Overview
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![Dell 14 Plus (DB14250)]()
Dell 14 Plus (DB14250)
Best Windows Laptop for Most College Students -
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![Apple MacBook Air (M1, Late 2020)]()
Apple MacBook Air (M1, Late 2020)
Best MacBook for Most College Students -
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![Lenovo Yoga 9i 14 Gen 9 (2024)]()
Lenovo Yoga 9i 14 Gen 9 (2024)
Best 2-in-1 Convertible for College -
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![Acer Swift Go 14 (2024, AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS)]()
Acer Swift Go 14 (2024, AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS)
Best Light Laptop for College -
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![LG Gram 17 (2025)]()
LG Gram 17 (2025)
Best Big-Screen Laptop for College -
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![Asus ProArt PZ13]()
Asus ProArt PZ13
Best 2-in-1 Tablet for College Note-Taking -
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![Asus ProArt P16 (H7606)]()
Asus ProArt P16 (H7606)
Best Desktop Replacement for College -
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![Acer Nitro V 15 (ANV15-41-R2Y3)]()
Acer Nitro V 15 (ANV15-41-R2Y3)
Best Budget Gaming Laptop for College -
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![Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714]()
Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714
Best Chromebook for College -
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![Lenovo Chromebook Duet Gen 9]()
Lenovo Chromebook Duet Gen 9
Best 2-in-1 Detachable Chromebook for College
College life is demanding enough! Your laptop must keep up with you from the classroom to the dorm room. Let us help you find that just-right machine: Since PCMag's founding decades ago, we've tested thousands of laptops under PC Labs' strict methodology, always supplemented with incisive comparisons to other models on the market. Today, our team of experts reviews more than 100 models yearly to find the best laptops for college and university students. Our current top Windows pick for most college students is the Dell 14 Plus (DB14250), for its value-packed price and speedy performance. (We also like the older M1 MacBook Air as a budget Apple option.) We have additional picks for specific scenarios and bigger or smaller budgets. Check out our complete list of the best college laptops and our expert buying advice to find the most fitting laptop for you. We're confident that at least one will land in your price range, academic needs, and personal style.
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Deeper Dive: Our Top Tested Picks
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![Dell 14 Plus (DB14250)]()
Dell 14 Plus (DB14250)
Best Windows Laptop for Most College StudentsWhy We Picked It
Leaving the Inspiron name behind, the Dell 14 Plus is an impressive Copilot+ laptop that any college student would find helpful. With a tested 20 hours of battery life, it should last a full day of classes and study sessions without needing a charge. This laptop makes finishing assignments easier, thanks to a comfortable keyboard and a practical selection of ports, including Thunderbolt 4, making it easy to connect to various accessories and peripherals. Plus, the vibrant display is perfect for everything from watching lectures to streaming movies. The best part? This all-metal design and high-end feature set is often on sale for as little as $699.
Who It's For
The Dell 14 Plus is ideal for students who need a reliable, long-lasting device for schoolwork. Its affordability, durable construction, and excellent battery life make the 14 Plus a practical investment for the demands of campus life. (Remote learners and budget shoppers will also find plenty to love.)
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Learn More Dell 14 Plus (DB14250) Review -
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![Apple MacBook Air (M1, Late 2020)]()
Apple MacBook Air (M1, Late 2020)
Best MacBook for Most College StudentsWhy We Picked It
A 2020 laptop is still relevant, really? To be sure, this version of the Apple MacBook Air isn't new, but it received a new lease on life in mid-2024 as Apple's most affordable laptop. Apple partnered with Walmart to sell the M1-powered Air for under $700, a fantastic value for what was once one of our top college laptops. Whether you're already an Apple user or just want a premium ultraportable with all-day battery life on the cheap, the newly affordable Air is the best deal among Mac laptops if you're budget-strapped. You can even get it in different colors for that low price.
Who It's For
If you want a thin-and-light laptop to carry across campus easily, the 2020 Apple MacBook Air with M1 chip is the cheapest Apple laptop you can buy new. For less than $700, this lightweight gives you a premium design and excellent system that could last for your entire undergrad or graduate experience.
