If it’s looking like your current laptop isn’t going to make it through the semester, then you might need to upgrade now instead of waiting until the start of the next school year. Now is a great time to pick up MacBook Air because Apple just updated its most affordable laptop with its M4 processors, while also making it even more affordable. Plus, there are some great Windows alternatives that offer great designs and battery life that's even better than the battery life of the long-running MacBook Air.
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What's the best laptop for college students?
Apple's new M4 MacBook Air offers better performance at a lower price inside the same thin-and-light design, making it an easy pick as our go-to recommendation for college students. It starts at $999, which is $100 less than what Apple charged for the previous M3 model. And students can always save $100 on it with Apple's educational discount. Before you buy your own laptop for school, it's worth checking if your college offers free or discounted laptops for students.
For students on tighter budgets, we still recommend the original MacBook Air M1. It's available as a Walmart exclusive for only $649. It should also get you through four years of school, but we think the extra money is worth it for the updated design, slightly larger display, higher-resolution webcam and better performance of the newer M4 model. The M4 Air is also available in 13- and 15-inch sizes, so you can choose between greater mobility or more workspace.
A Windows rival to the MacBook Air has arrived with Microsoft's first Copilot Plus PC. Based on a Qualcomm Snapdragon Elite X CPU, the Surface Laptop 7 offers strong application and AI performance and outstanding battery life. It's the first Windows laptop we've tested with a longer runtime than the Air's. At $2,000, the Surface Laptop 7 model we reviewed may be beyond the reach of student budgets, but the line starts at a more approachable $1,000 and should still offer ample performance for most students and the same lengthy runtime of the system we tested. We love the overall design of the Surface Laptop 7, but the Asus Zenbook A14 is arguably better suited for campus life with its ultralight design and an even longer runtime than that of the Surface Laptop 7.
With so many resources and so much of your course curriculum available online, it's next to impossible to get through college without a laptop. There is no shortage of laptops for sale, which makes it difficult to zero in on one that will fit your needs and budget. That's where we come in. We've done research and testing to find the best laptop for college students in 2025. Whether you are looking for a MacBook, a Windows laptop or a Chromebook for school, we've rounded up several college laptop picks that will serve most students well.
Best laptops for students in 2025
Pros
- Big performance gains from M1, Intel MacBook Airs
- Great design, features
- Support for two external displays simultaneously with MacBook display
- 12-megapixel Center Stage camera
Cons
- 256GB SSD might fill up fast
- Expensive upgrades
For Apple’s latest MacBook Air, the bigger news than moving from Apple's M3 silicon to M4 chips is the drop in price.
Why we like it
Starting at $999, the MacBook M4 Air is $100 cheaper than the entry point for the previous M3 models. In addition to a slight bump in performance over the previous generation, the M4 Air adds a Center Stage webcam, better support for external displays and a new ice blue color option.
Who it's best for
The M4 chip refresh adds up to a good, if minor, update to an already fantastic lightweight laptop that’s now more affordable for students and those on tight budgets. With its mix of strong overall performance, long battery life and a trim design, it’s no wonder it’s such a popular laptop for students.
Pros
- Incredibly thin and light without feeling flimsy
- All-day-and-all-night battery life
- OLED display at this price is a nice surprise
- Ample RAM and storage for the price too
Cons
- Meh performance from Snapdragon X CPU
- Meh mechanical touchpad
- Meh speakers
Built around an Arm-based Qualcomm Snapdragon X processor, the Zenbook A14 is the lightest Copilot Plus PC we've tested and the second-longest running. It weighs less than 2.2 pounds and offers a battery life of more than 24 hours.
Why we like it
Its Ceraluminum shell allows the Zenbook A14 to be incredibly light yet rigid, and its 14-inch OLED display is excellent. It also serves up ample RAM and storage for the price.
Who it's best for
If portability is paramount, then the lightweight, long-running Zenbook A14 is the pick.
