20 Online Colleges That Offer Free Laptops + Financial Aid 2023

Education has always been an essential tool for personal and professional growth, but in today’s world, having access to a computer is just as important. It would certainly be helpful to see online colleges that offer free laptops. 

These colleges indeed realize that the only way students can access what they offer is with a computer, which is why there are many online colleges that give free laptops and financial aid.

If you were wondering what kind of college would care about your needs that much, then sit back, as we show you 20 online colleges that offer laptops and financial aid. We would also explore the benefits of getting these free laptops and financial aid. 

Furthermore, you will get to know what laptops are best for college students. So, let’s get right into it.

Benefits of Getting Free Laptops and Financial Aid

There are several colleges that give free laptops and also financial aid to students. Getting laptops for free, with financial aid to go with it, can provide numerous benefits, especially if you are facing financial difficulties. We have highlighted some of the benefits below:

#1. Improved Access to Education

With a free laptop, you can access online learning resources, complete online assignments, and also stay connected with your teachers and classmates. Financial aid can also help you pay for tuition fees, textbooks, and other educational expenses, allowing you to focus on your studies without worrying about financial constraints.

#2. Increased job opportunities

Another benefit is better job opportunities. Having a laptop and access to the internet can help you search for jobs, complete job applications, and also attend virtual job interviews. Financial aid can also help you pursue vocational training or higher education, which improves your job prospects and earning potential.

#3. Enhanced communication and social connections

A laptop and internet access, by and large, helps you stay connected with your family and friends. During your schooling, communications with family and friends online can also help you ease off school stress.

#4. Improved financial stability

Financial aid helps you meet your basic needs, such as housing, food, and healthcare. Thus, it keeps you afloat and even builds you financially.

#5. Increased productivity and efficiency

Having a laptop helps you complete tasks more efficiently and effectively, whether it’s for school, work, or personal projects. This undoubtedly keeps you organized to achieve set goals.

Best Laptops For College Students

Undeniably, many colleges offer laptops to online students. But what laptops are best for you as a college student? We have highlighted some of these laptops brands, with attention to their specifications below:

#1. Dell XPS 13-9350

#2. Apple MacBook Air

#3. Acer Swift 5

#4. Acer Chromebook Spin 714

#5. Apple MacBook Pro

#6. HP Spectre x360 13.5

#7. MacBook Pro 14-inch 

#8. Asus Vivobook S 15 OLED

#9. Lenovo Legion 5i Pro

#10. Samsung Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360

How to Get Into Online Colleges That Offer Free Laptops And Financial Aid

20 Online Colleges That Offer Free Laptops And Financial Aid

#1. Strayer University 

Strayer University is a private university in Herndon, Virginia. It is indeed a University committed to supporting its students financially. 

Strayer is among the colleges that give free laptops to students. It also helps undergraduates save up to $15,250 on their Bachelor’s Degree with the no-cost affiliate Sophia Learning.

#2. Northwest Missouri State University 

Northwest Missouri State University is a public university in Maryville, Missouri. The university has a textbook and laptop rental program through which it offers textbooks and also laptops to help students through their stay in school.

Both online-only students and students learning on-site can receive laptops. However, the laptops may vary based on their availability and also on the enrollment status of the student. Students can also opt for financial aid programs.

#3. Bethel University 

Bethel University is a private Christian university located in Indiana, United States. It is also one of the online colleges that offer free laptops.

Following your admission at Bethel University, you receive a free laptop to help you with your studies. You can also apply for financial aid if you find yourself struggling financially.

#4. Wake Forest University 

Wake Forest University is a private research university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It offers financial aid to students. The university also offers grants to students to help them get a standard-model laptop. Hence, why it makes our list of online colleges that offer laptops and financial aid to students

#5. St. John’s University 

St. John’s is a private Roman Catholic University located in Queens, New York City. It is also among the online colleges that offer laptops and financial aid to students.

As a student at St.John’s, you receive special discounts to purchase a standard-model laptop. You can also apply for financial aid at the University. 

#6. Indiana State University 

Indiana State University is also among the colleges that give free laptops to students. Students who are admitted and Pell-eligible as determined by the FAFSA will receive a laptop computer from Indiana State University. It is important to point out that the laptops offered by the university has built-in wireless network and ISU-approved software.

#7. Seton Hill University 

Seton Hill University was only open to women initially. Since 2002, the university became open to all genders.

Seton Hill University is another private Catholic University that offers laptops to students at the start of their program. 

It is among the colleges that give free laptops. It also has financial aid available to qualified students.

#8. Rochester University 

It is a private Christian college in Rochester Hill, Michigan. Rochester is also among the online colleges that offer free laptops. 

If you are an undergraduate or transfer student entering the university with a maximum of 29 credit hours, you are eligible to receive a MacBook Pro or an iPad. However, the offer is only open to students who gain admission on or before May 31st for the fall semester, or November 30th for the Spring semester. 

#9. University of Southern Mississippi

The University of Southern Mississippi is a public research university with two campuses. It has the main campus at Hattiesburg, while the other campus is at Gulf Park, Mississippi. 

The University of Southern Mississippi also demands that all its students have a laptop as it believes laptops make learning more effective. However, if you cannot afford it, the university has a laptop loan program where you can get a loaner laptop. The University of Southern Mississippi also has other financial aid programs to assist financially struggling students.

