Laptop Recommendations

Student on laptopThe School of Law requires that all students have a laptop computer. Because laptops are mandatory, their purchase cost can be part of your cost of attendance and are therefore covered by your financial aid. Please contact law admissions office for more information.

While tablets can be useful tools, a tablet OS may not be sufficient to meet your law school computing needs. If you want the convenience of a tablet, look into one that runs a full version of Microsoft Windows 10 and has a dedicated hardware keyboard. Tablets that do not run a full version of Windows 10, including those running Apple iPadOS or Google Android, can be a supplement to a laptop but not a replacement.

We recommend incoming and returning students consider the following when purchasing a laptop for law school:

Laptop Recommendations

  • Form = Laptop with full Operating System (OS)
    • While tablets can be helpful, they cannot replace the need for a dedicated laptop.
    • Tablets cannot be used with Exam software
  • CPU = Intel i5 or i7 (or equivalent) No ARM CPU's
  • RAM = 8 GB minimum, 16 GB recommended
    • More RAM = better performance and more programs can be run at once
  • Drive = 128 GB minimum, 320 GB or more recommended
    • Solid State Drive faster and preferred, but more costly than Hard Disk Drive
    • The more content you store in the cloud, the less space on your computer you will need
  • Operating System: users are advised to have the latest version OS possible when they are 1L students, and keep the OS up-to-date; minimum supported software includes:
    • PCs = Windows 10 64-bit English
    • Macs = macOS “Mojave” 10.14
    • No Chromebook or Linux devices
  • Screen Resolution = HD+ 1600 x 900 or higher
  • Web Camera & Microphone
  • Wireless = a/c recommended, g/n minimum
  • Warranty
    • Minimum 3 years
    • On-site next business day service, if available
    • Accidental damage coverage, if available

The school of law partners with Dell to offer laptop computers that meet recommended specifications at a discount price. These computers come with a three-year warranty.

Microsoft Office 365 is available to any current UM student and can be installed on up to five devices at once. It includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote. The access to Office 365 can be found through your student email on your My UM page.

Adobe Acrobat Professional can be very useful in its ability to read, highlight and annotate reference materials. Currently students can get Adobe Acrobat Professional as a part of the Adobe Creative Cloud suite, discounted for students.

LawIT no longer supports Corel WordPerfect and instead encourages users to transition to Microsoft Office Word.

The use of anti-virus protection software is strongly encouraged! Windows 10 has built-in anti-virus protection called Microsoft Defender, though a third party suite can be purchased and used instead. MacOS does not come with built-in anti-virus, and a third-party purchase is encouraged.

ExamSoft is the maker of Examplify, our secure examination software you will need to install on your laptop. Courses will use ExamSoft Examplify to administer finals and midterms. ExamSoft minimum requirements.

  • Required Adapters
    • Video Output = HDMI & VGA
      • Classrooms use HDMI input
      • Some projectors and TVs use VGA inputs
      • Most laptops do not have built-in connections anymore; buy the HDMI / VGA adapters for your laptop and keep them with your charger!
    • USB-A Adapter
      • Many new laptops may only come with USB-C; if you want to use a flash drive for use with other computers / printers / etc, you will need an adapter if your computer does not have a USB-A port.
  • Optional Adapters
    • Ethernet
      • Wireless persists through the building, but you may see faster performance and better consistency with a wired vs. wireless connection.
  • Required Hardware
    • External Drive
      • Use for backups! Many students have been able to endure through a computer crash because they set up regular backups on their machine.
      • Get an external drive at least as big as your computer drive size.
    • Headset
      • You may be asked to participate in web conferencing solutions in class. These may also help if you're attending class remotely from someplace where you can't privately use your speakers or is too noisy to otherwise hear.
  • Optional Hardware
    • External Mouse – may be helpful for long sessions with a computer, come in wired and wireless options
    • Optical Drive (CD/DVD+/-RW) – rarely used, but some content may only come on CDs or DVDs. You can use a lab computer if you do not have this capability.
    • Ethernet adapter - allows you to bypass the wireless network and use a more consistent wired network connection

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