Which iPad is finest for college kids
Selecting the best iPad for college isn’t nearly specs, it’s about what you’ll really use it for. If you would like a steadiness of energy and portability for classwork and media, the 11-inch iPad Air is a wonderful all-rounder. In case you desire one thing extra compact and nice for studying and fast notes, the iPad mini matches the invoice. And if value issues most, the usual iPad (A16) delivers strong efficiency with out breaking the financial institution.
Making ready for pupil life might be thrilling and aggravating. To make issues simpler, it’s good to know that you just’ve received the proper tech that can assist you with observe taking, writing essays, and so you possibly can chill with Netflix and video games when the work is finished. The iPad has advanced lately to one thing that may now act as a laptop computer substitute for a lot of college students, with equipment just like the Magic Keyboard and Apple Pencil making it one of the vital versatile units you should purchase.
Selecting the very best iPad might be tough although. Apple presently presents a variety of fashions with totally different costs and options, together with the M5 iPad Professional up to date in October 2025, the iPad mini A17 Professional that arrived in October 2024 and the and M3 iPad Air and iPad A16 that arrived in March 2025.
Can college students get reductions on iPads?
The excellent news is that, sure, college students can get cash off an iPad when shopping for from Apple’s schooling retailer of their nation. Apple presents cash off new iPad purchases to college students in larger schooling all 12 months spherical.
The most effective time for college kids to purchase a brand new iPad from Apple is through the summer time months as a result of Apple provides qualifying college students a free reward similar to a pair of AirPods or an Apple Pencil with the acquisition of sure iPads and Macs. So, in the event you’re a pupil about to start out larger schooling, benefit from the corporate’s “Again To Faculty/Uni” occasion which runs through the summer time months (between June and September within the U.S. and Canada, from July to October within the U.Ok and Europe and from January to March in Australia, New Zealand and different southern hemisphere areas). Learn our information to Apple’s Again To Faculty provide.
One other bonus in the event you’re a pupil: you may get Apple Music for half value with free Apple TV+ included.
Find out how to get an iPad pupil low cost
If you’re a pupil you should purchase a reduced iPad by clicking on the hyperlink for Apple’s Training Retailer the place you reside:
Relying in your location you could solely want to enroll with particulars of your pupil standing and course and show your identification. Some nations have much less stringent checks than others. Within the U.Ok., for instance, it is advisable be registered with UNiDAYS with a view to even see the scholar costs. We clarify how to do that in our article Find out how to get an Apple pupil low cost.
To qualify for a reduction it is advisable meet Apple’s circumstances. You both have to be a pupil in larger schooling, or a instructor at a instructing establishment. The one option to get a reduction for a kid nonetheless in school is to be house educating them or to be a instructor your self.
In case you can’t get a pupil low cost that doesn’t imply you received’t have the ability to get cash off a brand new iPad although. Under we suggest the very best iPads for college kids, and you can find hyperlinks to the very best costs at resellers the place you might be, a few of which can be greater reductions than these provided by Apple. Additionally learn our round-up of the finest iPad offers.
How a lot can college students save on an iPad?
College students can save as a lot as $100 within the U.S., £100 within the U.Ok., $170 in Australia, and $150 in Canada in the event that they purchase from the Apple schooling retailer.
You could discover extra money off at a 3rd social gathering reseller, see the very best costs within the sections under.
| Product | U.S. | U.Ok. | Australia | Canada |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| iPad (A16) MSRP | $349 | £329 | $599 | $499 |
| iPad (A16) Scholar Value | $329 | £309 | $559 | $469 |
| iPad mini (A17 Professional) MSRP | $499 | £499 | $799 | $679 |
| iPad mini (A17 Professional) Scholar Value | $449 | £449 | $719 | $609 |
| iPad Air (11-inch, M3) MSRP | $599 | £599 | $999 | $799 |
| iPad Air (11-inch, M3) Scholar Value | $549 | £549 | $919 | $729 |
| iPad Air (13-inch, M2) MSRP | $799 | £799 | $1,299 | $1,099 |
| iPad Air (13-inch, M2) Scholar Value | $749 | £749 | $1,219 | $1,029 |
| iPad Professional (11-inch, M5) MSRP | $999 | £999 | $1,699 | $1,399 |
| iPad Professional (11-inch, M5) Scholar Value | $899 | £899 | $1,529 | $1,249 |
| iPad Professional (13-inch, M5) MSRP | $1,299 | £1,299 | $2,199 | $1,799 |
| iPad Professional (13-inch, M5) Scholar Value | $1,199 | £1,199 | $2,029 | $1,649 |
Greatest iPad for college kids
We suggest the 11-inch iPad Air for college kids as a result of we predict it presents an excellent dimension display, helps Apple’s AI Apple Intelligence options and is due to this fact higher future proofed than the usual iPad. Learn on to search out out whether or not the iPad Air might be finest for you or if one other iPad would possibly swimsuit you higher.