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Learn More Apple MacBook Air M1 13” Laptop Review -
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![Lenovo Yoga 9i 14 Gen 9 (2024)]()
Lenovo Yoga 9i 14 Gen 9 (2024)
Best 2-in-1 Convertible for CollegeWhy We Picked It
The flagship consumer convertible from the company that invented the modern 2-in-1, Lenovo's Yoga 9i Gen 9 is our top pick for students (and plenty of other folks, to boot), thanks to its superb 14-inch OLED touch display with pen support. It looks brilliant, and it's a super pick for taking notes, too.
Leading performance bolsters this laptop's claim for a top spot, as well: The Yoga 9i showcases the power of Intel's Core Ultra silicon, providing fantastic battery life and punchy performance. Including the pen and carrying case makes it a smart choice if you prioritize handwritten notes and on-screen sketching. With its all-metal chassis, the Yoga 9i exudes elegance while maintaining a slim profile. Most majors, from the sciences to the arts, will find something to love here.
Who It's For
This premium, swivel-hinge 2-in-1 is perfect for anyone needing touch input, handwriting, and drawing features but not wanting to compromise the laptop experience. The dazzling OLED display and symphonic sound are matched by the most refined version of Lenovo's famous flip-and-fold design yet. If you're looking for a machine with a leading-edge chip to get you through four undergrad years of classes, presentations, doodles, and collaborations, this Yoga model is a solid bet.
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Learn More Lenovo Yoga 9i 14 Gen 9 (2024) Review -
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![Acer Swift Go 14 (2024, AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS)]()
Acer Swift Go 14 (2024, AMD Ryzen 7 8845HS)
Best Light Laptop for CollegeWhy We Picked It
Ultraportables are the perfect laptop for campus, and the best option for students right now is this Acer Swift Go 14 model. The slim, 2.76-pound design is easy to carry in a backpack or under an arm, and with nearly 16 hours of battery life, you'll still have power after hours of class. Its connections are plentiful, its design is sturdy, and its affordable price makes this thin-and-light laptop a compelling value.
Who It's For
This is more than an affordable, reliable laptop for students. The Acer Swift Go 14 is an AMD-powered performer with a super portable design. We recommend this budget-friendly college ultraportable if you need portability without compromising performance.
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![LG Gram 17 (2025)]()
LG Gram 17 (2025)
Best Big-Screen Laptop for CollegeWhy We Picked It
The LG Gram 17 is incredibly light for a 17-inch laptop, making it easy to carry around campus despite its large screen. That generous QHD+ (2,560-by-1,600-pixel) IPS display provides a sharp, vibrant, and immersive viewing experience for both classroom notes and end-of-day Netflix binges. Other essentials include a full-size, backlit keyboard with a number pad, plus the full suite of Copilot+ AI features and a magnesium alloy chassis that makes the laptop light and sturdy, a rare combination.
Who It's For
We named the LG Gram 17 (2025) the best big-screen laptop for college students because its larger display lends itself well to multitasking with multiple windows. Despite this size, the laptop presents fantastic portability, making it ideal for anyone who wants a larger screen to fit more online meeting attendees on-screen, for higher-quality media consumption, or for visual work like design and spreadsheeting.
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Learn More LG Gram 17 (2025) Review -
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![Asus ProArt PZ13]()
Asus ProArt PZ13
Best 2-in-1 Tablet for College Note-TakingWhy We Picked It
If you like handwritten notes, you'll want to look at the 2-in-1 Asus ProArt PZ13, which features a gorgeous OLED touch screen that enhances the note-taking experience with fantastic clarity. It includes a kickstand cover and an above-average keyboard, providing versatility and comfort for typing. With more than 17 hours of battery life, it will carry you through a full day of lectures and labs with battery to spare. Our only problem with this detachable 2-in-1? The pen is sold separately.
Who It's For
Whether you're a creator who needs to draw or a student jotting down quotes and references in class, you'll likely appreciate the Asus ProArt PZ13, our favorite detachable Windows 2-in-1. This versatile laptop is ideal for creative college students who want a touch screen for scrawling notes or sketches backed by a computer that can digest them into work-ready materials.