Pros
- Class-leading battery life
- Strong performance
- Awesome and accurate haptic touchpad
Cons
- No OLED option
- Upgrades get costly and don't include dedicated GPU
- Your Arm-on-Windows compatibility mileage may vary
The Surface Laptop 7 model we reviewed rings in at $2,000, which is beyond the reach of most student budgets. The line starts at $1,000, which makes it a bit more accessible. Students will like its polished design and class-leading battery life. Our test model ran for nearly 20 hours on a single charge, and you can expect a similar runtime from the entry-level unit.
The Surface Laptop 7 reverses earlier Arm-on-Windows efforts that were plagued by lackluster performance and limited compatibility, with many x86 apps unable to run on an Arm-based system. This time around, performance has improved and so has compatibility. For $1,000, the Surface Laptop 7 features a Snapdragon X Plus CPU, 16GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. The storage capacity might be a bit tight, but it should offer sufficient performance for most people, along with the freedom to leave the charger at home for days at a time.
Pros
- Big boost to battery life
- Performance in benchmark tests shows the M1 Air easily outperforming Intel versions
- Fanless design runs cool and quiet
Cons
- No external design or feature changes
- App compatibility is an issue for early adopters
- No mobile broadband options, 5G or otherwise
With the arrival of the M3 MacBook Air, Apple dropped the M1 model from its lineup and positioned the M2 MacBook Air as the new budget option at $999. The M1 Air lives on as an exclusive at Walmart for only $649.
Other than losing out on the performance gains from the newer M2 and M3 chips, what else are you sacrificing in choosing the M1 Air? It has a slightly smaller screen at 13.3 inches than the 13.6-inch display you get with the M2 and M3 models. The larger displays are also brighter at 500 nits compared to the 400-nit panel of the M1. The webcam resolution gets a bump, going from a 720p camera in the M1 to a 1080p camera on the newer models. Cosmetically, the M2 model introduced a flatter, boxier enclosure than the tapered design of the M1 Air.
The M1 MacBook still offers solid overall performance for most users and a long battery life of up to 18 hours. If you're a college student, it's hard to go wrong with the most affordable MacBook Air.
Pros
- Strong build quality
- Great performance for the price
- Long battery life
- Comfortable, quiet keyboard
- Good port selection
Cons
- A little on the heavy side
- Clacky touchpad
- Uninspired audio output
With its excellent build quality, adequate display, strong performance and lengthy runtime, the Yoga 7 14 Gen 9 provides a ton of value. It is a great fit as a versatile machine for students looking for a single machine for writing term papers in laptop mode and taking notes in tablet mode. We like its solid, all-metal chassis and the power and efficiency you get from its AMD Ryzen 7 8000-series CPU. It lacks some of the refinement and extras you get with Lenovo’s flagship Yoga 9i 14, but the midrange Yoga 7 14 is much more affordable and the better pick for those on student budgets.
Pros
- Excellent overall performance
- Gorgeous OLED display
- All-metal chassis
- Comfortable keyboard
- 1440p IR webcam with privacy shutter
Cons
- Weak speakers
- No Thunderbolt 4 support
The HP Pavilion Plus is a good fit for students because it delivers a stylish and solid all-metal chassis, good battery life and numerous configuration options at reasonable prices. It's available in 14- and 16-inch sizes. We tested the 14-inch model, which is better for students who will take it across campus each day.
HP has discontinued its Pavilion laptops in favor of the OmniBook brand, but HP is still selling this model with an Intel Core Ultra 5 125H at a steep discount. It's on sale for $650 and upgrading to an OLED display adds only $60 to the price.
Pros
- Leading 3D performance among budget gaming laptops
- Plastic keyboard deck is solid
- Aluminum top cover adds durability
- Roomy and bright 16-inch, 16:10 display
- Crisp, 1080p webcam
- Plenty of ports, including Thunderbolt 4
Cons
- Bulky and heavy
- Design borrows liberally from Acer's entry-level Nitro 16
- Weak audio output
- Short battery life
Like other gaming laptop makers, Acer has two lines: a budget-friendly Nitro series and midrange and premium models that carry the Predator label. Oddly enough, it's under the latter you'll find our budget gaming pick: the Helios Neo 16. It's strikingly similar to the Acer Nitro 16 but with slightly better build quality and graphics performance. The only place it really faltered was its speakers, which put out disappointingly flat audio with nonexistent bass.
