Yes, there are ways students can get laptops for free. Especially those who are still attending high school.
Sometimes, there are programs that allow students to win a free laptop if they get good marks.
Also, there are some organizations that give out free laptops. Usually, they are non-profit organizations that want to help people by giving them the tools necessary for education.
Another way students can get laptops is through their school’s computer lab. Some actually have laptop carts with about 20 or fewer notebooks in them.
Sometimes, the school will lend them out to students so long as they give them back at the end of the day.
However, most schools do not allow this practice because usually those used in “laptop carts” require regular maintenance and upkeep, unlike desktop computers which are connected to a power source most of the time anyway.
There are also ways for undergraduate students to get free laptops. Many businesses let students test out products they are selling for free. These include laptops, digital cameras, televisions, etc.
However, these products are usually in demo mode so the user will not have access to all of its functions. Most of them are also used so they may have some minor scratches on them already.
A better way would be to simply get a cheap laptop something like a Chromebook.
Then, the student would not have to worry about losing their data if it gets stolen or lost as they cost about 300, and they can use an external hard drive to back up their files.
One of the most common ways students get free laptops is through school grants. For example, in 2012, Google gave out many Chromebooks to US schools.
These were good enough for schoolwork done online like editing documents and doing research in an actual classroom when connected to the internet via WiFi.
So, when students start applying for loans or financial aid, it would be a smart move if they apply for this kind of grant, so they could get a better laptop than perhaps a used one from Craigslist or eBay.
