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Student Laptop Recommendations

The College of Liberal Arts and Science recommends that all incoming, transfer, and returning students have a laptop computer to complete their coursework. At the current time, these specifications are a recommendation, but will become a requirement for the 2022-2023 academic year.

Minimum specifications are noted below. If you would like to invest more, we recommend the following in prioritized order:

  1. upgrade to 16GB of RAM
  2. a newer processor with more cores and/or faster speeds
  3. a larger SSD for additional storage

Student Laptop Minimum Recommendations

Dell Inspiron 5000 Series (or equivalent of another brand)

  • Operating System: Windows 10 (with latest updates applied)
  • Processor: 9th generation Core i5
  • Memory: 8GB RAM
  • Storage capacity: 500GB hard drive (solid state drive)
  • Working webcam and microphone
  • Compatible with Microsoft Office 2019 with latest updates (Student access to MS office may be arranged through Bradley)

Purchase A Dell Laptop

Apple MacBook

  • Operating System: macOS (the latest version)
  • Processor: Core i5 or M1
  • Memory: 8GB RAM
  • Storage capacity: 256GB hard drive (solid state drive)
  • Working webcam and microphone
  • Compatible with Microsoft Office 2019 with latest updates (Student access to MS office may be arranged through Bradley)

Purchase An Apple Laptop

Note: Chromebooks are not compatible with some of the software required, and do not meet the laptop requirements.

Additional Recommendations

  • Extended warranty (4-year warranty with accidental damage protection)
    • Please note the extended warranty is an additional purchase for your laptop. You can also add a rider on parents’ homeowners insurance policy for added protection.
  • An Ethernet adapter is highly recommended for online test-taking if it is not present on your device
  • Having an HDMI port to connect to in-room projection systems. If your laptop does not have an available HDMI port, an adapter such as this one may suffice

Computer Science Majors

Desktop computers are highly recommended. Recommended specifications include:

  • Processor: i7 (10th gen or newer).
  • Memory: 16GB or higher
  • GPU: a discrete GPU is highly recommended and Nvidia brand should be used for leveraging machine learning. A Nvidia GPU from the 10XXX series or newer is recommended.

PC laptops should consider upgraded specifications seen below:

  • Processor: i7 (10th gen or newer).
  • Memory: 16GB or higher
  • Screen size: Recommended 17” with a minimum 1920X1080 resolution (also written as FHD)
  • GPU: a discrete GPU is highly recommended and Nvidia brand should be used for leveraging machine learning.

Other Financial Considerations

With purchase receipts, the expense incurred to purchase required technology may be used to increase private or PLUS loan amounts. It is important to note that increases in cost of attendance for required technology will not result in an increase in scholarship, grant or work-study funding. Please contact the Bradley University Office of Financial Assistance for further information at bufinaid@bradley.edu.