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Learn More Asus ProArt PZ13 (HT5306) Review -
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![Asus ProArt P16 (H7606)]()
Asus ProArt P16 (H7606)
Best Desktop Replacement for CollegeWhy We Picked It
It's tough to beat the Asus ProArt P16 (H7606) desktop replacement for content creation, an Editors' Choice winner that's powered by an AMD Ryzen AI 9 HX 370 processor and Nvidia GeForce RTX 4070 GPU. Perfect for high performance and media work, it has a captivating 4K OLED display for stunning visuals, AI-assisted features, and the virtual Asus DialPad for finer edits and quicker access to shortcuts. If your course load includes projects like photo and video editing, graphic design, and even movie scoring, this is the laptop to get.
Who It's For
Whether you're a creative pro or just studying to be one, the Asus ProArt P16 (H7606) is our favorite laptop for photo editors, video editors, and graphic designers seeking a high-performance Windows laptop. It's a portable, powerful, high-end desktop replacement for college or professional use.
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Learn More Asus ProArt P16 (H7606) Review -
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![Acer Nitro V 15 (ANV15-41-R2Y3)]()
Acer Nitro V 15 (ANV15-41-R2Y3)
Best Budget Gaming Laptop for CollegeWhy We Picked It
University students often need powerful laptops for their coursework and projects, but let's be honest: When the homework is done, you want something that will allow you to have some fun. The Acer Nitro V 15 (ANV15-41-R2Y3) offers lengthy battery life and a wide selection of ports that make it a versatile productivity machine during the day. Still, it also gives you surprisingly smooth 1080p gaming performance for less than $1,000, making it a killer option for budget gaming.
Who It's For
Whether you're a cash-strapped student or a parent trying to buy your freshman a machine to carry them through their college career, the Acer Nitro V 15 is one of the best budget gaming machines around. It's powerful enough for whatever campus life throws at you, and you might have enough money left over to buy a game or two.
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Learn More Acer Nitro V 15 (ANV15-41-R2Y3) Review -
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![Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714]()
Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714
Best Chromebook for CollegeWhy We Picked It
Though not as affordable as some Chromebooks, the Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714 is the most advanced and capable ChromeOS-powered laptop, especially for Android apps and gaming. It packs a capable convertible design, a powerful Intel Core Ultra processor, and two fistfuls of AI-powered upgrades, including a 12-month trial of Google's Gemini Advanced. We already loved the Spin 714's elegant design and high-quality construction, but the latest model ups the ante with the most intelligent version of ChromeOS we've ever seen. If Chromebooks are enough for your courseload, this is the one to get.
Who It's For
This one is for anyone who wants the best ChromeOS with Android support has to offer. Whether you're in the lecture hall, the library, or just chilling in your dorm, the Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714 is as close to perfect as Chromebooks get.
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Learn More Acer Chromebook Plus Spin 714 Review -
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![Lenovo Chromebook Duet Gen 9]()
Lenovo Chromebook Duet Gen 9
Best 2-in-1 Detachable Chromebook for CollegeWhy We Picked It
If you're a college student on a budget (chances are high these days), the Lenovo Chromebook Duet Gen 9 is a superb tablet to pick up for a song. One of the least expensive convertible laptops on the market, this Chromebook detachable 2-in-1 is just capable enough for online workflows. The tablet comes with a bundled keyboard and a stylus pen, adding value for note-taking and creativity. The Duet's sharp touch screen is compact but usable, and its high-quality build is far more durable than the price might suggest.
Who It's For
The Lenovo Chromebook Duet Gen 9 is ideal for budget-conscious buyers looking for a low-cost 2-in-1 option for schoolwork, especially for college students and younger users who need a reliable device for accessing essential apps and functions. If you want a ChromeOS tablet for basic tasks at a base-level price, this is the detachable 2-in-1 Chromebook to buy.
