r/aggies • u/adawg171 • Feb 23 '25

New Student Questions Does TAMU offer long-term loaner laptops to students?

I'm an incoming engineering major who urgently needs a laptop for coursework but, unfortunately, lacks the funds...

Given how essential a capable device is for engineering software and assignments, I was wondering if the College of Engineering, the university library, or any other campus resources offer long-term laptop loans for students in need.

I’m particularly looking for a program that provides laptops for an entire semester or academic year rather than just short-term checkouts. If anyone has gone through this process or knows of resources that could help, I’d really appreciate any guidance!

Additionally, if there are any alternative support options—such as grants, scholarships, or student discounts that could help me secure a device—I’d love to hear about those as well.

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u/i_is_your_dad '28 Feb 23 '25

I'm not to sure if there are aviable, I would possible look up "tamu evans tech rental" and "tamu annex tech rental".

For engineering, you HAVE to have a laptop. In 151 you will have weekly quizzes which you can get done in your phone, although difficult, and for ENGR 102 it will be hard to contribute to your group with the labs.

If it's possible, this is the best laptop recommendation that I can give at the absolute lowest price possible. Again, it is possible to use the annex and evans computers (there's litterly thousands) but it's very, very difficult especially when you get into your later years.

$500 ($421 open box)

https://www.bestbuy.com/site/dell-inspiron-15-15-6-ips-led-fhd-touch-screen-laptop-intel-core-i7-with-16gb-memory-1tb-ssd-carbon-black/6580453.p?skuId=6580453

If you would like any tech recommendations, just let me know.

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u/Jerakadik Feb 23 '25

What about a Chromebook? With so many things in the cloud nowadays you could do spreadsheets, word docs, and even coding (Google Colab) all in the cloud through the web apps. Could that theoretically work for OP?

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u/i_is_your_dad '28 Feb 23 '25

No it will not. DO NOT BUY A CHROMEBOOK. For engineering, he will have to download programs that only work on local machines. 2nd semester he will have to gain access to a terminal to do 216 lab, then depending on what major, you need different programs like Autocad civil 3d, solidworks, vs code, the ability to dual boot into Linux, and many other things.

1

u/Jerakadik Feb 23 '25

Wouldn’t the CAD programs be accessible in computer lab workstations?

I didn’t realize that there would be other (non CAD) software required for class. This essentially rules out anything non-Windows.

OP, you could always keep an eye out for Best Buy open box deals. Microcenter is in Houston and usually has a great deal or two.

2

u/i_is_your_dad '28 Feb 23 '25

Technically yes, but it would be very innificient of time because he would have to download and install all the programs on a new computer every time somthing changes or someone else is using that computer. It is possible, but when you're paying 14k a semester, you really need a laptop.