Apple's 2025 Back to School Sale Now Live, Offering Free Accessories With Purchases

Apple today launched its annual Back to School promotion, offering eligible students, educators, and parents free accessories worth up to $199 when purchasing select Mac and iPad models through September 30.

bts overlay store 202505 header
The 2025 promotion is different from last year's up-to-$150 gift card format, and instead provides eligible customers with their choice of popular Apple accessories. Some accessories are completely free, while other more expensive options incur an additional fee on top of the main device purchase. Here's a breakdown of what's on offer.

MacBook Buyers

Customers purchasing any new MacBook can select from accessories valued up to $199:

  • AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation (free, $179 value)
  • AirPods Pro 2 (additional $70 fee, $249 total value)
  • Magic Mouse ($79–$99 value)
  • Magic Trackpad ($129–$149 value)
  • Magic Keyboard with Touch ID ($179–$199 value)

iPad Buyers

iPad buyers can choose accessories ranging from $119 to $210 in value:

  • Apple Pencil Pro (free, $119 value)
  • AirPods 4 (free, $129 value)
  • AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation (free, $179 value)
  • Premium keyboard options available with additional fees up to $210

Magic Keyboard accessories are available for various iPad models, though they all require paying an additional fee on top of the price of the iPad.

iMac Buyers

iMac purchasers can select accessories worth up to $179:

  • AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation (free, $179 value)
  • AirPods Pro 2 (additional $70 fee, $179 value)

The promotion is open to K-12 employees, including teachers and school board members, plus higher education faculty, staff, and students. Parents buying for college-bound children also qualify. The promotion runs alongside Apple's year-round education pricing discounts.

The offer begins today and remains available through September 30, 2025, with full terms and conditions available on Apple's education store.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Dark Blue and Orange

When Is iPhone 17 Coming Out?

Thursday July 24, 2025 9:11 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone 17 series is expected to debut in September 2025. This release follows Apple's recent trend of introducing new iPhone models annually in the fall. To unveil the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max, Apple is expected to hold its annual iPhone announcement event during the week of September 8, 2025, with September 9 or 10 emerging as the most likely...
iPhone 17 Pro on Desk Centered 1

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Two Months With These 16 New Features

Saturday July 26, 2025 5:50 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max should launch in late September, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models, as of July 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X through iPhone 14...
iPhone 17 Pro on Desk Centered 1

Tipster: iPhone 17 Pro to Feature 8x Zoom, Pro Camera App, and More

Sunday July 27, 2025 7:35 am PDT by
Apple's upcoming iPhone 17 Pro models will have several new camera-related features, according to an anonymous tipster who contacted MacRumors today. The tipster claimed to be familiar with an iPhone 17 Pro commercial that is allegedly being produced by a film company that has publicly listed Apple as one of its clients. MacRumors has not independently confirmed any of the information shared ...
Apple Watch Ultra 2 Complications

Apple Watch Ultra 3: What to Expect

Thursday July 24, 2025 7:08 am PDT by
The long wait for an Apple Watch Ultra 3 is nearly over, and a handful of new features and changes have been rumored for the device. Below, we recap what to expect from the Apple Watch Ultra 3:Satellite connectivity for sending and receiving text messages when Wi-Fi and cellular coverage is unavailable 5G support, up from LTE on the Apple Watch Ultra 2 Likely a wide-angle OLED display that ...
iPhone 17 Pro on Desk Centered 1

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Two Months With These 16 New Features

Tuesday July 22, 2025 5:00 pm PDT by
Apple's iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are less than two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models, as of July 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X through iPhone 14...
iOS 18

Apple Shares iOS 18.6 Release Notes

Thursday July 24, 2025 6:33 am PDT by
While the focus is now on iOS 26, there is still an iOS 18.6 update incoming. As noted by Aaron Zollo, Apple on Wednesday re-labeled iOS 18.6 Beta 4 as simply iOS 18.6, meaning that it is the Release Candidate version. This change effectively confirms that the update will be released to the public next week. Alongside the new label, Apple shared release notes for iOS 18.6, which is a...
Apple Partridge Creek

Apple Store in Michigan Permanently Closing Next Month

Saturday July 26, 2025 1:51 pm PDT by
Earlier this month, MacRumors was first to report that Apple was planning to permanently close its Partridge Creek store, just outside of Detroit, Michigan, and now the company has announced a closure date for the location. Apple Partridge Creek Apple Partridge Creek's final day of business will be Saturday, August 16, with the store set to close for good at 8 p.m. local time that day. All of ...
iPhone 17 Colors

All 15 New iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro Colors Leaked

Friday July 25, 2025 6:20 am PDT by
We may finally have a definitive list of all color options for the iPhone 17 series, ahead of the devices launching in September. MacRumors concept In a Macworld report this month, Filipe Espósito said he obtained an "internal document" that allegedly reveals all of the color options for the upcoming iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Air, iPhone 17 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro Max models. The report...

Top Rated Comments

ricketysquire Avatar
6 weeks ago
Back in my day the back to school sale was much better. You got the student discount, a free printer and a free iPod touch.
Score: 20 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Astuces iOS Avatar
6 weeks ago
Imagine already having AirPods Pro 2, a Magic Mouse/or trackpad and a keyboard… ?

I always preferred gift cards
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ThailandToo Avatar
6 weeks ago
This deal gets worse and worse. Better off just buying from Amazon or Best Buy.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
neuropsychguy Avatar
6 weeks ago
I'd prefer the gift card option, but I can also understand the draw for Apple in providing a product instead.

It's not too bad to be able to buy the base M4 MacBook Air for $900 and get a set of AirPods Pro 2 for $70 (total of $969). You could, however, possibly piece together a similar deal but there's nothing currently that's broadly available that beats that price.

Amazon has the base M4 Air for $850 and AirPods Pro for $169. That's a total of $1019, or $968.05 if you have a Prime credit card and get the 5% cashback. Apple's price with the Apple Card and 3% cashback would be $939.93. The savings of buying from Apple is thus only about $30 in that specific case.

Other accessories that don't go on sale like AirPods Pro do could save you more money buying through Apple.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Innovati0n Avatar
6 weeks ago
Tossing in a Magic Keyboard with a MacBook is weird to me. I get that it'd be handy for those who dock their MacBook but those people likely already have a keyboard solution anyway.

Including that with a Mac mini would be a huge win and make more sense but they didn't do it.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sw1tcher Avatar
6 weeks ago
Apple today launched its annual Back to School promotion, offering eligible students, educators, and parents free accessories worth up to $199 when purchasing select Mac and iPad models through September 30.
What a terrible offer. These accessories (e.g. AirPods) are almost always on sale which means that $199 value is actually a lot lower.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)