Buying A Computer

Personal Purchases

For personal computers, faculty, staff, and students can get educational pricing through Apple or Dell. 

• Apple Computers - visit the Apple Education Store for the education pricing.  

• Dell Computers - visit the Swarthmore College Personal Computing Page at Dell for member pricing.

Departmental Purchases

Departmental purchases must be made through ITS. To request a purchase, go to the ITS Service Catalog and complete the appropriate form in the Computer & Device Requests section. You'll receive a quote before the order is placed. The form will collect all the required information, list product features, include options for peripherals, and offer a space to ask questions. Once submitted, your request will be routed to IT Purchasing. 

For non-standard Apple computer configurations, you can log into the Apple Store, select your system, and create a proposal to submit to ITS.

• The order proposal cannot be modified once you receive confirmation.

• The price you receive is your final cost. There are no additional departmental discounts.

• Once your order is placed with Apple computer, it cannot be canceled or changed.  All sales are final.

Computer Replacement Cycle

Departments have the option of adding a computer to the replacement cycle at the time of purchase. Once added, departmental funds will be allocated to the replacement cost each year and the computer will be will be automatically replaced by ITS on a regular basis. If not added to the replacement cycle, the department is responsible for purchasing a replacement computer. ITS recommends replacing a computer at least every five years, to ensure optimal performance and compatibility with software applications.  For more details see the Office Computer Replacement Policy.