Princeton’s Office of Information Technology (OIT) recommends that all students purchase an Apple or Dell laptop for their time at the university. These brands are suggested because they offer the best warranty support.
You can buy Apple and Dell models directly from the manufacturers or other retail suppliers. The university does not offer a specific student purchasing program.
Humanities Recommended Models
Apple MacBook Pro 14”
- Apple M4 chip with 10-core CPU, 10-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
- 24GB unified memory
- 1TB SSD storage
- AppleCare+ for Mac 3 Years of Coverage
Dell XPS 13
- 13.5” Touch or non-Touch Display
- Intel Core Ultra 7 processor
- 32 GB Memory
- 1 TB Storage
- Complete Care Warranty 4 years of Coverage
Math, Science, Engineering Recommended Model
Apple MacBook Pro 14”
- Apple M4 Max chip with 14‑core CPU, 32‑core GPU, 16‑core Neural Engine
- 36 GB of Memory
- 1 TB Storage
- AppleCare+ for Mac 3 Years of Coverage
Apple MacBook Pro 16”
- Apple M4 Max chip with 14‑core CPU, 32‑core GPU, 16‑core Neural Engine
- 36 GB of Memory
- 1 TB Storage
- AppleCare+ for Mac 3 Years of Coverage
Dell Precision 5690
- Intel Core Ultra 7
- 32GB Memory
- 1 TB Storage
- NVIDIA® RTX™ 1000/2000 Ada Generation
- Dell Complete Care Warranty 4 years of coverage
Financial Aid/ Outside Scholarship
If you are an undergraduate student receiving need-based financial aid from Princeton please read Undergraduate Financial Aid Computer Purchases. Contact faoffice@princeton.edu for details specific to your situation.
Graduate Students
We recommend that graduate students speak with their faculty advisor and/or departmental IT prior to purchasing a computer. But we do recommend the following models as the basic starting point.
Apple MacBook Pro 16”
- Apple M4 Max chip with 14‑core CPU, 32‑core GPU, 16‑core Neural Engine
- 36 GB of Memory
- 1 TB Storage
- AppleCare+ for Mac 3 Years of Coverage
Dell Precision 5690
- Intel Core Ultra 7
- 32GB Memory
- 1 TB Storage
- NVIDIA® RTX™ 1000/2000 Ada Generation
- Dell Complete Care Warranty 4 years of coverage