Apple is giving students a $150 gift card with purchases in the Back to School Deal 2026

When does Apple’s “Back to School” deal start?

Apple

• U.S. & Canada: From 16 July – August 27, 2026. (Gift cards)
• U.K. & Europe: TBC, from mid July – mid October, 2026.
• India: From 16 July – August 27, 2026. (Apple is giving away AirPods and Apple Pencil in India)
• Australia, New Zealand, Brazil and South Korea: January 7 to – early March 11 2026.

In North America, Apple’s annual “College Student Offer” promotion is live now. It started on Thursday 16 July and finishes on August 27, 2026.

Because the academic summer break begins and ends later in Europe, the promotion is expected to launch in the U.K. and across Europe in mid-July. In 2025, for example, the offer began on July 10 and ended on October 21.

The deal ran from January 7 to early March 11 this year in the Southern Hemisphere. Similar timings are expected in 2027.

Who can get Apple’s “Back to School” give-away?

• Current and newly accepted higher education students – and their parents

Apple

If you are enrolled at a higher education institution (post-K12 education, such as a university or college), or are the parent of a student who is enrolled, you qualify for Apple’s year-round education pricing as well as the “Back to School” promotion while it is running.

You will need to verify your eligibility before you can access the offer. Prior to May 2026, verifying student status in some countries – including the U.S. – only required an .edu email address and the name of a higher education institution. Apple has since tightened its verification requirements.

As a result, shoppers now need to verify their student status through UNiDAYS (as was already the case in the U.K.). Students are typically required to provide their name, date of birth, and school email address, then search for their institution and wait for their student status to be confirmed.

Apple’s education pricing is not available to parents buying for school-age children, but it is available to parents who are homeschooling their children.

What is Apple’s “Back to School” deal this year?

Foundry

• Gift cards worth up to $150 with MacBook Pro, $100 with MacBook Air, iPad Air and iPad Pro.
• In India, Apple is giving away AirPods/Apple Pencil/keyboard/mouse were offered with qualifying purchases, as it did for the Australian promotion earlier in 2026.
• The same gift voucher giveaway is expected to launch later in July 2026 in the U.K. and Europe.

The free AirPods usually given away with this offer have a value of $129, so the $150 or $100 voucher has an almost equivalent value to that. The gift card does give students the freedom to decide how they would like to spend the money.

Even before the gift card, typical savings in the education store include:

• $200/£200 off an MacBook Pro
• $100/£100 off an MacBook Air
• $100/£100 off an iPad Pro
• $50/£50 off an iPad Air
• $80/£80 off an Apple Watch Ultra 3
• $40/£40 off an Apple Watch Series 11
• £10/$10 off the Apple Pencil Pro
• £10/$10 off the standard Apple Pencil

So the gift card represents a total saving of $350 for the MacBook Pro, $200 off the price of a MacBook Air, and $200 off an iPad Pro, and $150 off an iPad Air.

This isn’t the first time Apple has offered gift cards. From 2022 to 2024 in the U.S., U.K., and some other regions, Apple instead offered gift cards worth up to $150/£130, depending on the products purchased during the promotional period.

During the Australian promotion, that ran from January 7 to March 11, 2026, Apple offered free or discounted accessories – including AirPods, AirPods Pro, Apple Pencil models, and Apple Keyboard, Mouse, or Trackpad products – with the purchase of qualifying Macs and iPads. Apple is offering that promotion in India. Some European countries may still get AirPods.

The following products were offered for free or discounted, earlier in 2026:

• AirPods 4
• AirPods Pro 3
• Magic Mouse
• Magic Trackpad
• Magic Keyboard
• Apple Pencil Pro
• Magic Keyboard (for iPad Air/iPad Pro)

Apple also offered AirPods giveaways during its 2025 promotion, and, previously, Apple also included a discount for the AirPods Max.

Can students qualify for other savings at Apple?

Yes. Apple’s “Back to School” promotion is not the only education-related discount the company offers. Macs and iPads sold through Apple’s Education Store are discounted year-round, so qualifying students and educational institutions can save on the price of a Mac or iPad at any time of the year.

