This content originally appeared on Mashable for a US audience and has been adapted for the UK audience.
Like a laptop, notebook, and pen, a decent pair of headphones is a must-have item for any student — they double up as a tool for both leisure and study. Indeed, a good pair of headphones can help you to focus on studying or writing that overdue essay because they block out background noise and distractions. But they also help you unwind from a hard days studying with an audiobook, movie, or playlist.
We all know that top quality headphones are expensive, but you don’t have to use up your entire loan. There are excellent options available at a great price. And let’s be honest: being broke is synonymous with being a student. Every penny counts.
Unfortunately, its not as simple as just buying the cheapest pair you see on Amazon. In fact, that’s a fast track to buying a pair that will need replacing just a few months down the line. But students have enough studying to do without researching headphones. Thats why weve done the hard work for you and pulled together a list of the best options. First off, heres a quick education on headphones.
This is the key question for anyone — students included — looking to save money where they can. Headphones can easily cost hundreds of pounds. That’s for top end headphones from the likes of Sony, Apple, and Sennheiser.
But — see below — it’s possible to get good headphones for around £100 or less. We have listed headphones at a range of prices. Even if your student loan doesnt stretch that far, the bank of mum and dad might.
Headphone specifications can get really hi-tech, especially if you’re spending a lot of cash. But there are some features that will suit the workload and lifestyles of everyday students, such as noise cancellation and multipoint pairing. A long battery life is also important as well as quick and easy pairing to devices.
This is an increasingly popular feature that helps block out external noise, giving you an immersive listening experience. It works by using mini microphones within the earcups. These microphones detect external sounds and create anti-noise sound waves to cancel out incoming noise. This feature is especially good for students who are studying hard and need to remove all distractions.
This is a cool Bluetooth feature that will suit the device-heavy student lifestyle. It allows you to connect your headphones to two or more devices, meaning you can switch to listening from your smartphone to your laptop to tablet without the hassle of having to manually change your Bluetooth settings.
With over-ear headphones, look out for models that last for 30 hours plus. Thats pretty standard these days. Expect the battery to run down faster if you use features such as active noise cancellation. Earbuds have a shorter battery life — six hours is respectable — but usually extend the battery life with a portable charging case.
If good sound is important, youll want to be sure you buy the right style. Ultimately, it comes down to personal choice. Some people prefer the old school-feel of over-ear headphones. Others like in-ear buds that drill tunes directly into their head.
Over-ear headphones tend to have higher-quality sound and often have beefed-up features and tech capabilities, but if you’re carrying them around on campus, the bulkier design might be less convenient.
Earbuds are more compact and portable and will better suit anyone who’s moving from place to place with a bag full of books and devices. If you spend time between classes working out, earbuds tend be better for fitness, too.
That has to be your decision — it’s all down to personal choice and what works for your lifestyle and study needs. But we’ve helped narrow down your choices with this selection of headphones. With these recommendations, you can save your money and spend it on more important things for school — like textbooks, laptops, and, of course, Deliveroo McDonalds for late night study sessions.
These are the best headphones for students in 2025.
The Sony WH-1000XM4 would rank highly on any list. Theyre among the best headphones overall — not just for students. While theres a next generation model available, the WH-1000XM5, the difference between them is marginal. The WH-1000XM4 are better suited to a student budget, however (in other words, theyre cheaper), which means all of that great tech for less.
The big sell is that Sony has the best noise cancellation technology in the business. If you have noisy halls of residence, or you just need to shut the world out to get some revision done, these headphones really come in handy. The noise cancellation is adaptive, too. It reacts to your surroundings 700 times per second and adjusts the ANC levels in real time.
It’s also worth mentioning, of course, that they sound absolutely superb — as youd expect from Sony. And if your roommate starts a conversation, the Speak-to-Chat feature pauses the music immediately.
Students will love all the smart and techy features, including voice assistant connectivity, on-ear swipe controls, and multipoint pairing, which means these can pair with several devices at the same time. Thats especially handy if the dorm is packed with smart devices. They also fold nicely into a carry case — perfect for throwing in your bag and carrying from class to class.
The 1MORE Triple Driver headphones are designed for the clearest and brightest audio quality at a fraction of the usual price. Theyve been finely tuned by sound engineer and music producer Luca Bignardi, delivering a precise and accurate audio experience — incredible for the knockdown price.
Each earpiece contains three audio drivers for balanced and deep bass and dynamic tones in a lightweight presentation that’s comfortable to wear for a long period of time. Even the wires are impressive with their twine-like look and texture. Though wired headphones do have their limitations, of course.
Fewer smartphones have 3.5mm jack outputs these days, which means you may have to get an adaptor — particularly if youre an iPhone user. These earphones are still great for laptops, however, and have an added convenience that you just dont get with bulky Bluetooth headsets. They can be bundled up and stashed in a pocket of bag for easy portability around the campus.
Overall, students will love these in-ear headphones for their sound, style, and compact size, while parents will love them because theyre nice and cheap.
No list of great but affordable headphones would be complete without a pair of JBLs, and — when you consider price vs. performance — JBL is arguably the best brand for most students. They make great, affordable headphones.
