How to get an education discount from Apple: Students can save money on Macs & iPads

If you're a student, teacher or lecturer, you can save loads of MONEY by taking advantage of Apple's education discount. Here, we show you how to get an education discount from Apple.

Apple is keen to make inroads into the education MARKE
T, and students are a big market for the company. To this end Apple has a whole separate education store that offers a hefty discount on Mac computers and iPads.

Most Apple customers aren’t aware of the education store, or don’t think it applies to them. This is a mistake because Apple throws the education net quite wide, and chances are you can easily pick up a Mac from the education store and get the discount. See also: Best Mac for students

Who qualifies for an education discount?
Anybody who works in an education environment qualifies for a discount on Apple computers. It’s not just limited to students, teachers or lecturers, but also administration and other staff members. Essentially it’s anybody who works for a school, college or university.

While parents of school children do not, themselves, qualify. You can pick up a Mac for your child from the education store. The Apple terms and conditions state:

"Those eligible to purchase from the Apple Store for Education Individuals include teachers, staff, students and parents as follows:

Employees of any education institution - Any employee of a public or private education institution in UK is eligible.

Post-secondary Education Students - Students attending or accepted into a post-secondary education institution in UK are eligible to purchase.

Parents of post-secondary students - Parents purchasing on behalf of their child, who is a student currently attending or accepted into a public or private post-secondary education institution in the UK, are eligible to purchase.

Purchases from the Apple Store for Education Individuals are not for institutional purchase or resale."



How do I receive an Apple education discount?
If you think you’ll qualify for an education discount then you should pay a visit to the Apple Store for Education.

You'll need to first select your institution by choosing your region and then finding your school, college or university in the list.

Note that if you’re thinking of buying a Mac, not for yourself or your child, but for the instituation itself (for students to work on) then Apple has a different stores. You can visit the Apple Store for Schools here and the Apple Store for Universities here. You’ll need to register with Apple before you can make any purchases. Alternatively you can call Apple direct on 0800 912 0207.

Shopping at the Apple Store for Education is much like shopping at the regular Apple store but with different pricing. It’s usually best to log on from your university network if you can, but be prepared for Apple to ask you for some form of official identification that proves you’re a student, or the parent and guardian of a student or a teacher or otherwise involved in the educational establishment. Your Student ID is typically the best way to do this.

Apple now uses UNiDAYS to verify students before giving access to the Apple Store for Education. You'll need to register using your school, college or university email address.

Alternatively, if you don't want to register through UNiDAYS, you can also call Apple, use Apple's Chat online feature, or visit an Apple Store.

See also: Complete Mac buyers guide 2014



What kind of prices can I expect from the Apple Store for Education
Apple doesn’t offer a stock discount ratio (such as 10 per cent) but instead sets different prices for each product range. The discounts are only currently available for Mac computers (iMac, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and Mac mini) and iPads, and there are no special discounts for other Apple products. See also: 6 tips for buying a new Mac

The MacBook Air starts at £704.40 from the Education Store, rather than the normal price of £749.

The MacBook Pro with Retina Display starts at £939.60 down from £999.

The iMac starts at £844.80 down from £899, and the new 5K iMac is £1879.20 rather than £1999.

The Mac Pro starts at £2299.20 from the Education store - it's £2499 on the standard Apple Store.

Finally, the Mac mini starts at just £375.60 down from £399.

You can also get a small discount on iPads from the education store. The iPad Air 2 starts at £382.80 rather than £399, and the iPad mini 3 starts at £306 rather than £319.

Take a closer look at the prices in the Apple Education Store here.

These prices all include VAT at 20 per cent, so that is the final price you pay.

There are no discounts on iPhone or the Apple TV.