Get the best student iPad plus a free $100 gift card in Apple's back-to-school sale

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Apple's newest iPad Air is a college-friendly beast

iPad Air deal
(Image credit: Apple / Future)

Summer has arrived, but that hasn't stopped retailers from kicking off their respective back-to-school sales, with Apple, in particular, already offering a slew of student-exclusive discounts on the best iPads and best MacBooks.

Right now, for instance, the brand new 11-inch iPad Air (2024) – aka the best iPad for students – is available for $549 (down from $599) in the US and £549 (down from £599) in the UK. Similar discounts are available on the larger 13-inch model, which we described as "an attractive and very portable slab that’s ready for just about anything" in our iPad Air 13-inch (2024) review.

Better yet, Apple will also throw in a free $100 / £80 gift card with your iPad Air purchase, which we'd suggest putting towards the new Apple Pencil Pro ($119 / £129) or Magic Keyboard ($299 / £299) if you want to get the most out of Apple's latest slate. Note, though, that you won't receive this gift card until after buying the iPad, so you'll have to purchase the Pencil or Keyboard separately. 

This back-to-school promotion is available to current and newly accepted college students, parents buying for higher education students, and teachers and staff at all levels. In the US, you won't be asked to verify your education status, but your Apple ID is limited to two education-discounted iPad purchases per year. In the UK, you'll be asked to verify your eligibility with UNIDAYS at checkout.

Apple iPad Air (2024)US: from $549 plus a free $100 gift card UK: from £549 plus a free £80 gift card

Apple iPad Air (2024)
US: from $549 plus a free $100 gift card
UK: from £549 plus a free £80 gift card
The new iPad Air is the closest thing you can get to an iPad Pro without having to pay upwards of $1,000 / £1,000, which is why we believe it's the best iPad for students in 2024. For almost half the price of Apple's professional-grade iPad, you'll get a beautiful Liquid Retina display, a MacBook-level M2 chipset, a landscape-oriented front-facing camera and landscape stereo speakers with spatial audio. Whether you plan to use it in the college or the classroom, the new iPad Air is as good as a MacBook.

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If you're reading this in the UK, you may have noticed that the old iPad Air, the iPad Air (2022), is now down to a record-low £459 (from £669) at Amazon. That's a great price for a great iPad, however, we still think that the newer iPad Air is worth the £90 premium, especially with Apple's complimentary £80 gift card.

Why do we say this? Well, for £90 more, you’ll get double the base storage (128GB), a superior M2 chipset, a landscape-oriented front-facing camera – which makes much more sense for video calls than the older model’s portrait-oriented camera – and, for the creatives out there, compatibility with Apple’s new Apple Pencil Pro. What's more, stock is extremely limited for that particular iPad Air (2022) deal, so if you don't want to be saddled with a color you don't like, then Apple's current iPad Air (2024) deal is the way to go. 

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Axel Metz
Axel Metz
Phones Editor

Axel is TechRadar's UK-based Phones Editor, reporting on everything from the latest Apple developments to newest AI breakthroughs as part of the site's Mobile Computing vertical. Having previously written for publications including Esquire and FourFourTwo, Axel is well-versed in the applications of technology beyond the desktop, and his coverage extends from general reporting and analysis to in-depth interviews and opinion.  Axel studied for a degree in English Literature at the University of Warwick before joining TechRadar in 2020, where he then earned an NCTJ qualification as part of the company’s inaugural digital training scheme.