Before purchasing a new laptop to use during your journey at Western Michigan University, please review these WMU recommended laptop specifications. You may also use these specifications to determine if your existing equipment is sufficient.

The general recommended specifications will provide greater computing capabilities than the minimum specifications as well as a longer lifespan. Minimum specifications are designed for typical academic tasks such as email, word processing, creating presentations, taking notes, accessing and participating in Elearning, and web conferencing.

Note: Please refer to the college-specific recommendations if you will be attending one of those programs.

General

PC LaptopMinimumRecommended
CPU:i5 10th generation or neweri7 10th generation or newer
Memory:8 GB16 GB
Storage:256 GB SSD512 GB SSD
GPU (Video):IntegratedIntegrated
Camera:720p/Integrated720p/Integrated
Min screen resolution:1920x1080 1920x1080
Operating system:Windows 10 Home (Or 11)Windows 10 Professional (Or 11)
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Warranty:none3 years
Apple LaptopMinimumRecommended
CPU:M1M1
Memory:8 GB16 GB
Storage:256 GB SSD512 GB SSD
GPU (Video):M1M1
Camera:720p/Integrated720p/Integrated
Min screen resolution:2560x16002560x1600
Operating system:macOS 12 MontereyLatest OS
Warranty:none3 years

College Specific

  • College of Arts and Sciences

    Follow the general minimum (or recommended) unless listed here.

    Students in Geography, Environment, and Tourism; Geological and Environmental Sciences; Mathematics; Statistics; Data Science; and Physics should follow the general recommended requirements.

    Students in the School of Communication film, video, and media studies program should get at least the general recommended requirements. A larger storage drive and/or more memory could be of benefit as well.

  • College of Aviation

    Follow the general minimum (or recommended) unless listed here.

    Flight Sciences Students
    For students progressing into specific training and licensing such as instrument and commercial flight, an iPad, 128 GB minimum, with cellular-capable is required for GPS MEMS.

  • College of Education and Human Development

    Follow the general minimum unless listed here.

    Design students:

     PC Laptop
    CPU:i7
    Memory:16 GB
    Storage:512 GB-1TB SSD
    GPU (Video):Accelerated, Gaming Support 1920 x 1080 resolution
    Camera:720p/Integrated
    Min screen resolution:1920x1080
    Operating system:Windows 10 Professional/11 Pro
  • College of Engineering and Applied Sciences

    See the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences website for program-specific laptop requirements.
    Computer Recommendations

  • College of Fine Arts

    Follow the general recommended for a PC or Apple laptop unless listed here.

    Theatre Design students:

    An Apple or PC laptop with an i5 CPU and at least 16 GB of memory.

    Multimedia Arts Technology students:

    An Apple or PC laptop with an i7 CPU and at least 16 GB of memory. An external display is highly recommended.

    Product Design and Interior Design students:

    Dell XPS 14 Laptop 32GB Memory i7 Intel Core, 512 GB HD, NVIDIA@ GeForce GTX 3050
    or,
    14-inch MacBook Pro Laptop (with Parallels for Mac), 32 GB Memory, M2 Pro,  512 GB HD

    Given the adopted software for both design programs run on Windows OS, the Dell XPS Laptop is preferred.  

    If the student desires to purchase the MacBook Pro they will need to purchase Parallels — a software package enabling the MacBook to run Windows OS.

    wmich.edu/designinstitute

    Photography and Intermedia students:

    An Apple or PC laptop with an i7 CPU and at least 32 GB of memory.

    Graphic Design students:

    An Apple MacBook Pro with an i5 CPU and at least 32 GB of memory. An external display is highly recommended.

  • College of Health and Human Services

    Follow the general recommended unless listed here.

    Recommended

     PC Laptop
    CPU:i5 U-series 8th generation
    Memory:8GB minimum
    16 GB recommended
    Storage:256 GB SSD
    Camera:720p/Integrated
    Min screen resolution:1280x800 minimum
    Operating system:Windows Pro or greater

    An internal or external microphone is also recommended.

  • Haworth College of Business

    See the Cybersecurity program website for specific laptop requirements.
    Cybersecurity Recommendations

    Haworth College of Business laptop requirements:

    HardwareMinimum Requirements
    CPU:
    • Quad Core 2.4Ghz, Intel VT or AMD V (Intel i7 or better)
    • Intel 12th Gen i5 or i7 or above is recommended
    • Mac M1 or M2
    Memory:16 GB
    Disk:256 GB SSD512 GB SSD
    Graphics:
    • 1920 by 1080 resolution is recommended
    • At least 1280 by 1024 resolution
    • HDMI output recommended (adapter is acceptable)
    Sound:Mic in/Headphone out (either analog or free USB ports)
    Mouse:An external mouse (USB or Bluetooth) is desirable
    USB:
    • USB 3.0 desirable for an external disk
    • Other USB ports may be needed for: mouse, printer, mic-in and headphones-out, depending on how these are connected.
    Wireless:
    • 802.11n required
    • 802.11ac is recommended
    Operating system:Windows 11 or macOS 13 or above
    Note on Apple Systems:MacBook Air or MacBook Pro can be used with similar hardware recommendations. Some software for certain majors may require the use of a computer lab system (in-person or remote access)
    Warranty:An extended warranty is recommended

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