Your Computer Science Student Toolkit
A-Level / College • Chromebook
Programming, version control, databases, networking and more for computer science students.
Who this toolkit is for
For computer science students from GCSE to postgraduate. Courses use different languages, so start with the essentials and add modules for what you're studying now.
Choose any modules to see the tools for them. Without a module, module tools appear under Specialist / Optional.
On a Chromebook, this shows web apps and Android apps. Many Chromebooks can also run Linux apps; choose Linux to see those.
Recommended (2)
Useful for particular parts of the work or course.
Office / Documents
- Microsoft 365
PaidAlso on Android, iPhone/iPad, Web
Why you may need this: Word, Excel and PowerPoint are common for coursework; many institutions provide it free.
Open web appCheck your university access
Your university or college may provide this software or a student licence. Check before purchasing.
Prefer a free option? LibreOffice, ONLYOFFICE Desktop · Compare alternatives
- Adobe Acrobat Reader
FreemiumAlso on Android, iPhone/iPad
Why you may need this: Read and annotate lecture slides, papers and forms.
Visit Official Website
Specialist / Optional · Show specialist tools (1)
Consider these for particular modules, tasks or environments.
Research / Notes
- Obsidian
FreeAlso on Android, iPhone/iPad
Why you may need this: Keep lecture and lab notes together.
Visit Official Website
Course requirements vary. Software requirements differ between schools, colleges, universities and modules. Check your course materials before purchasing software.
Build your student setup
Build My Setup lets you add or remove apps, see why each is included and, where verified packages exist, get one install command. Nothing is installed automatically.