60+ best back-to-school deals for students on a budget

Whether you're entering elementary school or college, back-to-school season is here. We still get a thrill thinking of a new backpack filled with freshly sharpened pencils and clean, colorful folders. Unfortunately, the older you get the less fun (and more expensive) shopping gets — like spending over $100 on a calculator. However, plenty of back-to-school deals are here to bring oodles of savings on laptops, headphones, and more.

All the big retailers are hosting back-to-school sales, including Amazon, Best Buy, Target, and more. You'll find savings on the small stuff, like colored pencils for just $0.99, or hundreds of dollars off laptops, including the M3 Apple MacBook Air.

Best laptop deal

Why we like it

Read Mashable's full review of the Apple MacBook Air (M3).

The MacBook Air with M3 chip is a great college laptop — especially if you're on a budget. It comes in a light package, weighing 2.7 pounds versus a MacBook Pro's 3.4 pounds, but it holds the same M3 processing power as the Pro. During back-to-school season, find the M3 MacBook Air for under $1,000 at Best Buy. It's down to $899, an 18% savings and $200 off. (Note that you can save an extra $50 with a paid My Best Buy membership, matching its all-time low from Prime Day.)

More laptop deals

• Acer Chromebook Plus 515 (Intel i3-1215U, 8GB RAM, 128GB UFS) — $299 $399 (save $100)

• Acer Aspire 3 (AMD Ryzen 3 7320U, 8GB RAM, 128GB SSD) — $299.99 $329.99 (save $30)

• Dell Inspiron 14 2-in-1 7440 (Intel Core 5 120U, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $549.99 $749.99 (save $200)

• Asus TUF Gaming A15 (AMD Ryzen 5 7535H, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2050, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $629.99 $699.99 (save $70)

• Apple MacBook Air, 13-inch (M1, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) — $649 $699 (save $50)

• HP Victus 15t-fa100 (Intel Core i5-13500H, NVIDIA GeForce 3050, 8GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $699.99 $999.99 (save $300)

• Lenovo Yoga 7i, 14-inch (Intel Core Ultra 5 125U, 16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) — $699.99 $999.99 (save $300)

• Apple MacBook Air, 13-inch (M2, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) — $799 $999 (save $200)

• Dell Inspiron 14 Plus 7441 (Snapdragon X Plus, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $899 $1,099 (save $200)

• HP Spectre x360 14t-eu000 (Intel Core Ultra 5 125H, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $1,049.99 $1,449.99 (save $400)

• Apple MacBook Air, 13-inch (M3, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $1,299 $1,499 (save $200)

• Apple MacBook Pro, 14-inch (M3, 18GB RAM, 512GB SSD) —$1,699 $1,999 (save $300)

• Apple MacBook Pro, 16-inch (M3, 36GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $2,399 $2,899 (save $500)

Best headphone or earbud deal

Why we like it

Read Mashable's full review of the Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Generation).

Apple AirPods have become the universally beloved earbud, and it's earned too. They're foolproof for iOS users, as they automatically connect to iPhones, and they're compact size makes them easy to toss into a backpack so they can go with you anywhere.

The second-gen AirPods Pro are a fantastic option if you're in the market for a pair of back-to-school headphones. They offer active noise cancellation — ideal for long hours studying, or a very noisy roommate — but are much easier to transport than clunky over-the-ear headphones. You can find them at Amazon for $189.99, just $20 higher than their lowest price ever. Buy them now to save $59.01, giving you 24% off.

More headphone and earbud deals

• JBL Tune 230NC TWS — $47.95 $99.95 (save $52)

• Apple AirPods (2nd Generation) — $69.99 $129 (save $59.01)

• Samsung Galaxy Buds FE — $79.99 $99.99 (save $20)

• Beats Studio Buds — $99.99 $149.99 (save $50)

• Apple AirPods (3rd Generation) — $129.99 $169 (save $39.01)

• Beats Solo 4 — $129.99 $199.99 (save $70)

• Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro — $139.99 $229.99 (save $90)

• Beats Fit Pro — $159.99 $199.99 (save $40)

• Jabra Elite 8 Active — $159.99 $199.99 (save $40)

• Beats Studio Pro — $179.99 $349.99 (save $170)

Best school supply deal

Why we like it

It's a rite of passage to get your hands on a clunky graphing calculator for high school math. Luckily these days, the new generation of TI-84s are slim, sleek devices with colorful graphics. Ahead of the school year, get the Texas Instruments TI-84 Plus CE for just $99, saving you $51 for 34% off.