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Learn More Lenovo Chromebook Duet Gen 9 Review -
Buying Guide: The Best Laptops for College Students in 2025
How do you narrow down this list, let alone other systems not mentioned here, to find the right one to be your college colleague? Some questions will apply to all college laptop shoppers, whether families with kids or corporate executives; others are specific to higher education. Let's run down what you need to know.
Do College Students Get Laptop Discounts? First, Check With the School
The first and most important thing to do is to check with your school for specific system requirements and negotiated discounts. They may have hard-and-fast hardware recommendations from vendors available at special prices, or they may not.
Some colleges and universities want their students equipped with Windows-based laptops to reduce software incompatibility issues or to concentrate tech support on one platform. Others don't care which operating system you use, whether Windows, macOS, or even linux, if you're a hard-core type. Some institutions have on-site repair centers that service only laptops purchased from the university or an affiliated computer store on campus. Using one of these facilities, the turnaround time will be much quicker than sending a laptop back to the original manufacturer.
Most schools do offer price breaks for particular vendors and provide extensive software bundles, which can shave off a good amount from your college laptop purchase. So you might want to look into the campus store as a first shopping destination before you hit your local superstore or favorite online seller.
How Heavy Should a College Laptop Be?
Not every student will agree, but depending on how far you haul it daily, a big-screen notebook may not be such a bright idea.
Sure, it's nice to have a mini home theater in your dorm room or play the latest games in big-screen glory, but a five-pound-plus laptop with a 15-to-18-inch screen will be a chore to haul across campus when you're running from class to class. You're better off with something lighter, so if screen size matters less to you than convenience, a super-thin ultraportable might be the way to go.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)A roughly three-pound, 13- or 14-inch laptop is ideal for most students, as it will make room for other items in your backpack while minimizing the weight burden. Depending on your tolerance level, a smaller display works as long as you understand that full web pages and productivity applications will involve more scrolling, and fonts will appear smaller than they do on larger screens, assuming the same resolution and zoom level.
Essays, research papers, and chatting online with your classmates will take up most of your computing time, so a full-size keyboard and comfortable touchpad are crucial. Also know: When you venture smaller than a 13-inch-class laptop for college, you risk a compromised typing experience. The easiest way to ensure that you have the best keyboard is to stop by a brick-and-mortar store and spend some time typing on prospective choices of different sizes.
If you do decide to buy a smaller, less expensive laptop for college, it's probably worth investing in a standalone keyboard you can keep in the dorm or at home for when you need to type a lot. A desktop monitor you attach via HDMI or USB-C could be a nice complement, too.
What Processor to Get in a College Laptop?
Laptops for college come with a wide selection of processors across both budgets and usage cases—you can choose one that maximizes performance or one that favors battery life. Or you can select one that plays to both strengths: Intel's Core CPUs confer power and battery efficiency benefits. AMD's Ryzen mobile chips are less common but have also emerged as viable picks for ultraportable laptops. But of late, more options have emerged from each of these chipmakers, plus a new face on the scene.
For Windows laptops, the latest are Intel's Core Ultra and Core Ultra 2, and AMD's Ryzen 8000-series and Ryzen AI 300 processors. These CPU families come equipped with on-chip neural-engine silicon to run AI tasks locally. Qualcomm also re-entered the Windows laptop market—its most significant push ever—with efficient, performant Arm-based Snapdragon X processors, which are meant for the type of portable and lightweight laptops college students are looking for. All three of the chip lines emphasize low-power operation, and select models can deliver better battery life than previous-generation ones with earlier Core and Ryzen CPUs.
If you desire all-day battery life and spend almost all of your time in a web browser, you might want to consider using a Chromebook. These typically run on low-powered Intel Core (no Ultra) or N-series processors that suffice for the kinds of workaday online tasks at which Chromebooks excel. (More about Chromebooks in a bit.)