11-inch iPad Air (M3, 2025): Greatest all-round iPad for college kids
Professionals
- M3 processor
- Good collection of shade choices
Greatest Costs At present:
The 11-inch iPad Air (M3), with its 11-inch show, trendy design, low weight (462g), nice cameras, massively highly effective processor, and loads of colours to select from, is a good alternative for college kids.
Sadly, it’s a bit on the expensive facet for a pill, with the present costs beginning at $599/£599 ($549/£549 for college kids). Nonetheless, it’s cheaper than a laptop computer and it’s the proper mixture of energy, storage and options, for a value that isn’t unreasonable. This is the reason we are able to heartily suggest for these beginning out on their research.
The most important characteristic of the mannequin launched in 2025 is the inclusion of the M3 processor. This is similar chip that has powered a number of Macs. In an iPad Air, it makes the machine fly.
The digicam is a 12MP Extensive lens (additionally like on the iPad Professional), which may report video as much as 4K/60fps, and as with different iPads on this listing, the front-facing digicam is a 12MP Extremely-Extensive that permits for Heart Stage and is sensibly positioned on the longer facet of the chassis to permit panorama views for FaceTime calls.
Whereas the 2025 iPad Air is lacking a number of the flagship options of the iPad Professional, such because the 120Hz ProMotion display, TrueDepth digicam, 4 audio system, and the highly effective M4 chip, it presents greater than sufficient for the common consumer.
If you wish to flip your iPad right into a laptop computer you possibly can staff it with a Magic Keyboard ($299/£299), or one of many different iPad keyboards we’ve checked out.
In case you desire a bigger show, there’s additionally the 13-inch iPad Air (M2) that comes with all the identical specs and options. It begins at $799/£799 (or $749/£749 for college kids).
We extremely suggest the 11-inch iPad Air (M2) for college kids who want premium efficiency and the very best iPad you should purchase with out the Professional title.
Learn iPad Air vs iPad Professional to learn the way the iPad Air compares to the iPad Professional.
How a lot can college students save on the iPad Air?
MSRP: $599 / £599 / AU$999 / CA$799
Scholar: $549 / £549 / AU$919 / CA$729
College students save: $50 / £50 / AU$80 / CA$70
Get the finest deal on a brand new iPad Air.
Learn our full
Apple iPad Air 11-inch (M3, 2025) assessment
iPad mini (A17 Professional, 2024): Greatest for note-taking and portability
Professionals
- Small and light-weight
- Extra storage
- Centre Stage for FaceTime calls
Cons
- Might really feel cramped relying in your wants
Greatest Costs At present:
If an important issue to you is portability there’s one iPad specifically that you just would possibly need to contemplate.
The iPad mini, up to date in October 2024 with the Apple Intelligence-capable A17 Professional, is the smallest and lightest iPad you should purchase, weighing in at 293g. In fact, the low weight is a results of the iPad itself being smaller, due to the 8.3-inch show (which is greater than it was since Apple removed the Residence button and relocated Contact ID to the ability button on the highest edge a number of generations in the past). The result’s a compact however highly effective machine that doesn’t really feel too small. We predict this display dimension is ideal for studying books or taking notes (particularly with an Apple Pencil), so it could be splendid if that’s how you plan to make use of your iPad.
And don’t let the diminutive kind idiot you: the A17 Professional chip is similar as that discovered within the iPhone 15 Professional, so there’s no scarcity of energy on faucet. Connectivity is top-notch too, with help for Wi-Fi 6E and 5G networks accessible, relying on the mannequin you select.
The front-facing digicam is an Extremely-Extensive lens, so it may possibly observe you and hold you within the heart of the body on video calls due to Heart Stage, whereas the 12MP Extensive digicam on the again can seize nice photographs and movies that could possibly be utilized in shows or for media-based assignments.
