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Student laptops
(Research postgraduates: please read Computing information for new academic staff and research postgraduates instead.)
If you are taking an Informatics programme or course, we strongly recommend that you have a suitable laptop.
The University suggests a minimum specification for new laptops, so if you're buying one, please see the New Students IT Requirements link (below).
Note that this is just for new laptops - it's not a minimum level of technology which we expect a student to have access to. There are ways to use our services using older or lower cost devices, and you shouldn’t have to buy new kit if your current device is sufficient. When you start, please contact us and we'll suggest the best way to access teaching materials using the device you have.
We don't expect the laptop to use any particular operating system - but it's worth noting that the Informatics remote access environment and the on-campus labs both use Linux (rather than Windows or macOS), and that Informatics students will be expected to get used to using this.
There is good WiFi connectivity and access across the University estate, including in University halls of residence.
You can borrow a laptop from the library , including:
- Short-term loans (7 to 28 days) for any student.
- Long-term loans (the Academic Year) for students in hardship. These students can also borrow a mobile wifi hotspot if needed.
The University also provides free ethernet cables, ethernet adaptors, headsets and webcams to all students who need them.
To find out more about these things, and more, see the New Students IT page (below). If you have any questions which that page doesn't answer, especially about personal technology for the new academic year, then please contact us.