Conversely, if performance ranks high on your list, a MacBook with Apple's "M" series chips (M4 is the latest generation) or a Windows laptop with at least an Intel Core Ultra 5 or an AMD Ryzen 5 8000 begins to give the oomph you'll need. AMD and Intel's 7-series processors handle even more demanding workloads; some college courses may require more than others. (If you want to dig deeper, our guide to laptop processors gets into much more detail on understanding laptop CPUs. There's a lot to it.) For most college users, though, a mid-level processor from the last two generations should suffice for most tasks outside of engineering or computation-heavy curricula such as graphic design or video production.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)If you like playing games in your downtime, you might want to splurge on a more expensive gaming laptop for college. Most general-purpose notebooks, especially at under-$800 prices, won't have the discrete graphics processing unit (GPU) necessary to make the hottest game titles look good and play smoothly. But if you hunt around a little, you can find gaming laptops these days starting at $700 to $900 with a decent Nvidia GeForce RTX or (much less common) AMD Radeon RX GPU for playing games at 1080p resolution and moderate or better image quality settings. (See our guide to the best cheap gaming laptops for lots more about budget GPUs and how to buy just enough of a gaming machine for your needs.) A powerful GPU can also help in specific high-end and scientific applications, but, like a high-powered processor, it also drains battery life.
The good news is that in most other cases (unless you're an architecture major with a heavy reliance on computer-aided design, or CAD, software), modern processors' integrated graphics silicon should suffice for the day-to-day tasks you'll face. Today, that usually means some form of Intel integrated graphics under the Intel Xe or Arc brands. Our reviews will detail their comparative performance levels, but none can match even a moderate dedicated GPU. (Read more about gaming limits on integrated graphics processors in mainstream laptops.)
How Much Storage to Get in a Laptop for College?
With the increasing prevalence of cloud storage and web applications, having plentiful local storage space is somewhat less vital than it used to be, but you should still make sure that your laptop for college meets your needs. If you plan to install many programs or want to hang on to lots of large media files, you'll need at least half a terabyte (512GB) or more. If you don't foresee needing all that local storage or are content with leaving much of your work online, you can get by with a laptop with a 256GB drive.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)Whichever way you go, remember that storage affects speed, too. A few generations-old, remaindered budget laptops may use old-fashioned hard drives, which provide more storage for less money but are noticeably slow compared with the snappy solid-state drives (SSDs) most common today. We strongly recommend SSDs for laptops that are carried around campus a lot since these drives (if not the laptops themselves) shrug off drop damage, and they deliver much peppier performance. Any reasonably modern laptop at this point will have an SSD.
Recommended by Our Editors
The good news is that you can add more space whenever needed by plugging an external hard drive or SSD into one of your laptop's USB ports. Although you probably won't have to do this unless you're an aspiring videographer or filmmaker, it's a good option to have.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)Gamers may want to take an altogether different view. With many AAA game installations topping 40GB or 50GB apiece, a small SSD fills up fast. You'll want to think about that before you buy a machine with, say, just a 256GB SSD, or at least be prepared to swap games on and off the drive as you complete them. You really need to insist on at least a 512GB drive in a gaming laptop, with 1TB much better.
What Kind of Battery Life to Expect From a College Laptop?
A sizable battery can be your biggest ally on a day filled with classes and extracurricular activities. A few college laptops come with multiple battery options at the time of purchase. Most, though, have only one—and it's not swappable or removable.
In this case, figure out where battery life ranks in the grand scheme of things. If removable batteries are an option (which is very rare nowadays), it might be a good idea to get a second one, or a larger "extended" one if available, at the time of purchase. The more cells a battery contains within a given model line, the longer its life, all else being equal.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)A big battery means more heft, but the weight gain is well worth it if it means working longer without an AC outlet. This is where our reviews come in especially handy; we test every laptop that passes through our labs with a nonstop video rundown so you can get a good idea of relative endurance between models. Most of our picks last for more than 10 hours at a minimum these days, while those with longer-lasting batteries ran for around 15 hours on our rundown test. Apple's MacBooks and laptops with Intel Core Ultra or Qualcomm Snapdragon processors frequently achieve more than 20 hours.
An important caveat: Remember that our video rundown is a best-case scenario test. Using the laptop for heavy multitasking off the battery, with the screen brightness cranked up and Wi-Fi on, will deliver shorter runtimes. Look at our battery rundown times as measures of relative potential, not absolutes.
Are Chromebooks Good for College?
