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Best Laptop for Vet School (and Vet Tech School): Exam-Safe Picks for Note-Takers

By LaptopOwners · Updated · 13 min read

Buy a real laptop with 16 GB of RAM. All 8 vet schools we checked recommend or require 16 GB, and 6 say an iPad can’t be your only computer. Take notes with a pen if you like, but plan to type your exams: “Examplify does not support touchscreen input on Mac or Windows laptops.” Our top pick is the MacBook Air 13 (M5). For pen notes on one device, get the Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1; for vet tech on a budget, the Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i.

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What your laptop has to pass

The RAM and iPad columns rule out the most laptops. Pages read October 18, 2026:

School Windows Mac RAM iPad as main device Also says
NC State Win 11 Pro, Education or Enterprise, 23H2+; Core Ultra 5 M2 or newer 16 GB minimum No 512 GB SSD, webcam, mic
Tufts (via Tufts IT) Win 11 Professional 24H2+; Core i5 or Ultra 5 M3 or newer 16 GB (recommended) No: DVM needs a laptop 512 GB SSD, 13-15in
Oregon State Win 11 24H2; Home OK but no BitLocker; i7-series Sonoma or later 16 GB (“minimum amount recommended”) No 2-in-1s acceptable
Florida (UF) Win 11; non-ARM Core i5 or Ryzen 5 Sonoma or later, M1+ 8 GB (16 recommended) No: supplement only Privacy screen for exams
Texas A&M 64-bit Win 11; no ARM; 12th Gen Core i5+ macOS 14, 15 or 26; M1-M3 16 GB minimum No: not for exams Privacy screen, 13-15in
Illinois Win 11; Core i5 Sonoma or later, M-series 8 GB (16 suggested) Not permitted Tablet PC or laptop; backup drive or cloud
Virginia-Maryland Win 11 23H2-25H2; ARM only with Examplify 3.10+ on 24H2+ Sonoma to Tahoe 8 GB (16 recommended) Allowed: iPad 5th gen or later No Chromebooks
Tuskegee 64-bit Win 11 macOS 12+, M1/M2 or Intel 8 GB (16 recommended) iPad allowed for Examplify No Chromebooks; device bought in the last 3-4 years

Dates on the pages: Oregon State modified July 2, 2026; UF’s assessment policy updated May 2026; Virginia-Maryland “as of April 15, 2026”; Tuskegee November 2025; Illinois revised February 5, 2024. NC State, Tufts and Texas A&M show no date. Tufts’s DVM page links a Tufts IT page listing 16 GB, a Core i5 or M1 Pro and Windows 23H2 as minimums; the Tufts IT page shown here, with later version numbers, recommends rather than requires its specs.

Chip names trip people up. Several pages say “Core i5” or “i7-series”, but every 2026 Intel laptop on our shortlist is sold as a Core 3, 5 or 7 or a Core Ultra 5 or 7. If your laptop’s chip name doesn’t match your school’s list, ask its IT team before you buy.

ExamSoft’s own rules sit underneath, checked October 2026: 64-bit Windows 11 (certified on 24H2, 25H2 and 26H2), and “S mode is not compatible with Examplify.” Macs need Sequoia, Tahoe or Golden Gate on an Intel, A18 or M-series chip. The only tablet it supports on Windows is the Surface Pro, and iPads are the school’s call. Re-check the minimum system requirements before you buy, and where a school page and ExamSoft disagree, follow the stricter rule. Our ExamSoft guide covers the rest.

All 8 vet schools we checked recommend or require 16 GB Horizontal bar chart of what 8 US veterinary schools’ laptop pages say, read October 18, 2026. Recommend or require 16 GB of RAM: 8. Accept a Mac: 8. Say an iPad can’t be your only computer: 6. Rule out Chromebooks: 5. Name ExamSoft or Examplify: 4. Accept a 2-in-1 or tablet PC: 3. List iPads as a supported device: 3. Require 16 GB as a minimum: 2. Ban ARM (Snapdragon) chips: 2. Ask for Windows Pro or Education: 2. All 8 vet schools we checked recommend or require 16 GB What 8 US vet schools’ laptop pages say (N = 8), read Oct 18, 2026 Recommend or require 16 GB RAM Accept a Mac iPad can’t be your only computer Rule out Chromebooks Name ExamSoft or Examplify Accept a 2-in-1 or tablet PC List iPads as a supported device Require 16 GB as a minimum Ban ARM (Snapdragon) chips Ask for Windows Pro or Education 8 8 6 5 4 3 3 2 2 2 0 2 4 6 8 schools
Source: the eight vet school laptop pages linked in the table above, read October 18, 2026.