The Predator Helios Neo 16 was priced at $1,200 when it was first released, and now it can be found for closer to $1,000 at Amazon. That's a great price for RTX graphics power.
Pros
- Sharp, smooth and vivid OLED display
- Powerful RTX 4070 GPU
- Core Ultra CPU helps battery life
Cons
- Meh design
- So-so build quality
The Swift X 14 boasts strong graphics performance and a beautiful 2.8K OLED display at a sensible price. The $1,700 model we tested features an Intel Core Ultra processor and Nvidia Geforce RTX 4070 graphics. With this CPU/GPU duo, the Swift X 14 delivers excellent performance in an ultraportable. It sits in the sweet spot of providing a display large enough to work on for long stretches without feeling cramped while also being lightweight enough to be easily portable across campus. Art and STEM students alike are sure to make use of this powerful 14-inch laptop.
Pros
- Long battery life
- Excellent webcam performance
- Bright, matte touchscreen
- Durable build
- 512GB SSD
Cons
- No keyboard backlight
- Lots of flex on the keyboard, touchpad
- Slower 5Gbps USB-C ports
This 14-inch Chromebook Plus model delivers good performance and even better battery life, along with a respectably bright display with a matte finish to limit glare. It has more storage than you'd typically find at its price. The model we reviewed lacked keyboard backlighting, which was a bit of a bummer, but Acer does sell models with a backlit keyboard that aren’t that much more expensive. With its mix of features and performance for the price, it’s easy to recommend the Acer Chromebook Plus 514 for school, work or home.
Factors to consider
There's a multitude of laptops on the market that would be a fit for students, and almost all of those models are available in multiple configurations to match your performance needs and budget restraints. If you are feeling overwhelmed by the sheer number of options, we're here to help with advice on what to consider when shopping for a school laptop.
Price
The search for a new laptop for most people starts with price, particularly for cash-strapped college students. To end up with a laptop that will last you at least through four years of school, I would advise against choosing a bargain-basement, entry-level model. Additionally, you could get away with spending less upfront in past years with an eye toward upgrading memory and storage in the future. Laptop makers are increasingly moving away from making components easily upgradeable, so it's best to get as many laptop capabilities as you can afford from the start.
Generally speaking, the more you spend, the better the laptop. That could mean better components for faster performance, a nicer display, sturdier build quality, a smaller or lighter design from higher-end materials or even a more comfortable keyboard.
Right now, the sweet spot for a reliable laptop that can handle average school tasks is between $700 and $800. For art and STEM students who need to run demanding graphics or STEM apps (or those looking for a bit of gaming, after your homework is done, of course), you'll need to spend about $1,000 or a bit more. The key is to look for discounts on models in all price ranges so you can get more laptop capability for less.
Size
If you plan on taking your laptop to class each day, then you'll want a lighter and thinner laptop. We recommend a model with a 13- or 14-inch display for most students. Larger 15- and 16-inch models provide more screen real estate for getting work done and juggling multiple windows, but you'll probably get tired of dragging it across campus.
Specs
If you are targeting a 14-inch laptop for school, then the basic display resolution of 1,920x1,200 should suffice for creating crisp text and images. The sharpness of the picture will improve as you go up in resolution, but you don’t need a 4K display for such a small screen. If your budget allows, look for an OLED display with a 2240x1400, 2560x1600 or 2880x1800. Not only will the increased pixel count improve the picture, but the superior contrast ratio and color performance of an OLED will be evident compared with that of an IPS LED display.
For internals, Intel and AMD are the main CPU makers for Windows laptops, with Qualcomm as a new third option with its Arm-based Snapdragon X processors. Both Intel and AMD offer a staggering selection of mobile processors. Making things trickier, both manufacturers have chips designed for different laptop styles, like power-saving chips for ultraportables or faster processors for gaming laptops. Their naming conventions will let you know what type is used. You can head to Intel's or AMD's sites for explanations so you get the performance you want. Generally speaking, the faster the processor speed and the more cores it has, the better the performance will be.
