Some of the best laptops for college students are made by household name manufacturers while others are made by lesser known computer companies.  Fortunately, as a college or university student, you can get cost-saving discounts on several of these laptops whether you purchase them on-campus or in town at an electronics or office superstore.

College or University Laptop Requirements

If the accredited college or university you attend specifies the hardware requirements and software applications that you are required to have to complete your academic assignments, make sure that your laptop includes these features.  Also consider asking other college and university students for laptop recommendations based on software applications, features and price.  Of course, if you already use a desktop at home, you might want to get a laptop that’s made by the same manufacturer.  For example, if your family has a Dell or Hewlett Packard and you like the way the equipment works, consider getting a laptop by the manufacturer to use at college or university.

Netbooks and Laptops Designed for Videos

Netbooks generally costs between $500 and $600.  They are smaller than standard laptops and are designed with applications that allow you to type term papers and complete calculations (e.g. spreadsheets).  Unlike standard laptops, some Netbooks are not designed with Internet access.  Others allow you to connect to a router to access the Internet.  If you go with a Netbook, make sure it has at least 1 gigabyte of hard drive memory and 2 to 4 gigabytes of random access memory (RAM). 

Should photography and/or playing video games be important to you, consider getting an Apple MacBook Pro.  If you get a laptop with a 500 gigabyte hard drive, you can keep your laptop running smoothly and quickly for several years while you download website pages, upload photographs and install and play your favorite video games. 

Top Laptops for College Students

Before you buy a standard laptop, check to be sure that it has at least 150 gigabytes of hard drive memory and 2 gigabytes of RAM.  This way you can use the computer for the four or more years you attend college or university.  Popular laptop screen sizes range from 15 to 17 inches.  So you can use your laptop away from home or outside your dorm, make sure it has WiFi capabilities.  Also look for a laptop that has a reliable battery. 

Additionally, in their March 30, 2011 “The Best 10 Laptops” article PC Mag, list the top 10 laptops as:

1. HP Pavilion dv6-6013cl
2. Dell XPS 15
3. Lenovo ThinkPad X220
4. Apple MacBook Pro
5. Asus U41JF-A1
6. HP Pavilion dm1z
7. Sony VAIO VPC-Z1390X
8. Toshiba Portege R705-P35
9. Acer Aspire AS5745-7247
10. Asus U45Jc-A1

Protecting Your Laptop

It’s also a good idea to purchase a warranty when you buy your new laptop.  Some warranties cover accidental mishaps that cause your laptop to malfunction.  For example, if you accidentally spill water on your laptop or drop it on the ground, the manufacturer or store you purchased the laptop from will honor the warranty, saving you and/or your parents money.  If you purchase your laptop from a store that repairs laptops at a discount, you can save money on software upgrades, system tune-ups and repairs.