Student Laptop Recommendations

The crucial role of technology in higher education continues to expand and William Paterson University is committed to ensuring that academic technology will always be a central component of your educational experience. We believe that learning extends through the full college experience and is not limited to any single location. With this in mind, there is an expectation that all students will have a laptop for use in their William Paterson University courses. The laptop should meet minimum technical specifications in order to run the software applications used at the university and be compatible with the university network.

Having a laptop will allow you to connect to the University’s wireless network and access University systems from anywhere there is an internet connection to check on assignments at any time, and facilitate your collaboration with classmates and professors, regardless of whether you, or they, are on or off-campus. The benefits are endless!

The purchase of a laptop can be covered by financial aid through the book deferment process that is currently in place and allows students to purchase books prior to the start of the semester.

Minimum
Requirements		 Recommended
(if purchasing new)		 Recommended
For Art Animation and
Video/Audio Production Majors
(if purchasing new)
Type/OS Windows 11
or
macOS 14 (Sonoma) or later		 Windows 11
or
macOS 15 (Sequoia) or later		 Windows 11
or
macOS 15 (Sequoia)
Processor Intel i3 or AMD equivalent Intel i5, i7 or Apple/AMD equivalent Intel i7 or Apple/AMD equivalent
Memory/RAM 8 GB 16 GB or more 16GB min; 32 GB recommended
Hard Drive 256 GB Solid State Drive
(SSD)		 512 GB Solid State Drive (SSD) 512 GB Solid State Drive (SSD)
Video Card/GPU Integrated video or better Discrete graphics:
2 GB GPU minimum;
4 GB GPU recommended
(see * for specific information
on needs by software/major)
13" or larger (1920 x 1080 or better recommended) 15" or larger;
secondary screen suggested
Wireless Adapter 802.11n capable 802.11ac capable
Ethernet Adapter Optional
Webcam/Mic/Speakers Required
Video Output Optional HDMI HDMI - DisplayPort
Ports Optional
(Consider if needed for external
Webcam/Mic/Speakers)		 2 USB or USB-C

Last updated: 5/2025

Please note: Chromebooks are not recommended as many software programs are not available for the Chromebook platform.

* Additional information on hardware requirements for specialized software for specific academic programs are available at https://itwiki.wpunj.edu/index.php/GPU. The software (and related hardware requirements) used in certain courses can and will change. For specific majors, lab facilities are available as resources.

Warranties
We recommend that students explore the laptop warranty options available to them and make the best determination on what warranty level is appropriate for their situation.

Required Software:

Software provided by University:

  • Office 365 - Word, Excel, PowerPoint (available through www.wpunj.edu/365)
  • Other software is available through the My Home Use Software link in WPconnect

Suggested Laptop Vendors
The vendors listed below offer discounts to students but prices change frequently, so consumer purchase options may offer better pricing.  We encourage students to do further research on the options available to them.

Questions or concerns about the laptop requirements? Please contact William Paterson University’s Information Technology Help Desk at 973-720-4357 or www.wpunj.edu/helpdesk.