Our picks at a glance

Pick for Laptop Why it’s here Key specs Examplify fit Price (source, date)
Best overall Apple MacBook Air 13 (M5) Meets or beats every Mac line we read M5, 16 GB, 512 GB, 13.6in Runs $1,299 ($1,199 education), apple.com, Oct 18, 2026
Pen notes on one device Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1 14 Gen 11 Intel 2-in-1 with 16 GB Core Ultra 5 322, 16 GB, 512 GB, 14in OLED touch Runs with limits: pen and touch off in exams $849.99, Best Buy, Oct 21, 2026
Windows Pro out of the box Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen 8 (Intel) Meets NC State’s Windows and chip lines as shipped Core Ultra 7 355, 16 GB, 512 GB, 14in Runs $1,909, lenovo.com, Oct 21, 2026
Cheapest with 16 GB, and vet tech Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i 15 (15IRU8) 16 GB and a Core i5 for under $500 Core i5-1335U, 16 GB, 256 GB, 15.6in Runs with limits: check it isn’t S mode $499.99, Best Buy, Oct 22, 2026 (sale)

Best overall: Apple MacBook Air 13 (M5)

All eight schools accept a Mac, and this one meets or beats every Mac line we read, including NC State’s (M2, 16 GB, 512 GB) and Tufts IT’s recommended M3. Price: $1,299 at apple.com, or $1,199 with education pricing, checked October 18, 2026.

Drawbacks: Notebookcheck’s review found multi-core speed drops under sustained load and listed the 60 Hz display among its drawbacks. RAM and storage are soldered. Texas A&M’s and Tuskegee’s lists name only older M-series chips, so ask if you’re headed there.

macApple MacBook Air 13-inch (M5, 2026)Apple M5 (10-core CPU, 8-core GPU) · 8-core GPU · 16 GB unified memory · 512 GB SSD · 13.6" screen · 2.7 lbRuns ExamplifyM-series Mac, 16 GB: meets ExamSoft's Mac rules. Turn on FileVault if your program asks for full-disk encryption. Education price $1,199. Memory can be configured to 24 or 32 GB at purchase only.
$1,299.00Price at apple.com, checked Oct 21, 2026Check price on Amazon

Pen notes on one device: Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1 14 Gen 11

This is for students who want to write on lecture slides without carrying a second device. Its Intel Core Ultra 5 322 matches NC State’s and Tufts’s chip lines, with 16 GB, 512 GB and a 14in OLED touch screen that folds into a tablet. Oregon State and Illinois list 2-in-1s or tablet PCs as acceptable, though Oregon State wants an i7-series chip. It was $849.99 at Best Buy, marked “Top Deal”, on October 21, 2026.

Drawbacks: the pen costs extra, and it ships with Windows 11 Home, so NC State students need a Pro or Education upgrade (Tufts IT recommends Pro too). Examplify ignores the pen and touchscreen. RAM is soldered, and we found no full English review, only a short Chip.de test linked from Notebookcheck.

2in1Lenovo Yoga 7i 2-in-1 14 Gen 11 (14IPH11), model 83TC0003USIntel Core Ultra 5 322 (Panther Lake) · 16 GB RAM · 512 GB SSD · 14" screen · 3.04 lbRuns Examplify, with a caveatx86 and not S mode, so it meets ExamSoft's rules, but pen and touch can't be used during exams (keyboard and trackpad only). Pen is not included: Best Buy links the Lenovo Digital Pen 2 separately; PSREF lists Yoga Pen Gen 2/Gen 3 bundles. Price: see price_note (Best Buy Top Deal $849.99 on Oct 21, 2026).
$849.99Price at bestbuy.com, checked Oct 22, 2026Check price on Amazon

Windows Pro out of the box: Lenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen 8 (Intel)

Buy this if you’re going to NC State or Tufts and don’t want to upgrade anything. It ships with Windows 11 Pro, a Core Ultra 7 355, 512 GB and 16 GB in a removable stick, with a second slot; Lenovo’s PSREF lists up to 64 GB.

The drawback is price: $1,909 for this configuration (21Y6001HUS) on lenovo.com, checked October 21, 2026. Notebookcheck’s review of the AMD version praised the keyboard and battery life but measured the screen at about 45% NTSC.

midLenovo ThinkPad E14 Gen 8 (14in Intel), model 21Y6001HUSIntel Core Ultra 7 355 (Panther Lake) · 16 GB RAM · 512 GB SSD · 14" screen · 2.95 lbRuns Examplifyx86, Windows 11 Pro (BitLocker), 16 GB in a SODIMM slot (Panther Lake models have two slots). Price is far above the $800-$1,300 band: $1,909 for this pre-built SKU; lenovo.com's E14 Gen 8 Intel page carries a $1,419 figure that isn't tied to a configuration.
$1,909.00Price at lenovo.com, checked Oct 21, 2026Check price on Amazon

Cheapest with 16 GB: Lenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i 15 (15IRU8)

On sale at Best Buy on October 22, 2026, it’s the cheapest laptop on our list with 16 GB. It’s a 2023 model, and its 13th-gen Core i5-1335U fits the lines at UF, Illinois, Virginia-Maryland and Tuskegee. Oregon State accepts Home but asks for an “i7-series” chip, so check with its IT team.