In terms of bang for your buck, the JBL Tune 720 come recommended for their immense battery life of 76 hours — more than enough to get you through lengthy study sessions. And for students who like to unwind from a hard days revision with some thumping tunes, they also have JBLs Pure Bass sound.
Another great thing about JBL headphones is how robust and durable they are. You can sling these in a bag and knock them about endlessly — theyll withstand all kinds of wear and tear around the campus.
The major drawback of these is that they dont have any active noise cancellation. If you want JBL headphones with ANC, check out the JBL 770NC, which have very effective noise cancelling and a 65-hour battery life. They cost significantly more but theyll also drown out those noisy halls.
We all know that Apple devices are expensive — usually beyond most student budgets — but some people (including tech-savvy students) just love Apple. And if youre a student who already uses a MacBook and iPhone, a pair of Apple AirPods are pretty much a non brainer. With that in mind, we recommend the Apple AirPods 4, the most affordable AirPods.
They cant match the power and tech of the (more expensive) AirPods Pro 2, but these are still excellent smart buds. Driven by Apples H2 chip, they boast built-in Siri, personalised spatial audio with head tracking (i.e. the audio adjusts as you move your head), and and fluid compatibility with other Apple devices. Indeed, thats the real benefit of going all-in with Apple: The user experience between your laptop, phone, and buds.
While these particular buds dont have noise cancellation, there is a slightly pricier version — which cost just £50 more — with highly-rated ANC tech.
While the five-hour battery is way below some of the headphones on this list — thats the kicker with earbuds vs. headphones — the charging case boosts the battery life to a respectable 30 hours in total.
There are some advantages to closed-back headphones, such as noise cancellation and immersive sound, but open-backed headphones offer a more authentic, organic sound. Open-back headphones make it sound like the band is playing in the same room as you, not just pumping into your ears.
For a great pair of open-backed headphones, we recommend the GRADO SR80x. The Brooklyn-based Grado really know their stuff and theyre highly rated among audio purists. Theyre expert level headphones.
And for mid-level headphones, the Grado SR80x create a truly relaxed experience. They deliver warm tones with full-bodied vocals and smooth and dynamic sound. You wont just hear the music, youll feel it too.
The drawbacks are that they’re wired and — due to the open-backed design — they will leak sound. That means these are best used in your dorm when you’re alone. But that’s just part and parcel of getting that superior sound.
There are wireless headphones available from Grado but theyll cost pretty much double, which isnt very student friendly.
Beats are known for their high fashion appeal, as well as cutting-edge technology and great audio. Now, Beats come packed with Apple tech — in this case the W1 chip — creating an unparalleled audio and style combo.
The Beats Flex are, beneath all the brand hype, pleasingly simple. The wired design gives you some extra support around the neck, while being both flexible (as the name suggests) and durable. Magnetic buds keep them held together, so you won’t have to untangle the wire every time you dig them out of your pocket.
The 12-hour battery can’t beat over-ear headphones, but it’s competitive in this style. Other features make up for it. You can share your tunes with any other Beats headphones, while the W1 chip pairs with iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks.
If, like most students, you’re scrimping by on a student loan budget, any kind of bargain is very welcome. That’s exactly what you get with the EarFun Air, an award-winning, highly-rated set of earbuds that cost under £50 (and are usually cut down much cheaper on Amazon).
They’re pretty basic, of course — that’s to be expected at this price point — but impressive nonetheless. They sound great for the price, with the ability to adjust and customise the EQ levels within the app.
They have on-ear touch controls (which can also be customised in the app), plus a dedicated gaming mode that offers an ultra low latency of just 100ms, which ensures that the audio and gameplay is smooth and glitch free. That’s a nice touch that you won’t find on more expensive headphones.
The EarFun Air’s six-hour battery extends to around 35 hours with the charging case, which is very competitive at this price, and you’ll get two hours of juice from just 10 minutes of charging. They’re convenient, practical, and very cheap. What more could a cash-strapped student want?
If you want the best but you can’t afford to spend big — hey, that’s sometimes the reality of being a student — check out the Sony WH-CH720N, which are like a pared down version of the pricier Sony headphones listed above. Sure, the Sony WH-CH720N are more basic but they’re still packed with features to more than justify the mid-level price tag.
They offer adjustable noise cancelling, which can be tweaked across 20 ambient sound settings, voice control, fast charging, and multipoint pairing for seamless switching between Bluetooth devices. All of which makes these headphones perfect for the hustle and bustle of student life.
That’s not to mention the signature Sony sound. Sony is pretty much the best in the world at making accessible, high-quality audio tech and you can hear that clearly even at this level. They also support Sony 360 Reality, which is Sony’s own version of 3D spatial audio.
They don’t fold, which means they’re not quite as portable, but they look stylish enough to just wear around your neck when you’re on-the-go. And they offer up 50 hours of battery, which will allow you to shut off the outside world for a few days of hard revision, or 35 hours when you have ANC switched on.
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Dylan Haas is a Lead Shopping Reporter for Mashable, where he covers all things gaming, pets, fitness, sleep, and shopping events like Black Friday and Prime Day. Before joining the team at Mashable, Dylan received a B.A. in Communications from Pace University and contributed to publications like Paste Magazine, Bandsintown, and others following a brief stint as a marketing and management assistant in the music industry.
Matt Ford is a freelance contributor to Mashable.