Ipad or ipad air for college?

Both iPads works the same way.

With the iPad Air, you get access to Apple Intelligence and Stage manager which the regular iPad does not have.

Outside of that, the experience and functionality will be pretty much the same.

The real question is: what do you need the iPad for exactly? How are you planning on using it? Do you need Stage Manager and Apple Intelligence? Apple Pencil hover support? Or just regular Apple Pencil support?

Note, that Amazon currently has really good deals on the iPads beyond what Apple's offers in their Education store.

The regular iPad is at $299 and the iPad Air M3 is going for $549, but I've seen it as low as $499. They are brand new, with full warranty, and you can get Apple Care for them.

click here ➜ iPad 11" (11th Generation) A16, - Amazon.com

and here ➜ iPad Air (7th Generation) 11" (M3) - Amazon.com

I just bought the regular iPad and it's really great for the price. 1 caveat though, you will need wireless headphones for them, or a USB-C to 3.5mm audio dongle to connect wired headphones. Failed to notice this when I bought it, and I'm currently trying to decide whether I get a $20 dongle or a $50 set of JBL headphones.

JBL Tune 510BT Bluetooth Over the ear headphones - Amazon.com

Ugreen Magnetic USB-C to 3.5mm and Charge Adapter - Amazon.com

delmy84 wrote:

I'm in incoming freshman in college, majoring in Biology (Pre-Med Track). Based on research that I've done people recommend I should get a MacBook and an iPad. I currently already have a MacBook but, I don't know what type of iPad I should get. iPad or iPad Air for college, which one would help me more and wouldn't be overkill?

Check the college website, or call them. They probably have recommendations, or possibly even requirements if you will be accessing their network resources.

Without knowing exactly what it is you want to do with an iPad, that's a hard question to answer.

You might want to start with Apple's handy comparison page:

iPad - Compare Models - Apple

Whichever iPad model you ultimately choose, you would be well advised to purchase as much internal storage as your budget might reasonably allow - as internal storage (and other hardware) cannot be changed, upgraded or extended. The available internal storage is fixed for the entire life of the device. If you run out of internal storage for your documents, photos and other data, you will forever struggle and become a source of frustration. It is far better to have more storage than you need, than to need more storage than you have.

A good rule of thumb is to quantify how much data storage you will need - add a healthy margin - then double it. If you are unable to quantify your data storage needs, it becomes more difficult. Whilst I and others cannot make definitive recommendations for your personal needs, objectively I would council against purchase of any iPad with any less than 256GB storage, 512GB and higher having a greater margin for growth.

Within the Apple Support Communities we see regular tales of woe and disappointment when storage requirements are exceeded, necessitating replacement of the device; by contrast, we never see complaint of having too much available storage. It is relatively easy to fill limited internal storage space; perhaps consider higher tiers of storage as providing room for growth as your needs develop or mature - potentially extending the useful usable life of the device. 

Also consider the functional differences between WiFi Only and WiFi+Cellular models of iPad. Aside from the obvious Cellular functionality, only WiFi+Cellular models include GNSS/GPS location capabilities - which may impact any Apps or features that require accurate and consistent location data, such as Mapping. 

Purchase of a WiFi+Cellular model provides access to precise location services, but does not commit you to using Cellular connections. WiFi Only models of iPad have no Cellular or GNSS/GPS functions at all.