Apple makes its own chips for MacBooks, which makes things slightly more straightforward. The entry-level MacBook Air uses an M1 chip, and the latest Air models feature M3 chips.
Battery life is paramount for a student laptop, and it has less to do with the number of CPU cores and more to do with CPU architecture, Arm versus x86. Apple's Arm-based MacBooks and the first Arm-based Copilot Plus PCs we've tested offer better battery life than laptops based on x86 processors from Intel and AMD.
If you plan to study art and your course of study will involve using graphics-intensive creative apps, then you will need a Windows laptop with a dedicated Nvidia GPU or a more powerful MacBook Pro. The same can be said for STEM students who will be using powerful scientific apps as well as any student who might want to play PC games on their laptop. Costs increase quickly, however, when you jump from integrated graphics to an Nvidia GeForce RTX GPU or from a MacBook Air to a MacBook Pro.
For memory, we highly recommend 16GB of RAM, with 8GB being the absolute bare minimum. RAM is where the operating system stores all the data for currently running applications, and it can fill up fast. After that, it starts swapping between RAM and SSD, which is slower. We suggest at least 16GB of RAM for a Windows laptop, but most students should be fine with the standard 8GB that Apple offers on its baseline MacBook Air. Plus, Apple charges a hefty sum for 16GB.
For storage, get at least a 256GB SSD and 512GB SSD if you can. If you need to go with a smaller drive, you can always add an external drive down the road or use cloud storage to bolster a small internal drive. The one exception is gaming laptops: We don't recommend going with less than a 512GB SSD unless you really like uninstalling games every time you want to play a new one.
Operating system
Choosing an operating system is part personal preference and part budget. For the most part, Microsoft Windows and Apple's MacOS do the same things (except for gaming, where Windows is the winner), but they do them differently. Unless there's an OS-specific application you need, go with the one you feel most comfortable using. If you're not sure which that is, head to an Apple store or a local electronics store and test them out. Or ask friends or family to let you test theirs for a bit. If you have an iPhone or iPad and like it, chances are you'll like MacOS too.
When it comes to price and variety (and PC gaming), Windows laptops win. If you want MacOS, you're getting a MacBook. Apple's MacBooks regularly top our best lists, they are costly although the original M1 MacBook Air is still available for just $649.
Windows laptops can be found for as little as a couple of hundred dollars and come in all manner of sizes and designs. Granted, we'd be hard-pressed to find a $200 laptop we'd give a full-throated recommendation to, especially if you need it to last you through four years of school.
If you are on a tight budget, consider a Chromebook. ChromeOS is a different experience than Windows; more streamlined and easier to use. It's limited, in that basically everything runs through the Chrome browser. Just make sure that your school or coursework doesn't require you to use apps that run only on a Windows or Mac machine.
How to get the best laptop for high school students
There is plenty of overlap between what makes a good laptop for college and a good laptop for high school. Without college-level coursework and with other PCs perhaps in the house, high school students may be able to use a Chromebook for all of their school needs and requirements. High schoolers may be able to look at a laptop purchase as a shorter-term investment: buy an inexpensive, lower-end model to get you to graduation, at which point summer job earnings or a grad gift from a grandparent could lead you to your next laptop for college and beyond.
How we test laptops for students
The review process for laptops consists of two parts: performance testing under controlled conditions in the CNET Labs and extensive hands-on use by our reviewers. This includes evaluating a device's aesthetics, ergonomics and features with respect to price. A final review verdict is a combination of both objective and subjective judgments.
We test all laptops with a core set of benchmarks, including Primate Labs Geekbench 5 and 6, Cinebench R23, PCMark 10, a variety of 3DMark benchmarks (whichever can run on the laptop), UL Procyon Photo and Video (where supported) and our own battery life test. If a laptop is intended for gaming, we also run benchmarks from Guardians of the Galaxy, The Rift Breaker (CPU and GPU) and Shadow of the Tomb Raider.
For the hands-on test, the reviewer uses it for their work during the review period, evaluating how well the design, features (such as the screen, camera and speakers) and manufacturer-supplied software operate as a cohesive whole. We also place importance on how well they work given their cost and where the manufacturer has potentially made upgrades or tradeoffs for its price.