In the past several years, we've seen a strong push by Chromebook makers—relatively low-cost laptops based on Google's ChromeOS—into the education market. Chromebooks are still mostly web-centric, likely to rely on online instead of locally installed versions of Microsoft 365 or Google Docs, but have relatively complete feature sets. If the school you're attending puts its coursework in the cloud, a Chromebook can offer you much of the functionality of a regular laptop and may deliver longer battery life.
(Credit: Brian Westover)It will also likely cost you much less than other notebooks. Prices for basic Chromebook models typically run between $200 and $400 (although higher-end models can go for $1,000 or more). Just be sure you have ready access to reliable, stable Wi-Fi, as these systems have scant local storage, and you must plan to use them effectively offline.
Serious PC gamers, of course, won't find much use for one of these laptops. Unless you want to stream games through a service like GeForce Now, they only run ChromeOS and Android apps from the Google Play Store. But a Chromebook can also be a good, inexpensive second college laptop you carry around campus to take notes, while your beastly gaming rig (or desktop gaming PC, for that matter) hangs back at the dorm or home. (In the market for a ChromeOS laptop? We've rounded up today's best Chromebooks.)
Are 2-in-1 Laptops Worth It for College?
Hybrids, also known as 2-in-1 notebooks, can function as traditional clamshell-style laptops when needed but transform into tablets when sketching, scribbling, or marking up a document is your main task. Some (generally called convertibles) sport a folding design that flips the keyboard out of the way by rotating around its hinge so the screen and keyboard are back-to-back.
Others (dubbed detachables) let you dock a tablet (the screen portion) with an accessory keyboard when you want laptop-like functionality. While these devices are tablets first, some provide the level of performance you'd expect from a laptop, though most are more comfortable to use on a desk than in your lap. What they do better than any laptop is let you take handwritten notes just as you would with pen and paper, making them ideal for many types of study. Microsoft's Surface Pro slates are at the forefront of power and design for detachables, and they have recently gone all-in on Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Arm processors. These are the best versions of Windows on Arm chips yet, but they're not immune to the platform's app compatibility struggles.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)A budget 2-in-1 might be just what you need to fill several roles. One thing to be mindful of: If you're considering a detachable design, ensure the keyboard cover, base, and stylus pen are included in the price. Some manufacturers (notably, Microsoft) charge extra for these accessories, hiking your total cost considerably.
How Long a Warranty to Get for a College Laptop?
Almost every laptop, for college or otherwise, you buy today is backed by at least a one-year parts and labor warranty. Extended warranties are also available, but whether they're worth it depends on who you are as a user.
For starters, know that standard warranties don't cover breakdowns that stem from a spilled drink or a drop onto a sidewalk. Most manufacturers sell accident coverage as a separate plan atop their extended warranties, so spending close to $300 for three years of coverage is not uncommon. Apple offers a maximum extended warranty of three years, while some makers of Windows laptops offer up to four years.
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)In our opinion, if a warranty costs more than 15% of the total laptop price, you're better off spending the money on backup drives or cloud services that minimize downtime if something goes awry. Of course, you can't put a price on peace of mind. In rare instances, the logic board or the display—the most expensive pieces of a laptop—can fail, with repairs costing half or more of what a new laptop would. Faulty inner components (except the battery) usually break down during the first year; however, any glitches after that are probably more about regular wear and tear.
Again, though, your college or university may be a pleasant surprise X-factor. Some schools have special arrangements with specific vendors for on-site laptop service, so it could pay to check with the campus bookstore or computer store to see if any such exceptional circumstances apply. For example, getting parts and repairs for your Lenovo ThinkPad done overnight is possible.
So, Ready to Buy the Right Laptop for College?
We trust that our guide has helped! True, you'll see more choices on the market today than ever, and slogging through them can be daunting. No worries, though: We've done the work for you in our list and our detailed spec comparison chart. If you (or the student you're shopping for) are closer to graduation than orientation, also check out our guide to the best laptop for each type of graduate, which offers career-specific options. And for more general factors to look for when shopping, check out our top laptop picks and our favorite budget notebooks.