There are three storage choices accessible (128GB, 256GB and 512GB). We’re glad Apple has stopped promoting the 64GB mannequin as we didn’t suppose that was sufficient storage. 128GB ought to be sufficient so that you can retailer your apps, music, films, photographs, and movies, and in the event you want more room we suggest iCloud’s varied storage choices.
One drawback is that the mini solely works with Bluetooth keyboards, reasonably than Apple’s vary of iPad-specific keyboard, however whether or not that’s a big drawback is debatable–at this dimension, a in-built keyboard could be too small to sort on comfortably.
Costs begin at $499/£499 ($449 for college kids) for the 128GB mannequin (which is what the 64GB mannequin used to value). The 256GB choice elevating the fee to $599/£599 (down from $649/£649 beforehand), and the 512GB mannequin costing $799/£799. In Australia the worth of the iPad mini dropped with the arrival of the brand new mannequin from $829 to $799.
How a lot can college students save on the iPad mini?
MSRP: $499 / £499 / AU$799 / CA$679
College students: $449 / £449 / AU$719 / CA $609
College students save: $50 / £50 / AU$80 / CA$70
Get the finest deal on a brand new iPad mini.
iPad (A16, 2025): Greatest budget-friendly iPad
Professionals
- Air-style design
- 10.9-inch Liquid Retina show
Cons
- 64GB storage on base mannequin
- No compatibility for Apple Intelligence
- New mannequin coming quickly (we hope)
Greatest Costs At present:
The iPad (A16) mannequin that arrived in March 2025 is the most affordable iPad accessible from Apple.
It options the identical design strategy because the iPad mini and iPad Air, with Contact ID sensor built-in within the energy button on the highest edge. This makes room for a bigger show that’s nearly equivalent in dimension to the 11-inch iPad Air.
Nonetheless, when it comes to the display know-how the 2 iPads aren’t equal. The iPad Air sports activities a totally laminated show, whereas the iPad’s show has a slight air hole between the glass and the digitizer beneath. You most likely received’t discover it in any respect, however in the event you intend to make use of the Apple Pencil for notes (1st-gen 1 and USB-C Apple Pencils are supported) then you could expertise slight delays within the monitoring.
Just like the iPad Professional and iPad Air there’s a front-facing digicam situated on the longer finish of the panel, which means it presents a real panorama view that’s centrally situated. That is a lot better suited to FaceTime and different video calling apps. The panorama 12MP Extremely Extensive digicam has a f/2.4 aperture that delivers a 122-degree view; it’s additionally suitable with the Heart Stage characteristic that retains you within the heart of the body even in the event you transfer about whereas on video calls.
Apple bestows this iPad with a 12MP f/1.8 rear digicam so you may get some nice photographs and shoot video 4K video at 60fps. In case your course requires any form of video content material, then both the entrance or again optics of the iPad A16 ought to show greater than adequate. Plus you possibly can name house and look good doing so.
An A16 Bionic processor is on the coronary heart of this iPad, which is similar chip that powered the iPhone 14 Professional and iPhone 15. So there’s greater than sufficient energy for phrase processing, note-taking, coding, and most different schooling apps, to not point out gaming and leisure duties. There’s a USB-C on the base, so you should use varied peripherals and even energy an exterior show if you need the iPad to turn into extra like a fully-fledged pc.
Nonetheless, the A16 will not be highly effective sufficient for Apple Intelligence, Apple’s AI options which can be accessible on the opposite iPads on sale proper now. Whether or not that issues is determined by your wants, however the enhancing help that is among the Apple Intelligence options could also be helpful for a pupil. (This could be precisely why Apple hasn’t included it on the iPad that’s the alternative of many faculties and schooling establishments). Examine what’s in Apple Intelligence.
The most effective information in regards to the 2025 replace is that Apple has stopped transport a 64GB model. Even higher, the 128GB iPad is similar value that Apple used to promote the 64GB iPad for. If 128GB isn’t sufficient house for all of your film downloads, music, video games, photographs and movies, you may get 256GB or 512GB, or there’s the choice of increasing your iCloud storage so that you could hold stuff protected within the cloud as an alternative.
There are 4 colours to select from (Blue, Yellow, Silver, and Pink) so you must have the ability to discover one which fits your persona, and for additional performance, you may put money into the brand new two-piece Magic Keyboard Folio, though the $249/£249 price ticket does appear very excessive. In fact, an ordinary Bluetooth keyboard will get you an identical outcomes for lots much less cash.