We also weigh the laptop to see how its heft compares to other similarly sized laptops, which is especially important for students who will be toting their laptop to and from school each day. We also pay attention to the build quality to assess how sturdy or flimsy a laptop is, which is another important consideration for students who will rely on a laptop day and and day out for at least four years.
The list of benchmarking software and comparison criteria we use changes over time as the devices we test evolve. You can find a more detailed description of our test methodology on our How We Test Computers page.
Other student laptops we tested
M4 MacBook Air (15-Inch, 2025): The smaller Air is the perfect student laptop, but once you're out of school you should graduate to the larger, but still highly portable, 15-inch model.
Acer Swift 16 AI: It's thin. It's light. It's long-running. And it boasts a big, bright 16-inch OLED display. So, what's holding this Copilot Plus PC back from being more than just a big-screen productivity machine?
Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 5i 16 Gen 9: For a 16-inch laptop, it's thin, light and long running. But, it's hard to look past the budget display.
HP Pavilion Aero 13: When it comes to runtime, Snapdragon X laptops and the MacBook Air run laps around it.
Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i: It's thin and light for its size, but a short runtime and a few design miscues make this a low-cost laptop to skip.
Acer Swift Go 14 AI: This Snapdragon X-powered laptop can run all day, but its overall look might put you to sleep.
Acer Swift 14 AI: It’s a long-lasting if basic Copilot Plus PC, but do we really need an AI indicator light on the touchpad?
Lenovo ThinkBook 14 2-in-1 Gen 4: I wish you could upgrade the display, but this low-cost two-in-one business laptop lets you add more RAM and a second SSD after purchase to extend your investment.
Lenovo Yoga 7 16 Gen 9: Lenovo's 16-inch convertible is a good budget buy, but it's better as a secondary machine than your daily driver.
Lenovo Yoga 9i 14 Gen 9: Lenovo's flagship two-in-one has AV advantages over its midrange sibling, but you'll pay a premium price for the OLED display and quad speakers.
Asus Zenbook S 14: Intel's Core Ultra Series 2 processors show improvement from the first generation, but Apple's and Qualcomm's ARM-based chips still lead the way.
HP OmniBook X 14: The latest Copilot Plus PC runs for more hours than there are in a day.
Lenovo LOQ 15IAX9I: It's super cheap, with a dedicated Intel Arc GPU that lends it a wee bit of 3D muscle for casual 1080p play.
HP Envy x360 16: This midrange convertible impresses with a premium OLED display. Its AMD Ryzen 8040 series CPU makes it pretty fast, too.
Asus ROG Zephyrus G16: It's a top gaming laptop for creators, too.
Dell Inspiron 2-in-1 7445: A dim display dulls Dell's otherwise well-rounded, AI-equipped and affordable 14-inch convertible laptop.
Microsoft Surface Pro 11: We've been waiting for decent Arm-on-Windows performance and for a screen upgrade, and together they've made the new Surface feel like a new tablet.
Acer Swift X 14 (2024): The design won't wow you, but the 14.5-inch OLED display powered by RTX 4070 graphics is a great combo for on-the-go content creation.
Dell Inspiron 16 Plus 7640: Content creators may bemoan the display choices, but this midtier, 16-inch laptop offers well-rounded performance from its Core Ultra chip and RTX graphics.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold 16: Lenovo makes strides with its second foldable-display laptop, but further refinements are still needed before it's ready for the masses.
Acer Aspire Go 14: You could do worse for $300.
Asus Zenbook 14 OLED Q425: It's a boon to get an OLED display in such a portable package with great battery life for roughly $1,000, but the fit and finish feel decidedly midrange.
Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon Gen 12: The latest X1 Carbon has many charms, but they will remain out of reach for many business buyers constrained by budgets.
Dell XPS 16 9640: Dell's new 16-inch XPS model offers a unique design backed by strong performance and surprisingly long battery life. Just be prepared to pay for its many configurable charms.
Alienware m18 R2 Gaming Laptop: When you're this big, the sky's the limit.