The summertime Back to School promotion is offered in addition to these ongoing education discounts. We explain everything you need to know about qualifying for Apple’s education pricing – including how much you can save and how to shop through the Apple Education Store – in our Guide to shopping in the Apple Education Store.

If you are unsure which device to buy, we also have guides to the Best Mac for Students and the Best iPad for Students.

Students can also take advantage of the discounted Apple Music Student Plan, which includes access to Apple TV+ at no extra cost. Read: How to get the student deal for Apple Music and free Apple TV+.

How to get Apple’s “Back to School” deal

In order to get Apple’s “Back to School” Deal you need to purchase a qualifying Mac or iPad from your local Apple Education Store during the promotional period.

You will need to verify your student status via UNiDAYS, as explained above.

Visit the Apple Education Store for your region using the links below:

• U.S.
• U.K.
• Canada
• Australia
• New Zealand
• Brazil
• South Korea
• India
• France
• Germany

Logging in from your university network may help simplify the verification process. 

When you purchase a qualifying Mac or iPad, you will then be able to claim the promotional freebie or discounted accessory.

You can choose which of the giveaway product you want to receive when you make your order. In some cases the freebee comes with an additional cost, we include details of how much more you may need to pay in the tables below.

Which products qualify for Apple’s “Back to School” deal this year?

Apple

Apple has yet to confirm which products will qualify for the the 2026 promotion in North America, the U.K. and Europe.

However, during the Australian promotion earlier in 2026, the following products qualified:

• MacBook Air
• MacBook Pro
• iPad Pro
• iPad Air

Did Apple include the MacBook Neo in the 2026 “Back to School” promotion?

Since the Australian promotion ended, Apple has launched the MacBook Neo, a new laptop aimed specifically at students.

Apple has not included the MacBook Neo in the deal.

This is no surprise. While the new MacBook is clearly targeted at students, we did not expect Apple to include it in the promotion because of its already relatively low starting price.

Did Apple include the Mac mini in the 2026 “Back to School” promotion?

Apple has previously allowed the purchase of a Mac mini to qualify for the promotion, but not in 2025 or in 2026.

In recent times, the Mac mini has surged in popularity, especially among AI developers looking for a relatively inexpensive Apple Silicon machine capable of handling local AI workloads. This popularity, combined with ongoing global component shortages, has left Mac mini supply severely constrained throughout much of 2026.

Did Apple include the iPad A16 in the 2026 “Back to School” promotion?

Apple has previously allowed entry-level iPads to qualify for its Back to School promotion, but that was not the case in 2025 and it is not the case in 2026.

With a new entry-level iPad expected later in 2026 – and the current iPad A16 lacking support for Apple Intelligence — so our recommendation would be to choose an iPad Air instead.

Did Apple include the iPad mini in the 2026 “Back to School” promotion?

Apple has included the iPad mini in some Back to School promotions in the past. This year it is not included. A new iPad mini is expected to launch in 2026, so we would recommend waiting for that.

Did Apple include the iPhone in the 2026 “Back to School” promotion?

Apple has never included the iPhone, Apple Watch, or any products other than selected Macs and iPads as qualifying purchases for its “Back to School” promotion.

How much can you save in Apple’s student deal?

Apple

Students can already save up to $200/£220 on Macs and up to $100/£100 on iPads year-round through Apple’s Education Store. Read more here: How to get an Apple student discount at Apple’s Education Store.

The additional savings available through Apple’s “Back to School” promotion depend on both the product purchased and the promotional accessory being offered.

In previous promotions, students could save up to $199 by choosing a free Magic Keyboard, up to 179 with the AirPods Pro 4 ANC (with the MacBook Pro), up to $129 by selecting AirPods 4, or up to $129 by choosing an Apple Pencil Pro. Students who select more expensive accessories offered as part of the promotion, needed to pay the difference above the promotional discount amount. For example, in 2025, choosing AirPods Pro 3 required an additional payment of $70.

The gift cards giveaway means that the savings are slightly lower. With $150 and $100 gift cards on offer.

Below, you can see the kinds of savings Apple has offered in previous years. Once Apple confirms the 2026 promotion details for North America, the U.K., and Europe, we will update these tables accordingly