University of Texas at Arlington: recommended laptop specification

No — this is a recommendation, not a requirement. University of Texas at Arlington (College of Engineering) publishes computing guidance, but no specific configuration. You are not obliged to buy a machine that matches it.

💡 Recommended only. University of Texas at Arlington publishes this as guidance. An existing laptop that does the job is usually fine — do not buy a new machine on the strength of this page alone.

The published specification

Operating system: A laptop that either has the full Mac OS (not iOS), Windows, (or Linux for Computer Engineering students) is necessary

Processor: Intel 10th (or higher) Generation i5 or i7 processor (equivalent or higher) or AMD Ryzen 5 processor (or higher) with 4 core / 8 thread processor minimum

Memory (RAM): 16 GB RAM (or higher)

Storage: 512 GB hard drive (or higher) with SSD recommended

What this specification rules out

Chromebooks, netbooks, iPad Pros, etc. do not have the option to have these operating systems and will be insufficient for the engineering program

Also listed on the same page

64 bit platform; screen size 15 inch (or your preference); WiFi, sound, and camera; two or more USB-A ports (USB-A ports built-in to the laptop are preferred). Computer Engineering additionally requires a Raspberry Pi 4b and Ubuntu 22.04/24.04 LTS or Windows 11 with WSL 2.

Source

Taken from University of Texas at Arlington's own published page: https://www.uta.edu/academics/schools-colleges/engineering/students/student-computer — stated for Fall 2025. Verified 2026-08-25. Specifications change every intake, so confirm against that page before you buy.

Laptops for University of Texas at Arlington students

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University of Texas at Arlington publishes no capacities to build a search from, so this is a general search — check with University of Texas at Arlington IT before ordering — listings change and this page does not track stock or price.

University of Texas at Arlington laptop requirements: common questions

Does University of Texas at Arlington require students to have a laptop?

No — this is a recommendation, not a requirement. University of Texas at Arlington (College of Engineering) publishes computing guidance, but no specific configuration. You are not obliged to buy a machine that matches it.

What does University of Texas at Arlington's specification rule out?

Chromebooks, netbooks, iPad Pros, etc. do not have the option to have these operating systems and will be insufficient for the engineering program

Where does this University of Texas at Arlington laptop specification come from?

University of Texas at Arlington's own published page at https://www.uta.edu/academics/schools-colleges/engineering/students/student-computer, stated for Fall 2025. Verified 2026-08-25. Specifications change every intake.

Packing for University of Texas at Arlington

A laptop is one line on a longer list. See the full University of Texas at Arlington dorm packing list for bedding, storage and the rest of move-in.

Laptop requirements at other schools: Vanderbilt University · Virginia Commonwealth University · Virginia Tech · Washington State University · Wayne State University · West Virginia University