#10. Colorado Technical University 

Colorado Technical University is a private for-profit college. It also has more than one campuses with the main one in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

You can also consider Colorado Technical University as one of the online colleges that offer laptops and financial aid. Though it doesn’t offer these laptops and financial aid directly, it has several grants and scholarships through which you can get them. Scholarships such as the Patriot Scholarship and the Wounded Warrior Scholarships grant laptops to students. 

#11. Chatham University 

Chatham University is a private non-profit University established in 1869. Until 2015, Chatham University only enrolled women. It now boasts an enrollment of 2,400 students.

Chatham offers up to 69 undergraduate and graduate programs. It understands how financially challenging education can be. Hence, it provides its first-year students with free 13-inch MacBook Air laptops. It also has other financial aid programs to help students through school.

#12. Oklahoma Christian University 

Oklahoma Christian University, as the name markedly suggests, is a private Christian university in Oklahoma. The university also has a laptop policy that encourages students to get personal laptops for better learning.

However, the laptops can be expensive, so the university offers financial aid and other grants and loans that make the laptops available at discounted rates.

#13. Drexel University 

Drexel University is a private university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is one of the colleges that offer laptops to online students. Like many other colleges, Drexel University also offers laptops to students, faculty, and staff at discounted rates.

#14. Southern New Hampshire University 

Southern New Hampshire University is a private university between Manchester and Hooksett, New Hampshire. As an undergraduate at Southern New Hampshire University, you are eligible to apply for federal aid, as well as student loan programs. Additionally, the university makes grants available to students.

Although Southern New Hampshire University has no special laptop program, the university has a partnership with Apple and Dell that allows students to purchase laptops at discounted prices.

#15. Southern Nazarene University 

Southern Nazarene University is another one of the many colleges that offer laptops to online students. It is a private-owned non-profit University located in Bethany, Oklahoma.

Southern Nazarene University doesn’t offer laptops to students. However, it makes laptops from Dell available to students at discounted prices.  

#16. University of Arkansas Grantham

The University of Arkansas Grantham is a private for-profit University founded in 1951. Being that it has private ownership, you should expect that it has high tuition. However, the university offers financial aid to help students cope. It became a fully online university in 2021.

In addition to offering financial aid, the University of Arkansas Grantham is also one of the online colleges that offer free laptops to students. Once you enroll in an online degree program at the university, you get a Lenovo laptop at no cost. You get to keep the laptop after graduation if you meet certain qualifications. 

#17. Dakota State University 

Dakota State University is a public university situated in Madison, South Dakota. It is also one of the online colleges that give free laptops to students.

The laptop program at Dakota State University is a product of the Wireless Mobile Computing Initiative (WMCI) which began in 2004. All full-time freshmen at the university receive a new laptop. 

#18. Alabama State University 

Alabama State University is a public university in Montgomery, Alabama. The university has a growing online presence, as it now offers 12 online degree programs, both at the graduate and undergraduate levels. Alabama State University is also among the colleges that offer laptops to online students. 

However, laptops are also available to on-site students. Additionally, the university has several financial aid programs to help students pay for tuition and other related costs.

The online undergraduate programs include courses such as; General Visual Arts, Graphics Design, Marketing, and Psychology. 

Its online Master’s programs include courses such as Applied Technology, Library Educational Media, Elementary Education, Early Childhood Education, Accounting, and Rehabilitation Counseling. 

Alabama State University also offers an online Doctorate in Educational Leadership, Policy, Law, and Philosophy.

#19. Davenport University 

Davenport University is a private university in Michigan. It is also among the online colleges that offer laptops and financial aid. However, it is not one of the colleges that give free laptops. Notwithstanding, Davenport makes laptops available to students at discounted rates through the Amazon Prime Student Program. 

It is important to point out that Davenport University was the first online community in Michigan. It offers 32 online degree programs at the undergraduate level and also offers up to 22 online graduate degree programs. 

#20. Auburn University 

Auburn University is a public land-grant university in Auburn, Alabama. It has a metropolitan campus in Montgomery. At the university, you can apply for financial aid to help you with some college expenses, such as tuition, the cost of books, and other related expenses.

Auburn University at Montgomery is also among the online colleges that offer free laptops to students. The laptop program tagged Learning Comes First (LCF) is explicitly open to all full-time freshmen at the college.

FAQs on Online Colleges That Offer Free Laptops and Financial Aid

Scholarship monies are not only for tuition but also for other school-related expenses, including laptops. However, if it is a tuition-only scholarship, you cannot use it for expenses other than tuition.

Yes, you can use the funds received from federal aid such as FAFSA to purchase a laptop.

Unlike the colleges highlighted in this article, some colleges don’t offer free laptops. Most of those colleges, however, allow students to borrow laptops from the school library.

It is essential to point out that financial aid in the form of grants does not request repayment. However, if it is a student loan, it will require you to pay it back. Nevertheless, in some cases, student loans can be forgiven or canceled.

Financial aids are only available for renewal when you pass your courses. As a matter of fact, failing a course makes you lose your eligibility for financial aid.

Conclusion

So, if you want to further your education without breaking the bank, online colleges that give free laptops are good options for you to consider. In this article, we have shown you 20 of the colleges that offer laptops to online students. These colleges also assist students with financial aid. 

With the convenience of online learning and the added support of technology and financial assistance, these institutions are undoubtedly paving the way for accessible and affordable higher education. So, why wait until later to start your journey toward a brighter future?

Reference

• accredited-online-college.org – Online Colleges That Offer Laptops 
• accreditedschoolsonline.org – Online Colleges That Offer Free Laptops
• Best laptops for college students | Tom’s Guide (tomsguide.com)