Drawbacks: it won’t pass at NC State, which wants a Core Ultra 5, 512 GB and Windows Pro, Education or Enterprise. Its 256 GB SSD is also below Tufts’s 512 GB, and its 15.6in screen is over the 13-15in range Texas A&M and Tufts give. Best Buy doesn’t show the Windows edition and Lenovo lists S mode versions, so check the listing, or switch out on day one, which Microsoft says is free and one-way (Microsoft).

budgetLenovo IdeaPad Slim 3i 15IRU8, model 82X700KEUS (2023)Intel Core i5-1335U (10 cores: 2 P + 8 E, 12 threads) · 16 GB RAM · 256 GB SSD · 15.6" screen · 3.57 lbRuns Examplify, with a caveatx86 Windows 11 with 16 GB passes Examplify only if it isn't in S mode; Best Buy doesn't show the edition and PSREF lists S mode options. 2023 model.
$499.99Price at bestbuy.com, checked Oct 22, 2026Check price on Amazon

Pen notes vs typed exams: 2-in-1 or laptop + iPad?

Take notes however you like, but plan to type every Examplify exam. That’s ExamSoft’s rule, not a school quirk.

In 2016, a first-year vet student asked Student Doctor Network for a 2-in-1 under about $1,500 to write notes on PowerPoint slides, and two replies pointed to the Surface Pro with OneNote (SDN). The Surface has changed since. As of October 2026, consumer Surface Pros use Snapdragon (ARM) chips, which Texas A&M says “should not be purchased” and UF’s processor line excludes.

Setup Example cost (Oct 18, 2026) Notes on slides Exam day Works at
2-in-1 with pen Yoga 7i 2-in-1, $849.99 (Best Buy, Oct 21, 2026), pen extra Write directly on slides Type; pen and touch don’t work Most; Oregon State and Illinois name 2-in-1s
Laptop + iPad MacBook Air 13, $1,299, plus an iPad and the $79 Apple Pencil (USB-C) Best handwriting, two devices to charge Type on the laptop All 8 schools
Laptop only IdeaPad Slim 3i 15IRU8, $499.99 (Best Buy, Oct 22, 2026) Typed notes Type All 8, if the laptop meets the specs
Surface Pro (ARM) $1,409, keyboard and pen extra Pen on the tablet ExamSoft supports it on Windows 11 24H2, 25H2 or 26H2 with Examplify 3.10+ Not Texas A&M or UF; NC State rules out tablets

We’d pick the laptop plus iPad if the budget stretches: it passes at every school we read. The base iPad (A16) works with the Apple Pencil (USB-C), according to Apple’s compare page; the $79 Pencil price is from its apple.com product page, checked October 18, 2026.

Best MacBook or iPad for vet school?

The best MacBook is the MacBook Air 13 (M5) with 16 GB. Skip the MacBook Neo: its 8 GB is fixed, below the 16 GB NC State and Texas A&M require, and its A18 Pro isn’t the M2 NC State asks for. Our Examplify compatibility page tracks the Neo’s ExamSoft status.

An iPad is a second device at most schools. Virginia-Maryland lists supported iPads, Tuskegee lists iPad requirements for Examplify and UF allows one as a supplement. NC State, Oregon State, Illinois and Texas A&M won’t accept it as your computer. ExamSoft supports iPadOS 18 and 26 (checked October 18, 2026).

NC State vet school computer requirements

NC State’s College of Veterinary Medicine has the strictest list we read. Windows laptops need Windows 11 Pro, Education or Enterprise (23H2 or later), at least an Intel Core Ultra 5, 16 GB, a 512 GB SSD, a 1920×1080 screen, Wi-Fi 6, a webcam and a microphone. Macs need at least an M2, 16 GB and 512 GB. Tablets, iPads and Chromebooks “are not acceptable substitutes.”

Of our picks, the MacBook Air 13 (M5) and ThinkPad E14 Gen 8 meet its chip, memory, storage and Windows lines as shipped, and the Yoga 7i 2-in-1 does after a Pro or Education upgrade. The IdeaPad Slim 3i doesn’t. Check the Wi-Fi line on the spec sheet of whatever you buy. NC State also lets financial aid students request a one-time cost of attendance increase for a computer, using its Computer Purchase Form.

