Most students in the UK are enjoying a well-earned break in August, but in just a few short weeks they’ll be back at it.
And with a new academic year comes new tech demands, especially if you or your children are starting college or university.
But the good news is that many of the biggest tech companies offer exclusive deals specifically for people in full-time education.
Using this article, you’ll be able to secure everything you need for university – including laptops, tablets, smartphones and software – without breaking the bank.
You may also be interested in all our Back to School tech tips, plus the best streaming deals for students, best laptops for students, best phone contracts for students and best VPN deals for students.
Best student discounts right now
Adobe Creative Cloud Student Discount
Right now, students and teachers can get the Adobe CC programs for even cheaper than usual for the first year and then a reduced rate after the introductory year. Read our full guide to buying Adobe CC.
Apple Education Store Discount
An Education Store discount can save you hundreds on Mac computers. Here’s everything you need to know about getting an Education Store discount from Apple.
Samsung Student, Youth & Teacher Discounts
Samsung is offering a range of exclusive discounts for students, teachers and young people (aged 16-26). Discounts of up to 20% can be found, though some do require a code to be entered at the checkout.
Mondly Language Learning App – Premium
Learn a new language with the Mondly app, which has a mega 95% discount right now on its Premium plan with lifetime access to all 41 languages.
Microsoft Student Store
The Microsoft Student Store offers a range of discounts on Microsoft products. Students and parents can save hundreds of pounds on desktops and laptops and get Office 365 for free.
OnePlus Student Bundles
Verified students can get up to 40% off of all products from OnePlus, with savings available across the OnePlus 12 series, Open and Nord 4.
Dell Student Store
Dell is offering up to 20% off of its XPS, Alienware, Dell Gaming devices and Dell peripherals.
Spotify Premium Student
Spotify’s Student account is nearly half the price of the standard Premium plan and includes ad-free listening, offline music and millions of songs. New customers also get one month for free.
Lenovo Student Store
Lenovo offers up to 20% off purchases for students and teachers site-wide, and 9% on rewards for future purchases. Learn more here.
Parallels Desktop for Mac Student Edition
If you want to run Windows on your Mac, then Parallels Desktop is one to consider. Students get a discounted plan, with 50% off the price of Standard and Pro subscriptions.
Where to find the best student deals and discounts
Once you start looking, you’ll realise that there are thousands of deals designed exclusively for students elsewhere on the web. It can be quite overwhelming, so we’ve picked out the best.
There are even more student tech discounts available to browse on the Student Beans discounts page. You can search all types of student tech deals there, to find everything you’re looking for quickly and easily.
Adobe student deals
If your course involves any kind of design, video or photography elements then Adobe Creative Cloud is an excellent suite of software to have in your arsenal. Sadly this is rather expensive, which doesn’t lend itself easily to a student budget. See our dedicated guide to Adobe CC.
There is, of course, the student discount, which has a fantastic 65% off. You can get the entire package for just £16.24 per month compared with the regular price of £49.94 per month. Get Creative Cloud for Students here.
Amazon Prime for students
Being a student isn’t all about work. Sometimes you need to take a break from pouring over textbooks, a chance to relax, recharge, and binge-watch your favourite series.
One excellent way of doing this is through Amazon’s Student version of Prime. There’s a whopping six-month free trial, and after that, your membership just over half price at £47.49 per year. With Prime, you get access to the Amazon Video library for unlimited streaming, but you’ll also get free next day delivery and plenty more.
Apple Education Store
Apple has a good student discount programme available if you know where to look.
You’ll find the Education Store here. You can read more about how to buy from the Apple Education Store over on our sister site, Macworld.
Also, check out the 10% Apple discount available from Student Beans if you haven’t already.
Dell student deals
Dell has a similar Student Store, offering a number of discounts across its range of laptops and desktops when you create a free account. Considering the fact that Dell is making some of the best PCs on the market at the moment, this is a tempting offer.
Go to the Dell Student Store now to learn more.
Lenovo student deals
Much like Microsoft and Apple, Lenovo has its own store for students where it promises savings of up to 20% on its range of laptops. To access the deals you’ll need to create a free account on the Student Store.
Microsoft student deals
Microsoft has its own Student Store, which includes a decent range of deals and discounts. On the software side, students can get Office 365 for free, which Microsoft emphasises is not a trial. You need your school email address to claim. Office 365 includes Word, Excel and all the other Office apps. Read our full guide to getting Microsoft Office.
Author: Hannah Cowton-Barnes, Entertainment Editor, Tech Advisor
As Tech Advisor's Entertainment Editor, Hannah is the resident expert in all things streaming, film and TV. Before joining Tech Advisor in 2019, she studied Theatre and Performance at the University of Leeds and created a website dedicated to geek culture and lifestyle. She's also reviewed a whole range of gadgets including flagship smartphones, wearables and styling tools. Outside of Foundry, she's written freelance pieces for Polygon, Metro and Den of Geek, and is proud to be a Women Techmakers Ambassador for Google.