Student Computer Recommendations & Software Licenses

During the summer months, we are often asked what kind of computer a student is expected to bring to campus. Importantly, no student is required to provide their own computer for success at UMass Lowell. The university provides multiple options to access technology to complete coursework.

However, most students prefer to have their own computer for flexibility, entertainment, and personal use. Below, we provide some recommendations for all students. Some departments also provide some program-specific recommendations, which are linked at the bottom.

This page is updated annually, usually in the late spring.

Generally, we recommend that you purchase a computer from a reputable larger brand.
We recommend purchasing a computer with the following minimum specifications:

• Microsoft Windows 10 22H2 or Apple MacOS 10.15 (Catalina) or newer
• Intel i5 or i7 processor (8th generation or newer)
• 8 GB of RAM or more
• 500 GB or larger solid-state hard drive
• 802.11 AC wireless compatibility

As a lower-cost alternative for most programs of study, a Chromebook from a well-known company such as Dell, Acer,or ASUS is sufficient for all academic needs by using vLabs when Microsoft Office or other academic software is required.

Warranties

Warranties are truly up to you as the purchaser. If you want the assurance of knowing that this computer will be good for a four-year program of study, you may want a four-year warranty. We have found that due to the rapid pace of technological change, and the additional cost of such warranties that many would prefer to replace the computer if it breaks after two years.

UMass Lowell always recommends you provide accidental damage protection for the duration of the computer’s expected life.

Note: TechServices will not be able to service your personal device hardware (hard drive, screen, RAM, motherboard, CPU, etc.). Should you have an issue with your personal device, please contact the manufacturer or provider from where you purchased.

Software

UMass Lowell has a diverse range of academic departments, many of which utilize specialized software. We are proud to offer the vast majority of the required software, including Microsoft Office, Adobe Creative Cloud, SolidWorks, the AutoDesk suite, and may more on our vLabs virtual computer lab platform. Because of this, we recommend that you wait until you are in your classes to see if there is software that you want to purchase.

All enrolled students are able to download a copy of Microsoft Office 365 for free. Accordingly, we recommend that you do not purchase Microsoft Office on your own. As part of Microsoft 365, all students have access to one terabyte of storage on Microsoft OneDrive. We strongly suggest students keep all important documents and files in OneDrive in case their computer crashes.

Security

Because of the constant threat of identity theft and other malicious software, we strongly recommend all students utilize malware prevention and security software.