The Apple Back to School Sale Has up to $179 Worth of Free Accessories With an iPad or MacBook Purchase - Joystick Press | Games

The Apple Back to School Sale officially kicked off on June 17 and runs through September 30. This sale happens annually, but the promotional details change each year. For 2025, Apple is offering an accessory worth up to $179 – or up to $179 off more expensive accessories – when you purchase an eligible iPad, MacBook, or iMac that qualifies for an Education discount. The Apple Education Store is open to faculty, staff, students, or parents of currently enrolled students and typically offers discounts of up to 10% off standard Apple Store pricing. The promotional items offered during the Back to School Sale can be combined with these discounts.

The Apple Back to School Sale Starts Now

Not all of the latest iPad models are eligible for the promotion. The specific promotional details are as follow:

Buy an iPad Air or iPad Pro, get your choice of:

Apple Pencil Pro (save $119)
AirPods 4 (save $129)
AirPods Pro 2 for $129 (save $129)
Magic Keyboard for iPad Air 11-inch for $130 (save $119)
Magic Keyboard for iPad Air 13-inch for $180 (save $119)
Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro 11-inch for $160 (save $119)
Magic Keyboard for iPad Pro 13-inch for $210 (save $119)

Buy an MacBook Air or MacBook Pro, get your choice of:

AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation (save $179)
AirPods Pro 2 for $70 (save $179)
Magic Mouse (save up to $99)
Magic Trackpad (save up to $149)
Magic Keyboard with Touch ID and Numpad (save up to $199)

Buy an iMac, get your choice of:

AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation (save $179)
AirPods Pro 2 for $70 (save $179)

The Apple Back to School Sale is one of the best Apple sales of the year

If you like buying your Apple products directly from Apple and you are eligible for the Education discount, there’s hardly a better time to shop there than during Apple’s Back to School promotion. The deals here rival what we usually see from the Apple Black Friday Sale, the only difference being that the Black Friday sale is usually open to non-Education shoppers as well. The Education store by default gives you a 10% discount on most iPads, MacBooks, and iMacs, but this is your opportunity to pick up an additional accessory that you might have wanted to buy anyways. Even if you end up going with a premium accessory that involves paying a bit more, it’s still worth it. For example, you’ll need to pay an extra $120 to get the AirPods Pro 2 when you buy an iPad. However, that still beats out arguably the best Amazon Prime Day deal for 2025, which saw the same AirPods Pro for $129.

Is iPhone part of the Back to School Sale?

Unfortunately, the Apple Education Store has never offered any kind of discounted pricing or promotional gift for iPhone purchases and 2025 is no different. If and when an iPhone discount shows up, that will be big news indeed. You are better off taking advantage of carrier-specific sign-up offers and trade-in credits than going through the Apple Education Store. The best time to buy and iPhone is usually closer to fall.

Which iPad model should you buy?

Apple has a wide variety of iPad models available, and it can be challenging to determine which one is best for you and your needs. There are four main models of iPad: the standard iPad, iPad Air, iPad Pro, and iPad Mini. If you just want a tablet, the standard base iPad is the best bang for your buck. However, if you care about screen quality and processing power, I would recommend jumping to the iPad Air, which packs in an M-series processor. The M3 is more than powerful enough to handle anything you throw at it, and attaching a keyboard can really start to make the Air feel like a laptop. Check out our iPad guide for a more detailed breakdown of which iPad best fits your needs or see a list of all of the generations to see what older models are still available.

Which MacBook model should you buy?

Apple’s MacBooks have a track record for being the best laptops out there. With their consistently reliable performance, sleek designs, and top-notch software, you know you’re getting a quality product that’ll last for years. And if you’re already deeply entrenched in Apple’s ecosystem with your iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch, grabbing a MacBook over a MacBook alternative just makes the most sense. But figuring out exactly what you need from your device has its challenges, so we’re here to help with this handy guide. In short, the MacBook Air is the most popular model for good reason, but creative professionals looking for a primary workstation should upgrade to the MacBook Pro.

Eric Song is the IGN commerce manager in charge of finding the best gaming and tech deals every day. When Eric isn’t hunting for deals for other people at work, he’s hunting for deals for himself during his free time.