More school supply deals

• Crayola Kids Crayons (24 count) — $0.50 $1.49 (save $0.99)

• Elmer's Washable School Glue Sticks (two pack) — $0.50 $1.39 (save $0.89)

• Crayola Broad Line Markers (10 count) — $0.99 $2.59 (save $1.60)

• Crayola Kids Pre-Sharpened Colored Pencils (12 count) — $0.99 $1.99 (save $1)

• BIC Brite Liner Highlighters (five pack, assorted) — $1.79 $2.19 (save $0.40)

• Paper Mate Ink Joy Gel Pens (six pack) — $6.39 $10.99 (save $4.60)

• Amazon Basics Woodcased #2 Pencils (150 count) — $12.61 $16.82 (save $4.21)

• Texas Instruments TI-30XS Multiview Scientific Calculator — $15.49 $19.99 (save $4.50)

• Casio FX 9750GIII Graphing Calculator — $59.99 $64.99 (save $5)

Best backpack deal

Why we like it

No matter your age or grade level, you need a backpack. Herschel Supply Co.'s 26-liter Classic XL Backpack is a roomy and minimalist option that has one main compartment with a floating laptop sleeve, a front utility pocket, and a side water bottle pocket. It retails for $65 on Herschel's website, but Amazon has it on sale for $44.99 in two colors (Darkest Black and a limited-edition Seagrass/White Stitch). That's a savings of 31%, or just over $20.

For younger students, the slightly smaller Herschel Classic Backpack (no "XL") was also on sale at Amazon at the time of writing.

More backpack deals

• Puma Evercat Contender 3.0 Backpack — $18.37 $35 (save $16.63)

• High Sierra Loop Backpack — $27.95 $44.99 (save $17.04)

• HP Campus XL Marble Stone Backpack — $29.99 $39.99 (save $10); buy one, get one free

• Under Armor Hustle Sport Backpack — $33.75 $45 (save $11.25)

• Adidas Excel 6 Backpack — $34.99 $60 (save $25.01)

• Herschel Supply Co. Classic Backpack — $38.50 $55 (save $16.50)

• Adidas Prime 6 Backpack — $39.99 $70 (save $30.01)

• High Sierra Access 2.0 Laptop Backpack — $42.62 $53.04 (save $10.42)

• JanSport Women's Agave Backpack — $59.50 $80 (save $20.50)

Best dorm deal

Why we like it

If you're headed off to college, your shopping cart is likely exploding with new bedding, towels, and more. But there's one item we're begging you not to skip: A mattress topper. Dorm room mattresses are essentially plastic bags full of stiff metal springs guaranteed to give you a terrible night's sleep, but that's nothing that several inches of memory foam can't fix. Casper's Comfy Mattress Topper is a favorite and is pricey at $219, however, during its summer sale it's 20% off and down to $175.20. Those $43.80 are some sweet savings — letting you sleep even more peacefully.

More dorm deals

• Spend $50 on select cleaning supplies, get a free $15 Target gift card with Target Circle

• Bella Pro Series 12-Cup Programmable Coffee Maker — $39.99 $59.99 (save $20)

• Levoit Core Mini-P Air Purifier — $41.99 $49.99 (save $8)

• Govee RGBIC LED Strip Light — $54.99 $99.99 (save $45)

• Keurig K-Mini — $59.99 $99.99 (save $40)

• Linenspa 3-inch Gel Swirl Twin XL Mattress Topper — $65.44 $76.99 (save $11.55)

• Keurig K-Express — $69.99 $89.99 (save $20)

• Ninja Blast Portable Blender (two pack) — $79.99 $112.99 (save $33)

• Lucid 4-inch Bamboo Charcoal Memory Foam Mattress Topper — $80.74 $94.99 (save $14.25)

• SodaStream Terra Sparkling Water Maker Bundle — $94.99 $159.99 (save $65)

• Coway Airmega AP-1512HH Mighty — $148.19 $239.99 (save $91.80)

• Shark Matrix Robot Vacuum RV2300 — $199 $299.99 (save $100.99)

Best Apple deal

Why we like it

If you want to save on Apple products, our usual advice is to buy anywhere but the Apple store, as they rarely have sales. That is until back-to-school season rolls around. The Apple Education Store lets students and teachers save on Apple devices. Before September 30, with the purchase of a MacBook or iPad you'll receive a gift card worth up to $150. Plus, when shopping in the Apple Education Store, you'll benefit from education pricing that saves you an extra $100 on devices.

More Apple deals

• Apple AirPods (2nd Generation) — $69.99 $129 (save $59.01)

• Apple Pencil (2nd Generation) — $79.99 $129 (save $49.01)

• Apple AirTag (four pack) — $84.99 $99 (save $14.01)

• Apple AirPods (3rd Generation) — $129.99 $169 (save $39.01)

• Apple iPad, 10.2-inch (A13 Bionic, WiFi, 64GB) — $249.99 $329 (save $79.01)

• Apple AirPods Max — $499 $549 (save $50)

• Apple iPad Air, 10.9-inch (M1, WiFi, 256GB) — $499.99 $749.99 (save $250)

• Apple MacBook Air, 13-inch (M2, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) — $799 $999 (save $200)

• Apple MacBook Air, 13-inch (M3, 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $1,299 $1,499 (save $200)

• Apple MacBook Pro, 14-inch (M3, 18GB RAM, 512GB SSD) —$1,699 $1,999 (save $300)

• Apple MacBook Pro, 16-inch (M3, 36GB RAM, 512GB SSD) — $2,399 $2,899 (save $500)