Want a MacBook for college but shopping on a student budget? I found a secret weapon for saving cash

Buying one of the best student laptops isn’t always easy, especially if you’re eyeing up one of Apple’s MacBooks and are working to a tight budget. MacBooks are some of the most expensive laptops out there, and while they’re packed with features and practically last forever, your finances can still take a hit.

Apple offers student discounts across its range of products, yet these aren’t the most generous offers you’ll see. But what if I told you there’s another way to get a cheap MacBook without compromising on quality or buying from a dodgy third-party website? In fact, you can score a top-quality MacBook directly from Apple while saving hundreds in the process.

I can vouch for this method, too, as I’ve done it myself and am still pleased with what I got years later. Try it out yourself, and you’ll get an excellent new Mac for college without breaking the bank.

Apple’s education store

The most conventional way to get one of the best MacBooks for college is to use Apple’s education website. This houses various deals for students on devices like Macs and iPads, and Apple often throws in free extras (like a pair of AirPods or an Apple Pencil) when you buy through this store.

The problem is that the deals you’ll find there aren’t always that attractive. Most Macs only come with $100 off – the MacBook Air is priced at $899 through Apple’s education storefront, as opposed to its regular $999 price, for example. A 10% discount is fine, but not earth-shattering.

If you’re in the market for an Apple device and were planning on buying one of the accessories that the company bundles in for free anyway, it’s worth a look. For instance, if you were going to get a MacBook and a new Magic Mouse, you can get the latter for free from Apple, which is a great deal. But these offers don’t last forever, and if you can’t get one – or would rather save even more money on a laptop than have an accessory you don’t need – there’s another place you should be looking.

Don’t get me wrong, any saving is welcome, and you’d do far worse than to accept the $100 off that Apple’s education store provides. But I know we can do better than that.

The refurbished alternative

Enter Apple’s Certified Refurbished store. There, you’ll find a whole host of Apple products that have been returned by previous customers, fitted up and repaired by Apple, then sold on at a steep discount.

I know what you’re thinking: why would you buy a refurbished product when you can get a brand-new one from Apple? Aren’t refurbished ones full of dents, scuffs, and other problems?

That might be the case when you buy from third-party refurbished stores, but not from Apple. Apple’s refurbishment process is rigorous: the company cleans, tests, and inspects each device, replaces any faulty parts with genuine replacement components, and ships it to you for free in a new box with new cables and accessories. You get a one-year warranty, too, with the option to insure your device with AppleCare.

I bought a MacBook Pro with the M1 Pro chip from Apple’s refurbished store a few years ago. When it arrived, I simply wouldn’t have believed that it wasn’t a new laptop: from the new, sealed box to the spotless body without a scratch on it, nothing indicated that this was anything other than a brand-new product.

Discounts on discounts

With the refurbished route, the real kicker is the price. While Apple’s education store is selling the entry-level M4 MacBook Air for $899, you can get the same device on the refurbished store for the even lower price of $849. Saving even more money for something that is essentially indistinguishable from a new MacBook seems like a no-brainer.

Sure, you might be able to find a Mac even cheaper by scouring eBay or Facebook Marketplace, but you won’t get anywhere near the same quality, and certainly not the same warranty.

The only caveat with the refurbished store is that some websites discount new Macs to similar prices to what Apple offers, so it’s often worth checking major retailers from time to time to see how they match up. If you can get a brand-new MacBook for less than one of Apple’s refurbished ones, that’s naturally the better option.

But if you just need something right now and want to score a discount without having to sacrifice your peace of mind, Apple’s refurbished store is a great place to look. It could leave you with a top-quality laptop for college and a little more change in your pocket, too.

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• Apple just unveiled AppleCare One, and it offers two key upgrades that might just save you some money