Back to school 2015: Student tech deals and discounts

To kick off the back-to-school season in 2015, Apple is offering discounts on both the Mac and iPad range. In addition, students -- or parents buying for students -- can snap up a free pair of Beats Solo2 on-ear headphones if an iMac, MacBook, MacBook Pro, MacBook Air or Mac Pro is purchased.

Deals of note: Free Beats headphones with Mac purchases.

Deals: US | UK

You can pick up a Microsoft Surface 3 tablet with discount -- including a three-month subscription to NOW TV -- and a variety of other tablets, laptops, gaming bundles and accessories are also on offer in the Microsoft online store. If you're heading to university you will most likely need the Office suite, and so the Redmond giant is also offering cheaper subscriptions to Office 365 University, as well as Office Home and Student.

Don't forget you can also upgrade your operating system to Windows 10 for free.

Deals of note: Microsoft Surface 3 tablets are on offer with a 10 percent discount.

Deals: US | UK

Lenovo is well-known for offering students great deals when this time of year comes calling, and 2015 is no different. Online, you can save over 30 percent on laptops, tablets and desktop systems, with some device prices knocked down by 30 -- 40 percent in a weekly sale which ends 12 August.

Deal of note: Yoga Tablet 2 8" Android, 24 percent discount, total price $189.99.

Deals: US | UK

The DellStudent Computing Initiative (SCI) offers students at discounts off the company's consumer range of products. Once signed up there are various deals on Dell-branded laptops and gaming PCs, desktop systems and monitors.

Deals of note: You can save £50 on the Inspiron 5000 Series, and if buying from the US website, you are given a free 32-inch TV with PC purchases $699.99 and up.

Deals: US | UK

Having a printer at college or university is an extremely useful tool when you're up late finishing off an essay before bolting to the department in the morning to submit the assignment.

If you sign up with your educational email address at HP's online store, you can pick up a printer with a decent discount.

Deal of note: Printers and accessories with up to a 35 percent discount.

Deal: HP Store

Spotify is a popular music discovery and streaming service. While available for free, the premium service does not include advertisements -- which interrupts play -- or limits.

If you happen to be a student, you're entitled to a discount for premium signups of 50 percent.

Deal of note: Spotify Premium at $4.99 a month for US students, same discount applies for UK users.

Deals: US | UK

LastPass is a popular password and file storage vault which allows users to create and store complex passwords for their online accounts, which means your accounts are better protected and you have only one password in total to remember.

If you sign up as a student, you can ramp up to premium for free, which gives you greater flexibility and more authentication options.

Deal of note: Six months' free of a $12 per year subscription.

Deals: LastPass

Adobe products such as Lightroom and Photoshop are excellent and can be invaluable to students. However, they are also eye-wateringly expensive and often far beyond the average student budget.

However, Adobe recognizes this, and offers students heavy discounts on its software every year.

Deal of note: Adobe Creative Cloud, 65 percent off subscription and two months free. This equates to $19.99 per month in the US and £15.49 in the United Kingdom.

Deals: US | UK

If you sign up to Amazon Student, you are given access to exclusive deals and one-day delivery for free over six months.

Amazon's deal for students is basically a stepping-stone towards Prime subscription, in which students opting in are permitted a discount.

Deal of note: 50 percent off Amazon Prime

Deal: Amazon