Top 5 Computer/Software Student Discounts | Back to School

June 17, 2010 by Joel Milani

According to the National Center for Education Statistics 18.2 million students enrolled in college in 2007—those students need computers, and those computers need software. Not surprisingly, the technology industry has instituted generous student discounts in order to compete for that huge piece of the market. Here are the best:

• Apple offers student discounts on many of its products including accessories, software, the Applecare Protection Plan and, of course, computers. Discounts on computers range from $50 to $200.
• Dell offers student discounts of up to 30% on laptops and desktops.
• HP provides students and educators with discounts of up to $250 on personal computers.
• Microsoft discounts heavily on its widely used MS Office suite. The site boasts a 91% discount, bringing the software package down to a manageable $59.95. They also offer Windows 7 Professional for $64.95.
• Adobe arguably offers one of the best education discounts available. Teachers and students can buy the Creative Suite software packages for as little as 20% of retail cost. The savings can amount to as much as $1700 off of the CS 5 Master Collection. Adobe nailed the ‘hook ‘em while they’re young’ business model, introducing future graphic designers and photographers to software that they would eventually base careers around. But any qualms with Adobe’s youth-targeted marking strategy can easily be forgiven, both for the piles of money students can to save on Adobe’s products, and for the generally recognized superiority of Adobe’s software that has, for good reason, become a digital media industry standard. Take advantage of this if you can, it’s a hell of a deal.

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This post was originally published in our monthly newsletter as part of a longer article titled ‘The Often Overlooked Student Discount, and How to Cash In.’ To sign up for our monthly newsletter containing education-related articles, tips and information, click on the orange ‘Sign Up for Our Newsletter’ button at the top right corner of this page, or click here.

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Photo by eGuidry via Flickr