa Barbara, offer a set amount of money towards buying or repairing a laptop rather than handing out a specific model. If you are struggling to find financial support for a laptop, our guide to Hidden Student Funding in the UK shows where to look for grants, bursaries and other funding students often miss.
• Charities and nonprofits. Organisations that refurbish and donate computers to students in need exist in most regions. It’s worth asking your student support office who they’d recommend locally.

Frequently asked questions about university laptop programmes

Do all students qualify?

No. Not every university on this list treats all applicants the same. Most schemes attach conditions, whether that’s financial need, being a first-year or incoming student, enrolling full-time, or studying a specific course.

A few universities, like Northwest Missouri State or Minnesota Crookston, reportedly issue a laptop to every enrolled student, but that’s the exception rather than the rule. So always check the eligibility criteria on the university’s own page, rather than assuming a scheme applies to you.

Can international students get a free laptop?

Sometimes, but not always. Some US programmes welcome all enrolled students regardless of residency, while others, particularly need-based ones, restrict eligibility to domestic students or those on specific financial aid.

In the UK, schemes vary by university, and some hardship funds specifically exclude or include international students depending on their funding source, so it’s worth asking directly. As noted above, some UK universities confirm that this kind of support doesn’t count as “public funds” for visa purposes.

Are Apple laptops available?

Yes, at some universities. Moravian University and Wentworth Institute of Technology, via department choice, have reportedly offered Apple devices, and Michigan’s scheme reportedly provides a MacBook Air.

However, many other programmes issue Windows laptops instead. So if you need a Mac for your course, for example iOS development, check the specific model before you commit to a university on this basis.

What happens if the laptop is damaged?

This depends entirely on the scheme. Loan programmes usually hold you responsible for accidental or intentional damage. Dakota State’s own terms, for example, make students responsible for repair costs linked to careless or negligent use, and for full replacement cost if the device is lost or stolen.

Ownership schemes tend to be more forgiving; Northwest Missouri State, for example, reportedly offers free repairs for normal wear and tear. Either way, read the loan agreement or terms and conditions before you sign.

Can online students qualify?

Often, yes, though not always in the same way as on-campus students. Arkansas Grantham and Full Sail both target online or distance learners specifically. Dakota State, by contrast, excludes fully online students from its mandatory Laptop Program.

Can postgraduate students apply?

It varies by scheme. Many US programmes target incoming undergraduates specifically. Some UK loan schemes are more inclusive: Strathclyde’s Digital Inclusion Programme, for example, welcomes both undergraduates and postgraduates.

So if a scheme’s eligibility page doesn’t mention postgraduates either way, email to ask rather than assume you’re excluded.

Summary: choosing between universities that offer free laptops

Among universities that offer free laptops or technology funding, the details matter more than the headline. A free or loaned laptop can still lift a real financial weight off your first year of university, but as the entries above show, free often means funded through a mandatory fee or extra loan eligibility, not money outside what you’re already paying.

Some schemes hand you a laptop with no obligation beyond finishing your course. Others are really a loan, or a fee dressed up as a gift. A couple, like UT Austin’s newly restructured Dell Scholars programme, have changed entirely since older lists were written.

So before you pick a university on the strength of its laptop offer, and ideally don’t let it be a deciding factor at all, read the actual current terms on the university’s own financial aid or IT page, and ask what happens if your circumstances change partway through your degree.

Programme details change from year to year, and several of the entries above (Full Sail, Arkansas Grantham, Moravian, CSU Bakersfield, San Diego State, Northwest Missouri State, Minnesota Crookston, Valley City State, Michigan, and Wentworth) we could not independently re-verify against the university’s own current pages for this article. Confirm current eligibility and terms directly with the university before you apply.