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Apple partners with California State University to give new students iPad Air, accessories

The first phase of the university's CSUCCESS program offers new devices to first-year and incoming transfer students.

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California State University announced an initiative Monday that aims to pair up to 35,000 incoming students with iPad Air tablets and Apple accessories. The initiative, called CSUCCESS, involves a partnership with Apple at eight of CSU's campuses. 

Starting fall of this year, first-year students and incoming transfer students will have the option to register for the initiative and receive an iPad Air, Apple Pencil and Apple Smart Keyboard for as long as they're studying at CSU. 

Watch this: iPad Pro 2021: Testing its most exciting features on a single charge

The CSUCCESS program aims to address the equity divide between students with reliable access to computers and the internet and students whose access isn't as reliable. The COVID-19 pandemic has made that divide more pronounced, and this new partnership with Apple will attempt to put students on more even terms. The Apple deal is part of the first phase of CSUCCESS, and the university said it hopes to expand the program to more students -- including current students at other campuses.

"We're thrilled that [the] iPad Air and the incredible education apps in the App Store will be central to the experience at CSU campuses across California," Susan Prescott, Apple's vice president of education and enterprise marketing, said in a statement.