Below is our campus recommendation for purchasing a laptop for classes at WCU. If your college has a recommendation that exceeds ours, find it in the tab below.
* Dell & Apple laptops receive on-site software and hardware support (service subject to warranty status). Other devices receive limited support.
* All students receive a free copy of Microsoft Office365.
* Once you purchase a computer, get it ready for the semester by following our
- Dell Latitude or Precision Series Laptop with Windows 11
- Intel Core Ultra 7
- 16GB RAM
- 512GB SSD
- 4-year Dell ProSupport Plus
- MacBook Air with M3 Chip or higher
- 16GB unified memory
- 500GB SSD
- 3 years of AppleCare+ warranty
Only Windows PC's (like the recommended Dell machines) can run some business programs like Microsoft Access database application among others directly/natively.
- Dell Latitude or Precision Series Laptop with Windows 11
- Intel Core Ultra 7
- 16GB RAM
- 512GB SSD
- 4-year Dell ProSupport Plus
- Dell Latitude or Precision Series Laptop with Windows 11
- An advanced graphics card to handle 3d graphics processing (Nvidia or AMD)
- 32GB RAM
- 512GB SSD
- 4-year Dell ProSupport Plus
*Students pursuing hte BFA withe emphasis in Graphic design are required to have a
laptop that meets the system requirements for the current Adobe Creative Cloud software
applications and an Adobe CC software license. Students use a range of Adobe applications
throughout the program. Adobe offers educational discounts for its licenses.
Mac Recommendation:
- MacBook Pro 16"
- Discrete graphics card (Pro or Max chip)
- 32GB unified memory or greater
- 500GB SSD or greater
- 3 years of AppleCare+ warranty
Windows Recommendation
- Dell Latitude or Precision Series Laptop with Windows 11
- 15" screen or greater
- Discrete graphics card
- 32GB RAM or greater
- 500GB SSD or greater
- 4-year Dell ProSupport Plus
*Interior Design student must use a Windows Laptop.
- Dell Latitude or Precision Series Laptop with Windows 11
- Intel Core Ultra 7
- 16GB RAM
- 512GB SSD
- 4-year Dell ProSupport Plus