Apple Extends Back to School Promotion Through September 24

Apple has pushed back the deadline on its 2026 Back to School promotion, giving students almost a month of extra time to claim it. The offer, originally set to end August 27, now runs through September 24 in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and several Asian markets, according to reports tracking Apple’s education pricing pages.

The extension matters because this year’s promotion started later and ran shorter than usual. Apple opened the campaign on July 16, compared with June 17 last year, and the original August 27 cutoff would have made 2026 the tightest window in recent memory. Pushing it to September 24 brings the timing much closer to 2025’s run, which stretched all the way to September 30.

In the U.S., qualifying purchases of MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, iPad Air, and iPad Pro come with an Apple Gift Card on top of education pricing, $100 for MacBook Air and both iPads, $150 for MacBook Pro. That’s a real shift from last year’s approach, when Apple leaned on free or discounted accessories instead of straight gift cards. Verification now runs through UNiDAYS rather than Apple’s older education-verification process, and products like MacBook Neo, iPad mini, and desktop Macs still get education pricing but sit outside the bonus entirely.

The extra month is genuinely useful for students still waiting on financial aid, enrollment confirmation, or a first paycheck before buying. Just don’t assume the extension applies everywhere: it’s specific to the listed regions, and purchases have to be made and delivered within the qualifying country to count.