Apple puts in a back-to-school promotion every year (now known as the Higher Education Offer to avoid confusion) and gives it a free product – usually AirPods – away from buying qualified Apple products.
However, this year it seems that Apple is not offering AirPod. Instead, Apple is offering gift cards with eligible purchases.
This year’s contract began on Friday, June 24 in the United States A similar deal is expected to be launched in the UK and Europe in July.
The education-centric deal is in addition to Apple offering year-round discounts to students and educational institutions on its Macs and iPads. This guide explains what you need to know about getting discounts and using Apple’s Education Store for shopping at the Apple Education Store.
Apple’s back-to-higher education agreement has already been rolled out in Australia and other parts of the Southern Hemisphere this year (January 6 to March 14, 2022), when Apple delivered the airpods. Every year Apple’s education event starts in mid-June in the US and then from July in the UK and Europe. So it’s time for you to take advantage of that part of the world!
What is Apple’s back-to-school offer in 2022?
Apple is offering vouchers for higher education deals this summer.
Apple also offers vouchers for the Apple deal on its Black Friday, and similar to that deal, there are different voucher values associated with different Apple products:
- Buy an iPad Air (5th gen), iPad Pro 11-inch or 12.9-inch and get a $ 100 Apple Gift Card.
- Buy a MacBook Air, 13-inch, 14-inch or 16-inch MacBook Pro, or a 24-inch iMac and get a $ 150 Apple Gift Card.
Vouchers mean that those who take advantage of this deal get more choice about what they spend their money on rather than being confined to headphones.
In the past to get free AirPods you need to buy one of the following eligible products:
There is a discount on all products sold to students through Apple’s education store, so you’ll already save on any one of these products.
Also, students can get AppleCare + 20% discount.
How to get Apple’s back-to-school deal
Unless you live in an area where Apple is running the deal at the time of your purchase, and a student in higher education, or is about to start higher education, you can qualify for Apple’s higher education agreement and get a free pair of AirPods (or vouchers if these Agreement is). Below are more details about who the agreement applies to
Keep in mind that if you qualify, you can get a year-round discount by shopping at the Apple Education Store, so you don’t have to shop right now.
Apple runs campaigns in different places at different times due to the difference in the start of the school year around the world.
Apple campaigns in the Southern Hemisphere in the first few months of the year. Therefore, if you live in Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and South America, you can take advantage of Apple’s agreement between January 6 and March 14, 2022.
The same agreement will run later this year in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada and Europe. Usually between June and September in North America and between July and October in Europe and the United Kingdom.
In the United States you will be able to visit Apple’s US Education Store, but logging in from your university network can make the process much easier.
In the UK you need to verify the status of your students or staff with UNiDAYS as you access its back-to-school offers.
Visit the Apple Education Store for other regions using the links below:
You can request an Apple Gift Card when you make your purchase.
Read on to know the 2022 contract execution dates.
When is Apple’s Back to School Sale 2022?
Apple’s higher education offer will run from June 24 to September 26, 2022 in the United States and Canada
In the UK and Europe it usually lasts from mid-July to October in the UK.
Sold in Australia, New Zealand and South America between January and March.
Apple Back to School Sale US and Canada Dates
In 2021 the contract lasted from 17 June to 27 September. In 2020, Apple launched the US Sale on June 15 with a deadline set of September 29, although Apple extended the deadline to October 12, removing it just one day before Amazon’s Prime Day, which took place on October 13-14, 2020.
Apple’s educational discounts are available throughout the year.
Visit the US Education Store and Canada Education Store for more information.
Apple Back to School Sale UK / Europe – Date
- Mid-July – Mid-October 2022 (Estimated)
Apple’s higher education offer (aka Back to School Sale) in 2021 began on 15 July 2021 at the UK Education Store. The sale runs until Monday, October 11th.
It is normal for Apple to announce the UK offer in July. In 2020, Apple UK’s back-to-school sales began on 9 July and lasted until 29 October. It also launched its 2019 sale on 9 July and its 2018 sales started on 12 July.
If you’re considering buying from Apple, there’s no reason to despair if this year’s deal isn’t running: Apple’s educational discounts are available all year round. Students and academics need to log in through the UNiDAYS website to view the offers Educational store discounts are usually up to 280 for UK students.
Apple Back to School Cell Australia / New Zealand / South America / South Korea
- Runs January 6 – March 14, 2022
Southern Hemisphere dates coincide with the new school year there.
Apple’s back-to-school sales for Australia, New Zealand, Brazil and South Korea began on January 6, 2022 and ended on March 14, 2022.
In 2021 it runs from January 7 and ended on March 16, 2021.
Who can get Apple’s back-to-school contract
If you are enrolled in higher education facilities (this is post-K12 education, university and college) you will be eligible for free AirPods agreement as well as Apple General Education discount. Employees of these organizations can also qualify. If you are a parent and you shop for your students, you may qualify.
Alternatively, if you are an employee of a government or private K-12 institution / school in the United States or Canada, you are also eligible. Apple’s education value is not available for parents with children in school, but a homeschool teacher can qualify.
Even when Apple is not running a back-to-school deal, students and educational institutions can take advantage of the standard educational pricing on its Educational Pricing page (US here / UK here).
What is Apple’s deal for 2022?
- Free Apple gift cards worth up to $ 150 ৷
Thanks to the agreement, university students, or those who have just started university or higher education, will receive a voucher if they purchase a worthy product.
Students can get:
- An হার 100 Apple gift card with an iPad Air (5th generation), iPad Pro 11-inch or 12.9-inch purchase.
- A B 150 Apple gift card with the purchase of a MacBook Air, 13-inch, 14-inch or 16-inch MacBook Pro, or a 24-inch iMac.
All details and terms can be found on Apple’s site here.
Which iPads are included in Apple’s back-to-school agreement?

Not every Apple product you can buy in education stores is included in the free AirPods deal.
For 2022, Apple has included the following iPads:
- IPad Air (5th generation)
- iPad Pro 11in
- iPad Pro 12.9in
This is in line with the 2021 agreement, which includes the iPad Pro and iPad Air in Apple’s back-to-school offer. The iPad and iPad mini 5th generation are still excluded from the offer.
If you qualify, you can still get discounted educational prices on iPad and iPad mini, you will not be able to get the free voucher.
If you don’t qualify for pricing education, we have a separate guide on where to find the best deals on the iPad. Read on for advice on which iPad to buy which iPad is best for students.
Which Macs are included in Apple’s back-to-school agreement?

If you qualify for Apple’s Back to School AirPods, you’ll need to purchase one of the following Macs.
- I’m happy today
- 13 in MacBook Pro
- 14in or 16in MacBook Pro
- 24 in iMac
You’ll be able to take advantage of the education value for all those Macs. Mac mini vouchers have been dropped from the offer this year.
If you’re not eligible for the educational discount, check out these round-ups of the best deals on a new Mac:
We also have this advice about which Mac is best for students.