Laptop Requirements & Support

Laptop Requirements | Laptop Support

Laptop Requirements

Questions regarding this policy should be directed to the Law School IT Help Desk at: lawithelp@udc.edu. The requirements below were last updated in July 2025.

All University of the District of Columbia, David A. Clarke School of Law students are required to have a laptop to facilitate their coursework during their Law School career. This laptop must support wireless connectivity to the school’s network and be compatible with Exterity’s Exam4 software.

Currently Supported Operating Systems as of July 2025:

  1. Windows 11 (Home, Pro, Education, and Enterprise) [versions 23H2, 24H2]
  2. macOS 15.x.x Sequoia
  3. macOS 14.x.x Sonoma
  4. macOS 13.x.x Ventura

Here is a link to the current Extegrity list of Exam4 Supported Operating Systems. 

Non-Supported Operating Systems:

  • Windows 10 (Home, Pro, Edu, and Enterprise) [versions 20H2, 21H1, 21H2, 22H2]
  • Windows 8.1 and earlier (XP, Vista, 7, and 8)
  • macOS 12 (Monterey) and earlier (X 10.11 (El Capitan), 10.12 (Sierra), 10.13 (High Sierra), 10.14 (Mojave), e10.15 (Catalina), 11 (Big Sur)
  • Tablets, laptops, or Chromebooks running any version of the Android or Linux OS.

IMPORTANT: In addition, tablets without keyboards (e.g., Apple iPad, Samsung Galaxy, Microsoft Surface RT, Chromebook, etc.) are NOT compatible with Exam4. We do not want to discourage tablet use; however, a tablet is not a substitute for a laptop.

Laptop Requirements:

  • 16 GB of memory (RAM)
  • 256 GB hard drive capacity minimum (larger capacity recommended if you store media, i.e., photos, music, videos)
  • Wireless card with 802.11 ax capability (works on both the 2.4 & 5 GHz Wi-Fi bands)
  • Screen resolution of 1920 x 1080 or higher
  • A 64-bit Operating System

Software Requirements:

At a minimum, students must have:

  • Office Productivity software: students are eligible to use Office 365 at no cost while attending UDC Law or may choose to obtain and install their preferred office suite (e.g., LibreOffice, Microsoft Office, OpenOffice, WordPerfect Suite).
  • Antivirus software: Avast, Bitdefender, Kaspersky, Norton, or Windows Defender, etc.
  • PDF reader software: Adobe Reader DC, or Foxit Reader

The School of Law will supply, at no additional cost, exam software, case management software, and access to various on-line legal research, course management, study aid, and career development resources.

Recommendation:

*A word about data integrity: You will be creating, editing, and updating time-consuming and important documents during your tenure at the School of Law. Consequently, we feel strongly that you have a backup medium on which to save this critical data:

  • External USB hard drive for backups/archiving (strongly recommended) *.
  • Alternatively, you could use a cloud-based storage solution such as your Office365 OneDrive, Apple iCloud, Dropbox, or Google Drive.

Laptop Support:

The UDC Law Library’s IT Department provides the following for students:

  1. Technology Support: If a UDC Law student is experiencing technical difficulties with their laptop (e.g., having trouble getting on the internet, sending files to the school’s printers, etc.), the student should email the Law IT Help Desk (lawithelp@udc.edu) and request an appointment with either the Network Administrator or Technical Support Specialist to have their laptop inspected.
  1. Loaner Laptop (Exams): If a student is unable to provide their own laptop for an exam, they may request a loaner laptop by emailing the Law IT Help Desk (lawithelp@udc.edu). When they finish taking their exam, they must return the laptop and charger to the front of the classroom where they took their exam.
  1. Laptop Loaner Program (Short Term): UDC Law students must obtain their own laptop computers to facilitate their coursework. However, in situations where a laptop is needed temporarily (e.g., forgot to bring laptop to campus, forgot charger and laptop died, etc.), they may visit the UDC Law Library Circulation Desk and request a laptop for up to 48 hours. Students are required to sign a Laptop Checkout Consent Form upon borrowing a laptop for short term use. Laptops must be returned directly to a Mason Law Library Staff Member during regular business hours.
  1. Laptop Loaner Program (Longer Term): If a student’s laptop is experiencing severe technical difficulties that require warranty or 3rd party diagnostics and repairs, the student may borrow a laptop for up to 2 months while their laptop is being repaired. To request a loaner laptop, students must email the Law IT Help Desk (lawithelp@udc.edu) for pre-approval. When approved, they must pick it up at the UDC Law Library Circulation Desk. Students are required to sign a Laptop Checkout Consent Form upon borrowing a laptop for long term use. Laptops must be returned directly to a Mason Law Library Staff Member during regular business hours.
  1. Assistance With File Backups: Students are encouraged to regularly back up the files on their laptop computers and are solely responsible for the integrity of their files. If you would like to discuss methods for backing up your computer, please make an appointment with the Network Administrator or Technical Support Specialist by contacting lawithelp@udc.edu.