Best laptop for vet tech school

The budget is smaller, but the exam question is the same. Both vet tech programs we read are distance programs, and both need a computer with a webcam.

Purdue’s veterinary nursing distance program (page updated August 25, 2026) runs exams in Respondus LockDown Browser and Respondus Monitor. Its FAQ says “You must have a laptop or desktop computer to take exams” and that iPads and Android tablets can’t be used (Purdue). Colby Community College’s distance program asks for a computer with a webcam, a headset with a microphone, a camcorder or a smartphone under four years old, and a tripod for recording the AVMA skills you demonstrate on video (Colby CC).

Respondus rules out S mode and asks for 4 GB of available RAM for webcam exams (Respondus, updated July 1, 2026), which the IdeaPad Slim 3i clears once it’s out of S mode. For skills videos, a flexible tripod like the JOBY GorillaPod 1K Gen 2 ($45.99 at joby.com, checked October 18, 2026) is one option; check the listing includes the phone mount you need.

tripodJOBY GorillaPod 1K Gen 2 Tripod
$45.99Price at joby.com, checked Oct 21, 2026Check price on Amazon

Laptops to stay away from for vet school

  • The MacBook Neo, or any laptop with 8 GB that can’t be upgraded. NC State and Texas A&M require 16 GB.
  • Chromebooks. “Examplify will not run on Chromebooks, Android, or Linux operating systems,” and five of the eight schools rule them out.
  • An iPad as your only computer. Six of the eight schools say no.
  • Snapdragon laptops and Surfaces at Texas A&M or UF. Both exclude ARM chips, and consumer Surfaces are Snapdragon-only as of October 2026.
  • Anything in S mode, unless you switch out on day one. “S mode is not compatible with Examplify.”
  • Windows 11 Home at NC State, unless you upgrade to Pro or Education first.
  • A Lenovo at Texas A&M, until you’ve asked. UTHealth Houston bars Lenovo laptops, citing State of Texas technology restrictions (UTHealth); Texas A&M’s vet page doesn’t mention it.

How we chose

We started from each school’s laptop page and kept only laptops that meet the common lines: 64-bit Windows 11 on an Intel chip or an M-series Mac, 16 GB and 512 GB (256 GB on our cheapest pick). Then we checked maker and retailer prices (October 18 to 22, 2026) and read independent reviews, mostly Notebookcheck. We ignored “best laptops for veterinarians” lists, which target working vets, not students facing exam rules. We haven’t tested these laptops ourselves; how we work explains the method. To check a laptop you already own, try the Will it run? checker.

Who we wouldn’t shortlist (yet)

  • Dell XPS 13 (DX13260). Google pairs it with vet school searches, and Reviewed.com measured about 19.5 hours of movie playback at 40% brightness. But its Core 5 320 isn’t the Core Ultra 5 NC State asks for, it ships with Windows 11 Home, and it has only two USB-C ports and no headphone jack (Reviewed).
  • Microsoft Surface Laptop and Surface Pro. Consumer models run Snapdragon X2 (ARM) and ship with Windows 11 Home. Intel versions are business-only, from $2,299.99.

FAQ

What laptop do vet students use?

Whatever their school’s page allows, which usually means a Mac or an Intel Windows 11 laptop with 16 GB and 512 GB. All eight schools we read accept a Mac. For pen notes, add a 2-in-1 or an iPad, but exams are typed.

Can I use an iPad for vet school?

As a second device, yes. As your only computer, rarely: Virginia-Maryland lists supported iPads, while NC State, Oregon State, Illinois and Texas A&M rule them out.

How much RAM do I need for vet school?

Get 16 GB. NC State and Texas A&M require it, Oregon State calls it the “minimum amount recommended”, and the other five schools recommend it.

Does financial aid cover a laptop for vet school?

Often, once. NC State lets you request a one-time cost of attendance increase, Texas A&M says a laptop can be added to your aid budget once during the DVM program, and Tufts says aid may cover it up to certain limits. Ask before you buy.

Is a 2-in-1 worth it for vet school?

If you’ll write on slides every day, yes, and Oregon State and Illinois accept them. Just don’t count on the pen in exams. For more health-program comparisons, see our guides for dental school and PT school.

What to do next

  1. Open your school’s computer requirements page and note the RAM, Windows edition, chip and iPad lines.
  2. Decide how you’ll take notes (2-in-1, laptop plus iPad, or typed) before you buy.
  3. On financial aid? Ask about a cost of attendance increase before you pay.
  4. Install Examplify when your school sends the link, and take the first practice exam on your laptop.
  5. In a vet tech program, test your webcam in Respondus Monitor and set up your tripod before the first skills video is due.

Sources

More students & schools guides