Purchasing: Personally Owned Technology

University students, faculty, and staff have access to discounts on hardware and software for their personally owned computers and devices, as well as cellular services. Each service has a catalog of products, but some limitations may apply.  
These services are available to current students, faculty, and staff. They are not available to graduated students or retired faculty and staff. 
Students must be enrolled to take advantage of these services. 

Processor  | Intel i5/Ultra 5 or AMD Ryzen 5
Operating System  | Windows 11
Software  | Microsoft Office (See below for info on Office 365)
Memory  | 16 GB RAM or higher
Hard Drive  | 256 GB Solid State Drive or better
Wireless  | Wi-Fi 5 or newer
Webcam  | Integrated or external webcam required
HDMI  | To use projection systems on campus, laptops should have an HDMI port or adapter (current model machines typically use a USB-C to HDMI)

Processor  | Apple Silicon (M-Series)
*Please note that Apple Silicon processors do not currently support running Windows alongside the macOS
Operating System  | Current Version macOS (macOS 15 - Sequoia)
Software  | Microsoft Office (See below for info on Office 365)
Memory  | 16 GB RAM or higher
Hard Drive  | 256 GB Solid State Drive or better
Webcam  | All current Mac laptops and iMacs include a webcam; an external webcam is required for other models
HDMI  | To use projection systems on campus, laptops should have an HDMI port or adapter (current model machines typically use a USB-C to HDMI)

The use of Google Chromebooks is highly discouraged due to incompatibility with some commonly used University systems.  Chromebooks do not meet the laptop requirements for either the College of Business or the College of Nursing.

The College of Business, the College of Nursing, and the Material Science and Biomedical Engineering program have laptop requirements for any students majoring in one of these programs.  For information on the specific requirements, please refer to the following pages:

Apple offers discounts on computer hardware. Use the following link to access their UW-Eau Claire education stores.

Office 365 is a subscription-based service offered by Microsoft that provides file storage and Office capabilities across multiple computers and devices. This includes common Office applications such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, and many other applications. 
You can access Office 365 on most devices through a web browser. You can use the Microsoft Office apps on your mobile device. You can also download a copy of the most recent version of Microsoft Office using one of five free licenses for desktop/laptop computers. This software is currently available to students, faculty, and staff. 

Through the UWEC On the Hub Software Download Center, current students, faculty, and staff can install various software products on their personal computers for free (or at a low cost).

The Virtual Lab system allows current students, faculty, and staff to access software titles from the general access computer labs on their personal computers from almost anywhere. Access to the Virtual Lab environment is available through the VMWare Horizon software or the 
Virtual Lab web interface. 

Visit the Purchasing: Cellular Devices knowledge base page for details on personal cellular discounts.