The brand new iPad helps the first-generation Apple Pencil, however because the charging port is now USB-C you’ll want an adaptor from Apple in the event you’ve already purchased the Pencil. In any other case, the dongle is now included within the field whenever you purchase a brand new Apple Pencil (1st gen). In fact, there’s additionally the suitable Apple Pencil (USB-C) which will get across the dongle insanity however lacks the presure sensitivity that artists will crave. See: Apple Pencils in contrast: Which Apple Pencil works together with your iPad?
As you possibly can see, there are a number of caveats, however with its trendy design, strong processor, and bigger show, the iPad (A16) is a good all-rounder that might show a smart funding for these heading off to pursue their research.
How a lot can college students save on the iPad (A16)?
MSRP: $349 / £329 / AU$599 / CA$499
College students; $329 / £309 / AU$559 / CA$469
College students save: $20 / £20 / AU$40 / CA$30
Learn our full
Apple iPad (A16) assessment
11-inch iPad Professional (2025): Greatest for Energy and Efficiency
Professionals
- M4 Processor
- OLED show
- Stupidly gentle and skinny
Cons
- Costly
- Most likely overkill for college kids
Greatest Costs At present:
The Professional iPads are the top of Apple’s pill vary, and as such they really feel like the ability and value are most likely overkill in your common pupil. That being mentioned, if you need the very best, then that is the place you’ll discover it.
The 11-inch iPad Professional (M5), was launched in October 2025, boasting extremely gentle and skinny development, however with a silly quantity of energy inside. In an unprecedented step, Apple launched the brand new M5 processor within the iPad alongside the MacBook Professional, making the iPad Professional and MacBook Professional probably the most up-to-date units within the Apple catalog.
The query actually, is do you want all that grunt? In case you’re after an iPad for taking notes, writing essays, watching Netflix, taking part in some video games and utilizing it for video calls house, then the iPad Air is a greater steadiness of energy and value. However, for these with cash burning a gap of their pockets, and people planning on doing a number of gaming when they need to be finding out, the 11-inch iPad Professional comes with a Extremely Retina XDR OLED show that has two layers (Apple calls this Tandem OLED) to provide the brightest panel they’re ever made, kicking out as much as 1600 nits. It’s additionally ProMotion, with an ultra-smooth 120Hz refresh charge.
The 2025 M5 mannequin is visibly unchanged from the M4 mannequin, however options extra RAM (Apple doesn’t disclose this), there’s additionally an improved mobile modem (in that mannequin) and Wi-Fi 7 and Bluetooth 6.
The brand new mannequin can also be quick cost succesful too, promising as much as 50% cost in half-hour with 60W adapter or larger.
Cameras are 12Mp sensors, with the rear unit a large lens that may report video as much as 4K/60fps, plus ProRes capabilities which might be of curiosity to video content material creators. The front-facing lens additionally has the TrueDepth array, permitting Face ID, which stays a Professional-only options on iPads. You get Centre Stage for video calls, and the position of the digicam on the longer edge means you get panorama view.
The 2 dimension variants provide the identical capabilities, with 256GB of storage the baseline, and costs beginning at $999/£999 ($899 for college kids) for the 11-inch mannequin and $1,299/£1,299 for the 13-inch variant.
As we’ve mentioned, the iPad Professionals are most likely an excessive amount of in your typical pupil, however that doesn’t imply they aren’t wonderful merchandise for many who can afford them and benefit from all the ability on provide.
How a lot can college students save on the 11-inch iPad Professional?
MSRP: $999 / £999 / AU$1,699 / CA$1,399
College students: $899 / £899 / AU$1,529 / CA$1,249
College students save: $100 / £100 / AU$170 / CA$150
Learn our full
Apple iPad Professional 11-inch (M5, 2025) assessment
Ought to college students purchase an iPad or a laptop computer?
Earlier than you go forward and purchase your iPad you could need to contemplate its suitability in your objective.
As a pupil you most likely have a number of necessities:
- Low value
- Nice apps for issues like note-taking, recording lectures and revision
- Gentle sufficient to hold round all-day
- Keyboard and stylus help
- Appropriate for making video calls house
You could be questioning whether or not a pill or a laptop computer could be higher for these wants, and in the event you lean in direction of the latter, check out our information to the very best Macs for college kids.
