Heading back to school is a pivotal time in anyone's life. These days, more and more schools offer part or all of the coursework online, meaning tech is more critical than ever to your success.
Whichever of the best iPads for students you've picked, whether you've got the latest base model iPad (2022) to help you out, or you've invested the M2 iPad Pro (2022), you'll want an arsenal of useful and powerful apps to help you do your best.
While you're learning new things, read up on how to multitask on iPad to expand your productivity horizons. Read on for some of the best iPhone and iPad apps to help you in college.
Pages, Keynote, and Numbers
If you're in college classes, the chances are high that you're going to need a word processor, presentation creator, or spreadsheet application. And if you're working with your best iPhone or iPad (or even a Mac), then there is nothing better and more crucial than Apple's own suite of office software.
Pages is Apple's word processor that does all of the same things that you can find in Microsoft Word, but in a sleeker interface that is easy to use. Keynote is like PowerPoint, but much more streamlined and fun to use. And Numbers is just like Excel, so you can create spreadsheets to your heart's content. And all three of these programs can save files that are compatible with Microsoft Office as well, if you need to submit files online as a .doc file or similar, for example.
Google Docs
Google offers an entire suite of apps, many of which you'll probably end up downloading on your iPad and all of your other devices. Google products are ecosystem-agnostic, meaning you can use them across Apple and non-Apple devices easily and smoothly. Google Docs is the first one you'll want to download, since you can use it to write papers, take notes in class, whatever you need.
You'll probably be able to get through school without paying for upgraded storage, unless you store a lot of photos and videos within your Google account. In that case, you'll need to upgrade. While you can store up to 15GB for free, the paid tiers start at $2/month for 100GB and go up from there.
Microsoft Office 365
If you're used to Microsoft Office or your school uses Microsoft products exclusively, then you can grab Microsoft Office on your iPad This app contains Word, PowerPoint, and Excel in one app, but you can also grab them individually on the App Store as well.
With the Microsoft Office app, you get Word, PowerPoint, and Excel in one place. You can create, edit, and even collaborate with others in real-time, but a Microsoft 365 subscription may be required to access some premium features. Still, you can use the app to view and create documents without paying anything.
Evernote
When it comes to digital note-taking, it's hard to beat Evernote. Not only is it available on iPhone and iPad, but it's also available on Android, PC, and Mac, and the web — so you can access it anywhere.
Evernote lets you create notebooks for easy organization, and notes can consist of plain text, formatted text, web snippets from the clipper, photos, entire web pages, audio — you name it. And the best part is that everything that you put into Evernote becomes searchable, so you can search by keyword to find what you need. There is seamless syncing across all of your devices and while there are paid plans, you should have a good amount of space for free every month.
Microsoft OneNote
For those who are invested in the Microsoft ecosystem, then OneNote is an excellent alternative to Evernote. With OneNote, you can create an unlimited number of digital notebooks for every subject you're taking, and take notes in an organized fashion.
OneNote lets students type out notes, as well as handwrite them in, sketch diagrams, import photos, collaborate with others, and more. There is also a Sticky Notes feature that lets you save notes for easy reference later, and they are synced to all of your devices. You can download OneNote for free and use it with your Microsoft Account or even an account that is assigned to you by your school.
Dropbox
You're bound to end up with a lot of files and documents for school, so you'll want a good cloud storage service. One of our favorites is Dropbox because once you upload your files to Dropbox, you're able to access them on practically any device. Dropbox also has seamless integration with a lot of existing third-party apps as well, giving you a ton of flexibility when it comes to choosing what apps to use to get things done. You can also share files with others quite easily, making this a great tool for collaboration.
Dropbox has a free tier with 2GB of storage, which isn't a lot, but you can get more space with referrals. However, we recommend signing up for one of their tiered plans, which starts at 2TB for $10 a month. Considering the ubiquity and versatility, Dropbox is well worth paying for.
Quizlet
Either you're a flashcards person or you're not, but if you are, step away from those index cards. Save paper and time and create your flashcards on Quizlet. You can create your own custom flashcards or choose from over 500 million pre-made flashcards by students and teachers in many popular fields of study from grade school to grad school. You'll be able to share them easily with your classmates and study groups.
The app is free to download, but you'll need a Quizlet Plus subscription for the more premium features. For $8/month or $36/year, you'll unlock features such as offline studying and be able to access many more flashcards.
Khan Academy
Enrich your learning in a myriad of subject with Khan Academy. Maybe you need a little help understand certain subject material, or you want to brush up on previously learned material before beginning an advanced class. Perhaps you want to get a taste of a subject before committing to whole semester class on it, or you just have deeper interests that take you beyond your college course's materials. You can find it all here.
Khan Academy is a free app with no in-app purchases, since a non-profit organization and. Downloading this app a no-brainer. Everyone should have this app on their iPad whether they are a college student or a student of life.
PCalc
Chances are high that you'll be taking a math class of some sort, especially if you're an undergrad. If that's the case, you may want to have a powerful calculator on your iPhone and iPad, and it's hard to beat PCalc.
With PCalc, you're getting a feature-rich calculator that is capable of basic calculations all the way up to more advanced equations. It has an optional RPN mode as well as a multi-line display, customizable button layouts, unit conversions, and constants, paper tape, multiple undo and redo, engineering and scientific notation, hexadecimal support, and binary calculations. PCalc is great for scientists, engineers, students, programmers, and anyone else who wants a powerful calculator.
Screens VNC
While services like Dropbox are great for accessing our files from any device, what about using our apps on desktop computers? If you have Screens VNC, then it's entirely possible.
Screens VNC allows you to connect to your computer from anywhere in the world at any time. With Screens VNC, you can update your computer even when you're away from it, work with your computer software, and even access files that may not be in the cloud. All you need to do is download Screens, set up an account, and connect. You will need Screens VNC on both your iPhone or iPad as well as your Mac or PC.
Get back to school!
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If you have a new iPhone or iPad and you're about to go back to school, all the apps listed above are perfect for helping you with your studies. A combination of them means you can get plenty of work done in a portable fashion without relying on your best student Macbook to be productive.
Of course, if you're in a creative program, especially in the digital design field, you may want to check out some of the best drawing apps for iPad, as they will offer you a ton of great tools to sketch, paint, or draw right on your best iPad.
