Apple runs a Back to School Sale in the US/UK each year. In this year’s Higher Education Offer you can get free AirPods with discounted Macs and iPads.
Apple holds a Back to School promotion (now known as the Higher Education Offer) every year where it gives a free product – usually AirPods – away with purchases of qualifying Apple products.
This is in addition to the year-long discounts Apple offers to students and education institutions on its Mac desktops and Mac laptops and iPads. We explain everything you need to know about using Apple’s Education Store in this guide to shopping in the Apple Education Store.
When is Apple’s Back to School Sale 2021?
Apple used to refer to this sale as the Back To School sale, but, probably because of the confusion this name caused (in the US people refer to university as school, while elsewhere school is primary and secondary education) Apple is now referring to it as the Higher Education Offer. That is essentially what this is: it’s an offer to those in, or entering, Higher Education: that is university or college.
Apple Back to School Sale Australia/New Zealand/South America
- Estimated: January – March 2022
The dates in the southern hemisphere correspond with the new school year there.
Apple’s Back to School Sale for Australia, New Zealand, and, South Korea started 7 January and ended on 16 March, 2022.
Apple Brazil’s Back to School Sale started 6 January and ended on 15 March, 2022.
What was Apple’s Student deal for 2021?
- Free AirPods
Apple’s 2021 Back to School offer was identical to the deal from 2020.
Thanks to the deal university students, or those just about to start university or higher education, will receive a free pair of AirPods (normally worth £159/$159/AUD$249) with a new Mac or iPad.
Alternatively you can spend a little more to upgrade your entry-level AirPods to the AirPods with Wireless Charger or the AirPods Pro. The AirPods Max isn’t included in the offer.
Students can get:
- A free set of AirPods worth £159/$159.
- Or, an AirPods and Wireless charging case set worth £199/$199 if you pay the £40/$40 difference.
- Or, the AirPods Pro worth £159/$159 if you pay an extra £90/$90.
We are expecting that Apple will update the AirPods soon, so if you are considering this deal it might be wise to choose the AirPods Pro rather than the standard AirPods.
Which iPads are included in Apple’s Back to School deal?
Not every Apple product you can buy in the Education Store is included in the free AirPods deal.
In 2021 Apple included the iPad Pro and iPad Air in the Back To School offer. But the iPad 8th generation and iPad mini 5th generation were excluded from the offer (which could have been a pointer to the fact that Apple would update those iPads in September 2021).
The Apple Education Store in the US lists all the iPads, so you can still get discounted Educational Pricing on the iPad and iPad mini if you qualify, you just won’t be able to get the free pair of AirPods.
Thanks to Apple’s education pricing you can get the qualifying iPads at the following prices:
- iPad Pro US$899 (usually US$799) / CA$939 (usually CA$999)
- iPad Air US$549 (usually US$599) / CA$719 (usually CA$779)
Which Macs are included in Apple’s Back to School deal?
If you qualify for Apple’s Back to School deal you can buy any Mac. The iMac, Mac mini, Mac Pro, MacBook Pro, and MacBook Air, and all configure-to-order versions are included.
Thanks to Apple’s education pricing you can get Macs at the following prices:
- MacBook Air US$899 (usually US$999) / CA$1,169 (usually CA$1,299)
- MacBook Pro US$1,199 (usually US$1,299 / CA$1,569 (usually CA$1,699)
- iMac US$1,249 (usually US$1,299) / CA $1,539 (usually CA$1,599)
- Mac mini US$649 (usually US$699) / CA $829 (usually CA$899)
Students can also get 20% off AppleCare+.
There are similar discounts in the UK, although students and educators will need to log in via UNiDAYS website to see the offers. Educational Store discounts are usually up to £280 for UK students.
Who can get Apple’s Back to School deal
If you are registered at a higher education facility (that’s post-K12 education, universities and colleges) you will qualify for the free AirPods deal as well as Apple usual education discount. Employees of these institutions can also qualify. If you are a parent buying for your student offspring then you can also qualify.
Alternatively, if you are an employee of a public or private K-12 institution/school in the US or Canada you are also eligible. Apple’s Education pricing isn’t available to parents with kids at school, but a homeschool teacher can qualify.
