Savings Guide
Student Discounts Worth Knowing About (and How Verification Works)
Apple, Samsung, Dell, Lenovo, Spotify, Adobe and Nike all offer student pricing. Here's who qualifies, how verification works and when education pricing actually beats a sale.
Being a student comes with a surprising number of discounts, especially on laptops, software and streaming. The catch is that each company runs its own program with its own rules. Here's how they generally work.
How student verification works
Most retailers don't take your word for it. They verify enrollment either through your school email address or through a third-party service such as UNiDAYS, Student Beans or SheerID, where you confirm your school and sometimes upload proof of enrollment. Verification is usually quick, but plan ahead if you're buying something time-sensitive.
Some programs also cover educators, and a few extend to parents buying for a student. Read the eligibility section carefully; the rules vary.
Where students commonly save
- Computers and tablets: Apple, Dell, Lenovo, HP, Microsoft and Samsung all run education pricing programs.
- Software: Adobe offers discounted Creative Cloud pricing for students and teachers, and Canva for Education is free for eligible K-12 schools.
- Streaming: Spotify Premium Student costs less than standard Premium for students at accredited colleges.
- Apparel: Nike offers a student discount to verified college students.
Does education pricing beat a sale?
Not always. Education pricing is a standing discount, while seasonal sales (Black Friday, back-to-school) can go deeper on specific models. Before you buy:
- Check the education price.
- Check the current sale price on the same configuration.
- Check whether the two can be combined; some retailers allow it, many don't.
- Look at refurbished options, which can undercut both. See our refurbished guide.
Things to watch for
- Limits: many programs cap how many discounted devices you can buy per year.
- Renewal prices: discounted software subscriptions often renew at a different price after the first term, or after you graduate.
- Re-verification: subscriptions like Spotify Premium Student require you to re-verify periodically.
See every student offer we track on our Student Discounts page.