How Long Should Your HPSP Computer Rental Contract Be?
If you’re ready to order a laptop or tablet from Laptops For Military Docs, but you’re not sure exactly which contract length to choose, this article is for you!
Laptops For Military Docs recommends renting a computer as close to the beginning of the HPSP scholarship as possible. The sooner an HPSP student rents a computer, the more options they will have to choose from, because they will be able to sign up on a longer rental contract. The higher end products offered by Laptops For Military Docs are more frequently available on 3 yr & 4 yr contracts. By renting sooner rather than later, students will be able to choose from higher end products, and enjoy a longer period of time using a laptop or tablet provided by the military for HPSP scholarship recipients. Students are actually able to place an order for a computer prior to school starting. Information regarding how soon to place an order prior to the first day of school can be found in the following article: When To Start Your HPSP Laptop Rental.
For HPSP students just starting their first year on the HPSP scholarship, wanting to rent a laptop, the rental length is determined by the scholarship length. If you have a 4 yr scholarship, then you can rent a computer for 4 yrs, as long as you place your order within the first semester of your first year. If you have a 3 yr scholarship, then you can rent for 3 yrs, as long as you place your order within the first semester of your scholarship eligibility. However, certain times of the year make it more difficult to know which contract length to sign up on when renting from Laptop For Military Docs. For Example, if you are on a 4 yr scholarship and you want to start your rental in January of your 1st year of school, do you rent for 4 yrs or 3.5 yrs? If you want to start your rental in March of your 1st year, do you rent for 3.5 yrs or 3.25 yrs?
The most consistent and predictable rule is that you should choose a rental length that’s as close to the length of time you have until graduation. In other words, if you are placing an order today and you are a little over 2 yrs away from graduating, then you should choose a 2 yr rental contract.
Although the above mentioned rule is helpful in making a decision most of the time, there are instances where the decision regarding rental length still falls into a gray area. For example, if you have 3.33 yrs until you graduate, do you rent for 3.5 yrs or 3.25 yrs? We have found that the military is not looking to split hairs over contract lengths and as such, Laptops For Military Docs would recommend rounding up and renting for 3.5 yrs in this scenario.
Laptops For Military Docs recognizes that there are many scenarios where the student may contact their HPSP representative to gain pre-approval for a full year rental reimbursement, even if it’s half way through the year. For example, we have recommended 3.5 yr contracts to certain students based on the time of year they are renting. However, some students have been able to get approved by their HPSP representative to be reimbursed for the full 4 yr rental length despite starting the rental half way through the year. The military ultimately has the final say on reimbursements, so if an HPSP student can get approved for the longer rental length when placing an order part way through the school year, then Laptops For Military Docs is happy to accommodate.
One common misconception is that if you are on a 4 yr scholarship, then you can get reimbursed for a 4 yr rental, even if you don’t have 4 yrs of scholarship eligibility remaining. The laptop rental option from the military is a “use it or lose it” benefit, meaning if you are on a 4 yr scholarship but you graduate in 1 yr from the day you place an order for a laptop rental, then you can only be reimbursed for 1 yr. The military will not reimburse HPSP students for a laptop rental after they have graduated from their professional program. To reiterate this point, HPSP students are only reimbursed for the amount of rental time from the day they place an order until the day they graduate – regardless of the scholarship length. For this reason, Laptops For Military Docs recommends that all HPSP recipients rent a computer as soon as they have scholarship eligibility and to encourage their friends on the HPSP scholarship to do the same.
Products from Laptops For Military Docs are listed as 1 yr, 2 yr, 3 yr, and 4 yr contract lengths. For students renting for any increment other than these, they can reach out to us at: support@laptopsformilitarydocs.com to confirm which products are available for a given contract length.
The following table is useful in determining what contract length to choose based on starting date and graduation date. The maximum amount of time a student can rent for is limited by the scholarship length and the amount of time left until graduation. For example, An HPSP student on a 3 yr scholarship can rent for a maximum of 3 yrs, or the period of time left until graduation from the date the rental order is placed.
If you have further questions about this topic, feel free to leave a comment below or reach out to us at support@laptopsformilitarydocs.com