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Yes, and it ends September 24, 2026. Apple extended it from the original August 27 date. The gift card is $150 with a MacBook Pro and $100 with a MacBook Air, iPad Pro or iPad Air. The base iPad, the iPad mini, the MacBook Neo and every desktop Mac are excluded from the card, though they still get standard education pricing. UNiDAYS verification is now required, which is a tightening on previous years.
The thing worth understanding is that there are two separate discounts here and only one of them is seasonal. Apple’s education pricing is permanent and modest, roughly 6 to 8%: a 13 inch MacBook Air is $1,199 education against $1,299 retail, and an 11 inch iPad Air is $699 against $749. That runs all year and isn’t a sale.
The gift card is the part with a deadline. And on some models a straightforward retailer discount beats both, with no verification and no waiting for a card.
Top 3 Apple Deals Right Now
The three Apple machines with the steepest discounts running today.
Education Price, Gift Card, or Just a Retailer Sale
Three different routes to paying less, and the obvious one isn’t always the best.
| Route | What you get | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| Education pricing | About 6 to 8% off, permanently. MacBook Air 13 in at $1,199 against $1,299 | UNiDAYS verification. One Mac and two iPads per year |
| Back to school gift card | $150 with MacBook Pro, $100 with MacBook Air, iPad Pro or iPad Air | Ends September 24, 2026. Base iPad, iPad mini, MacBook Neo and desktops excluded |
| Retailer sale | Often larger, and stackable with nothing but simpler | No verification, no card to spend later, and it comes and goes |
| Who qualifies | Higher education students, faculty and staff, K-12 employees including homeschool teachers, school board and PTA officers, and parents buying for an eligible student | Apple verifies through UNiDAYS |
A worked example is the clearest way to see it. Apple’s education price on the 11 inch iPad Air is $699. Retailers have been listing the same machine at $649 with no verification at all. The education route isn’t automatically the cheapest one.
What Actually Counts as a Good Apple Deal
Apple hardware discounts in narrow, predictable ways, so knowing the ceiling tells you when to stop looking.
- The gift card is often worth more than the discount. On a MacBook Pro the $150 card exceeds the typical $100 education price cut. Just remember it’s Apple credit, not money off, so it only counts if you’ll spend it.
- Check a retailer before you verify. Third party sellers routinely beat education pricing outright. If a retailer is $50 below the education price with no UNiDAYS check, the education route has cost you time for nothing.
- Know the annual limits. Apple allows one Mac, two iPads, one Apple Watch and two accessories per year on education pricing. Worth planning if you’re buying for more than one person.
- Prices went up in June 2026. Apple raised MacBook Air pricing by $200, citing memory and storage costs. Education pricing plus the gift card roughly cancels that increase, but it doesn’t beat last year’s baseline.
- Excluded models still get education pricing. The base iPad, iPad mini and MacBook Neo don’t earn the gift card, but the standard education discount still applies to them.
MacBooks On Sale
Air and Pro, sorted by current discount. The Air is the one the $100 card applies to.
MacBook Air
The volume model, and the one most students actually need. Gift card eligible.
iPads
The full range. Note that only the Air and the Pro earn the gift card.
iPad Pro and MacBook Pro
The machines that earn the largest card, at $150 on the MacBook Pro.
Where to Buy Apple
Four retailers worth checking before you go through education verification.
How to Buy Apple for Less
Price the retailers before you verify anything. This takes two minutes and regularly saves more than the education discount would. Verification is worth doing only if it wins.
Remember the card is credit. A $150 Apple gift card is only worth $150 if you were going to buy something from Apple anyway. If not, a $100 retailer discount in cash terms may be worth more.
Buy before September 24 if you want the card. That’s the hard deadline on the seasonal offer. After it, the permanent education discount continues but the card doesn’t.
Check your model is eligible. Base iPad, iPad mini, MacBook Neo and all desktop Macs don’t earn the card. Only MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iPad Air and iPad Pro do.
Parents count. You don’t have to be the student. Apple’s policy explicitly includes parents buying on behalf of an eligible higher education student, and K-12 employees including homeschool teachers.
Apple Education Deal FAQ
The Bottom Line
There are two discounts here and only the smaller one has a deadline. The permanent education pricing is about 6 to 8% and runs all year, so there’s no rush on that. The gift card is the seasonal part and it ends on September 24. Before you go through verification for either, spend two minutes checking the retailers, because on several models they have simply been cheaper with no verification at all.
