If you’re enrolling online, several U.S. colleges give you a laptop as part of tuition — no extra fee. Some you keep after graduation (Full Sail, Wentworth, Centenary). Others are loaners you return when you leave (Northwest Missouri State, U of M Crookston). The list below covers programs that were still active and accepting students as of 2026.
15 online colleges that include a free laptop
1. Full Sail University (Project LaunchBox)
Full Sail’s Project LaunchBox bundles the hardware and software you need for your degree. Most students get a MacBook Pro plus pro creative software (Logic, Final Cut, etc.). Game design, systems development, and graphics students receive a Windows PC instead. The package ships in your second year and is yours to keep.
2. Dakota State University
Dakota State University in Madison, South Dakota gives every full-time freshman a Dell Latitude with the apps required for their major preloaded. The laptop is included in tuition and stays with you after graduation. DSU is one of the most laptop-forward schools in the country thanks to its cyber operations focus.
3. Wentworth Institute of Technology
Wentworth in Boston issues every full-time student a laptop matched to their program — engineering, design, or computing. Hardware and software are included in tuition with no separate fee, and the laptop is yours to keep after you graduate.
4. University of Arkansas Grantham
UA Grantham (online-only) gives associate, bachelor’s, and master’s students a free Lenovo laptop after they reach a defined credit-hour threshold. The laptop ships with the software needed for the program. It is yours to keep on graduation.
5. Bethel University
Bethel in St. Paul, Minnesota provides incoming undergraduate students with a laptop or Chromebook during the first semester. Bethel offers fully online, hybrid, and on-campus programs across business, theology, and the sciences.
6. Northwest Missouri State University
Northwest Missouri State‘s laptop initiative is one of the oldest in the country (since the late 1980s). Every student receives a laptop to use throughout enrollment. It must be returned at graduation or withdrawal — this is a true loaner program, not a giveaway.
7. University of Minnesota-Crookston
UMN Crookston issues every student an HP laptop on day one. The campus runs as a “laptop university” with all coursework built around the device. Laptops are returned at graduation but can be purchased at a discount.
8. Saint Leo University
Saint Leo in Florida runs a laptop program that’s open to full-time, part-time, exchange, and off-campus students for a low one-time fee (recently around $250). The laptop ships preconfigured for your major.
9. Centenary College of Louisiana
Incoming students at Centenary can choose between a Windows laptop or a MacBook through the Centenary IN FOCUS program. Students keep the device after graduation.
10. St. John’s University
St. John’s, the Catholic university in Queens, New York, runs a laptop program for full-time undergraduates with three configurations to choose from. Students who graduate with a bachelor’s or higher keep the device.
11. Widener University (engineering students)
Widener in Chester, Pennsylvania includes a laptop with engineering tuition. The hardware is configured for engineering software (CAD, MATLAB, simulation tools). Other majors don’t get the laptop — this one is engineering-specific.
12. Wake Forest University
Wake Forest bundles a ThinkPad with a four-year warranty into tuition for incoming undergraduates. The laptop is yours when you graduate. Wake Forest’s tech-included tuition has been a recruiting pillar since 1996.
13. Moravian University
Moravian in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania bundles a MacBook and an iPad with Apple Pencil into the cost of tuition for full-time undergraduates. Students keep both devices on graduation. The university has run an iPad/MacBook program since 2014.
14. Seton Hill University
Seton Hill in Greensburg, Pennsylvania gives full-time undergrads a MacBook Pro and an iPad. Devices are returned and refreshed on a cycle, and students keep the latest set when they graduate.
15. Colorado Technical University (military students)
CTU’s Patriot Scholarship covers a free laptop for active-duty military, veterans, and eligible spouses. CTU is online-only with a strong military student body.
How free-laptop programs work
| Type | What you get | Catch |
|---|---|---|
| Yours to keep | Laptop + bundled software included in tuition; you own it after graduation | Often forfeit the device if you withdraw early |
| Loaner | Laptop issued at enrollment; returned at graduation | You don’t own it; some schools sell it to you at a discount at the end |
| Subsidized purchase | Discounted laptop financed through tuition or a payment plan | You’re paying — just at lower than retail |
| Scholarship-based | Free laptop tied to a specific award (Pell, military, departmental) | Eligibility windows are narrow |
What to verify before you enroll
- Is it really free, or built into tuition? Most “free laptop” programs are funded by a tech fee that’s part of total cost.
- Do you keep it? Loaner programs require return at graduation.
- Which programs qualify? Some schools limit laptops to specific majors (engineering at Widener) or to first-time freshmen.
- What happens if you drop out? Most schools require return or charge a fee.
- Hardware specs. Verify the laptop runs the software your major requires before you commit.
FAQs
Do all online colleges give free laptops?
No. Only a subset of accredited colleges include a laptop with tuition. Many require you to bring your own.
Are these laptops new?
Mostly yes — schools partner with manufacturers (Dell, HP, Apple, Lenovo) to ship new units. A few programs use refurbished hardware to keep costs down; the school will tell you up front.
Can I choose the laptop model?
Sometimes. Centenary, St. John’s, and Saint Leo offer two or three configurations. Most other schools issue a single model tied to your major.
What happens if my laptop breaks?
Most schools provide on-campus tech support and a loaner during repair. Programs covered by a manufacturer warranty (Wake Forest’s 4-year ThinkPad coverage, for example) handle the repair through the OEM.
Can I upgrade the hardware myself?
Only if the school officially transfers ownership before graduation, which is rare. Modifying a school-owned laptop usually voids the warranty and can violate IT policy.
Do online graduate programs give free laptops?
Less often. Most laptop programs are aimed at first-time undergrads. UA Grantham is one of the few schools that extends laptops to master’s students.
What about Pell-eligible students?
Indiana State’s Sycamore Technology Initiative funds a laptop for Pell-eligible undergraduates on the residential campus. Several schools have similar need-based laptop awards.
Are there other ways to get a free laptop in college?
Yes — Pell-funded computer-purchase add-ons through your financial aid office, on Connect (formerly EBB) federally subsidized devices for low-income students, and OEM education discounts (Apple/Dell/HP) plus refurb stores like Dell Outlet and Apple Refurbished.
Read also: 15 Online Colleges Without Application Fees