By Chance Miller
Publication Date: 2026-04-15 19:40:00
The effects of MacBook Neo continue to ripple through the PC industry this week.
As spotted by The Verge, Microsoft has introduced a new “Microsoft College Offer” initiative. Through this, college students in the US can score 12 months free of Microsoft 365 Premium and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate with the purchase of an eligible PC, plus a free custom Xbox controller.
As announced in a blog post, Microsoft says the top PC makers have signed on to participate, including Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, and Lenovo. Microsoft Surface laptops are also eligible (though they just got a lot more expensive).
A year of Microsoft 365 Premium usually costs $19.99/month or 199.99/year, while Xbox Game Pass Ultimate is $29.99. The Microsoft College Offer promotion, however, is only available to new subscribers. If you’ve already subscribed to either service, you’re ineligible for this offer.
“Microsoft usually runs back-to-school discounts for laptops over the summer,…
