UNM Law School requires that all entering students own a laptop computer. The law school does not require a particular brand but has determined a minimum hardware configuration. The University has negotiated special pricing on specific Dell systems for UNM affiliates. We encourage you to take advantage of this purchase plan. To see the current offerings from Dell, please visit here.
Some students choose to use Macintosh laptops, including more recent models with Intel processors and running Apple Boot Camp or Parallels software to emulate a Windows environment. While students may use any brand of laptop computers, the Law School help desk does not provide advice on the operation of Macintosh systems. Therefore, students bringing Macintosh laptops must be self-sufficient in the use and operation of their systems. Mac users must follow the general law school guidelines for anti-virus and patched systems on both the Mac OS and Boot Camp/Parallels Windows partitions.
If you would like to have the laptop cost added to your cost of attendance, please contact Carol Cravens, the law school’s Financial Aid Officer, at
or Susan Mitchell, Assistant Dean for Admissions and Financial Aid, at
, prior to making your purchase. Laptops may not be purchased prior to August 1 if they are to be included in your cost of attendance.
Operating System |
Windows 7 Professional/Ultimate or Windows 8 Pro or Enterprise - see Notes |
| Processor | New computers: Intel i3 processor or better (or equivalent) Existing computers: Intel dual core processor at 1.6 GHz or better (or equivalent) |
| Memory | 1 GB minimum, 2 GB recommended |
USB Ports |
At least 1, Also recommended: a USB flash memory storage device, a.k.a. "memory key" or "flash drive" |
Hard Drive |
320GB or more recommended |
| CD-ROM Drive | DVD,
DVD/CD-RW (for backup purposes) |
Network Card - Wired |
Integrated or PCMCIA 10/100/1000 - See Notes |
| Network Card - Wireless | Strongly Recommended |
| Modem | Optional |
| Printer | Laser Jet or Inkjet Recommended, (Laser Jet recommended) |
| Warranty | 3 year parts and labor, On-site strongly recommended |
| Virus Protection Software | Symantec Endpoint Protection is provided free to all UNM affiliates and can be downloaded from the IT Antivirus Protection website. |
| Productivity Software | Microsoft Office 2007 or greater strongly recommended; OpenOffice is acceptable only if documents are saved in Word compatibility mode |
The "Home" or "Starter" edition of any Windows operating system will not function with advanced wireless services including connecting to network printers and file servers via wireless.
The law school has Ethernet ports available in most classrooms as well as the library carrels and other common areas. The wired network card is used to attach to the law school network for Internet access, email, printing, and other computing services. All Mac computers must have an Ethernet port to initially configure and connect Macs to law school printers and network servers. After the initial configuration, access to resources should work on the wireless network.
Your wireless card must operate on the 802.11b/g/n standard if you plan to use the Law School’s wireless network. The driver must support WPA encryption. All Mac computers must have an Ethernet port to initially configure and connect Macs to law school printers and network servers. After the initial configuration, access to resources should work on the wireless network.
If you have any questions or would like to discuss the configuration and purchase of a notebook computer, please contact the Assistant Dean for Information Technology, Cyndi Johnson, at (505) 277-0695 or via email at .
UNM School of Law
1117 Stanford NE MSC11 6070, 1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM 87131-0001
© The University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, (505) 277-0111
New Mexico's Flagship University