Students of all majors are now able to lease iPads through Southeast Missouri State University.

The third-generation Apple iPad Air with 32 gigabytes of storage became available to all students on Dec. 1. They will be leased through students' university accounts for $200 per semester and payment will be deferred until January.

Kathy Mangels, vice president of finance and administration, said that the initiative came out of the EDvolution program the university funded for the College of Education.

"They, as a college, went to a one-to-one, so every student has a device and that being required," Mangels said. "To support them and that initiative, we went out and did a bid and actually procured a leasing agreement because one of the things, in terms of technology, as I'm sure anyone who has a phone or any device knows, is that you put an investment in and then newer technology comes along. ... We looked at other programs around the country and determined that leasing made the most sense because those programs were designed where you can work into it a trade-out for newer technology through the life of the lease."

Mangels said that they had to first take care of the students and faculty who wanted to lease iPads over the fall semester and that the university had extra capacity with the leasing company to give the same offer to all students on campus.

"It gives the opportunity where you can actually lease the device," Mangels said. "The cost is put onto your student account, so if you have financial aid, just like it can go against your other costs, it can go against these costs also."

The iPad also comes with a Smart Cover, a USB cable and a wall-charger that must be returned along with the iPad at the end of the rental agreement.

The rental agreement has to be renewed every semester, but students will be allowed to continue using their iPad throughout the summer without additional cost. Students will be able to purchase their rented iPad after two consecutive years.

If one decides to purchase the iPad after the two years, it would have cost a student $850 worth of lease and purchasing fees. In comparison, the retail cost of the iPad Air with 32 gigabytes of storage is $449.

"It just kind of depends on your situation what makes sense, and through the lease there is worked into that, that at some point that device is going to be upgraded, so you know that that's going to come with your lease as opposed to 'I bought it and in two years it changes to a newer, faster version that I have to go buy again.'"

Mangels said that one of the reasons they opened the iPads to students of all majors is so other departments could also add iPads in pilot programs.

"There's a lot of other departments on campus who have been talking about various uses of technology," Mangels said. "We don't have others who have been at the level that the entire College of Education was, but there's some who have either been trying it as part of a class or have been talking about it, so this gives them the opportunity too, if they want to do something with their students."

Mangels added that the interior design program currently has a program where iPads are used.

"It will be interesting, as the College of Education works through their pilot and we look at others, that the one thing that's also a challenge for these kind of programs is that there is not one device that may work for every department or major," Mangels said.

Mangels added that that was another reason the university went with a leasing program, because then it is up to the leasing company to provide different types of devices for different programs.

"I think the College of Education is really a trial," Archie Sprengel, assistant vice president of information technology, said. "We are trying things out to see, because Information Technology is learning just as much as the College of Education is because it is different challenges for us. Seeing a lot of devices in one place at one time on the network and putting support structures in place. ... It helps us kind of build up and get ready before things really start."

Sprengel added that it was a good way for students to see if they wanted to buy one later.

"It does give students an opportunity to try out an iPad for a semester if they have maybe never touched one before," Sprengel said. "Try it out, and it's a lot less expensive."