We predict, nevertheless, that an iPad is a good alternative. It runs lots of the apps you’ll discover on a laptop computer, together with Workplace apps like Phrase and PowerPoint and the Apple equivalents, and in some instances, an iPad is definitely extra highly effective than a laptop computer due to the super-fast processors Apple makes use of.
One other profit is that an iPad is moveable and light-weight – far lighter than even the lightest laptop computer, so that you received’t get backache from carrying it to lectures and the library. Plus you possibly can have all of the books you want in your course in your iPad and carry them with you to lectures and tutorials. You would even {photograph} pages from books within the library and use optical character recognition to avoid wasting the textual content to your iPad.
The iPad is nice for studying, net searching, emails and note-taking. For the latter you might use an Apple Pencil or one of many Greatest styluses we’ve examined for iPad.
If you’re prone to be typing lengthy essays you would possibly desire a laptop computer, however you possibly can all the time get a iPad keyboard and basically flip your iPad right into a laptop computer. See the Greatest iPad Keyboards we’ve examined or use any Bluetooth keyboard.
With battery lifetime of 10 hours–loads for a day on campus–you aren’t going to wish to discover a house beside a plug socket with a view to get by a day at uni.
And whenever you’ve completed finding out use the iPad to stream your favorite reveals. There are additionally a great deal of video games and apps for video calling your dad and mom and associates.
Nonetheless undecided? We have now extra data evaluating a MacBook laptop computer and an iPad.
FAQ
Do iPads run the apps I want?
It is vitally probably that you may run the apps you want. iPads help Microsoft apps similar to Phrase, Excel and PowerPoint, or for another you can too use Google apps like Google Docs and Sheets. Google Classroom can also be supported.
Different frequent apps utilized by college students, together with Notion, OneNote, Evernote, Wolfram Alpha and Khan Academy are supported. And also you’ll have the ability to video convention utilizing Zoom, Groups and different choices. That’s along with the Apple apps similar to Pages and Numbers.
The App Retailer is heaving with nice apps designed particularly for the iPad. A lot of these apps might be splendid for college kids: note-taking apps, apps for changing handwriting to textual content, apps for recording lectures, timetable administration, and naturally video calling by way of Zoom, Groups, FaceTIme and others (so you possibly can keep in contact with mum and pop).
How properly does an iPad deal with multitasking?
Prior to now, one of many disadvantages of iPads was that it wasn’t straightforward to work with a number of apps on the similar time in the identical method as you do on a pc. Apple launched Cut up View as a option to run two apps facet by facet, and it is a characteristic provided by most new iPads. It’s also possible to have a 3rd app that floats in a window.
The iPad Air and iPad Professional go a step additional with Stage Supervisor, which brings desktop type multitasking to these iPads. There are nonetheless some limitations although, for instance, some apps don’t run within the background whenever you aren’t utilizing them.
What iPad display dimension is finest for college kids?
The most effective display dimension is determined by a variety of elements. If you’re in search of the last word in portability then the iPad mini could also be the most suitable choice, however a bigger display might be higher suited to studying and multitasking.
Your finances may even have an effect on this resolution. A 13-inch iPad Air prices greater than an 11-inch iPad Air, and way more than an ordinary iPad.
Is battery life lengthy sufficient for a college day?
Sometimes you possibly can count on round ten hours of battery life, which ought to be sufficient to get you thru a day of lectures.
Word that your battery will last more in the event you hold the display dim and don’t multitask or use draining apps.
Will the iPad sync with my pc?
In case your pc is a Mac and you employ iCloud it actually couldn’t be simpler. You may robotically sync your work in the event you use sure apps, and share information by way of iCloud Drive. There are some helpful options that come from linking up a Mac, iPad and iPhone together with Common Clipboard, so you possibly can copy on one machine and paste on one other, AirDrop for simple file transfers and you may even use an iPad as a second show in your Mac.
In case you don’t use iCloud you possibly can nonetheless sync by plugging your iPad into your Mac with the USB C cable. If you’re a PC consumer you possibly can nonetheless sync in the identical method.
Additionally contemplate:
Three of those iPads are able to supporting Apple Intelligence, which is Apple’s AI device that powers a number of options, however the iPad A16 doesn’t help Apple Intelligence and its options centered round studying, writing and picture era. These AI options could also be helpful for you as a pupil, though they could additionally get you into hassle if you’re seen to be utilizing AI to jot down your essays!
That’s all of our student-related shopping for recommendation, however in the event you’re shopping for for somebody youthful, take a look at our information to the finest iPad for Youngsters.
