Student and research data
Campus devices can hold student records and research data. Each one needs a documented erasure.
Higher education
ITAD for colleges and universities. One record, every department.
K12 Computers provides IT asset disposition and device buyback for colleges and universities: computer labs, staff laptops, Apple devices and departmental servers. Every device is erased to NIST 800-88 guidelines and tracked by serial number, and equipment with resale value earns the institution a payout.
- R2v3 & ISO certified
- NIST 800-88 erasure
- Updated
Key facts
Colleges & universities, at a glance.
- Equipment
- Lab computers, staff devices, Apple devices, servers
- Data erasure standard
- NIST SP 800-88
- Reporting
- Per serial number, by building or department
- Certification
- R2v3, ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001
- Payout
- Check, ACH or credit toward new equipment
- Districts served
- 300+
- Devices processed
- 5 million+
- Paid out
- $80 million+
R2v3 · ISO 9001 · ISO 14001 · ISO 45001 · WISE Certified · Inc. 5000
What is at stake
Why disposition matters here.
Many departments, one record
Equipment retires from labs, offices and IT at different times. Serialized reporting keeps one record.
Budget recovery
Resale value from retired equipment can go back to IT or toward new devices.
01
One record across many departments
Universities retire equipment from labs, offices, libraries and research groups on different schedules and budgets. That makes it hard to prove what happened to every device.
K12 records each device by serial number at pickup and reports its erasure and final disposition, so central IT, finance and each department can work from the same record.
02
Student records and research data
College devices can hold education records protected by FERPA, as well as research and employee data. NIST SP 800-88 provides the sanitization approach many institutions adopt in their IT policies.
K12 erases devices with third-party verified software and certifies each one. Media your policy requires to be physically destroyed can be flagged up front.
What we take
Campus-wide, department by department.
Colleges retire equipment from many buildings and budgets. K12 collects from each location and reports every device by serial number, so central IT and each department see the same record.
- Computer labsDesktops, all-in-ones and lab laptops
- Staff and faculty devicesWindows laptops, MacBooks and iPads
- Servers and network gearDepartmental and data closet equipment
- Peripherals and e-wasteMonitors, printers and accessories
Step by step
How a campus program runs.
Every step is recorded in the K12 portal. New to the terms? See the ITAD glossary.
- 01
Inventory
Send a list by building or department; we estimate value before pickup.
- 02
Collect
Scheduled pickups across campus, around the academic calendar.
- 03
Erase and audit
NIST 800-88 erasure with data deletion certifications per serial number.
- 04
Pay and report
Check, ACH or credit toward new equipment, with a full report set.
Portal & app
Follow every device in the K12 app.
Your orders, devices, documents and payouts, in a portal that works as well on your phone as on your desk.
Who handles IT asset disposition for universities?
K12 Computers provides R2v3-certified ITAD for colleges and universities, including lab computers, staff devices and servers, with NIST 800-88 erasure, serialized audit reports and value recovery on resellable equipment.
Can a college use a cooperative contract with K12?
K12 holds TIPS contracts 250802 and 250801 and Choice Partners contract 25/048MF-03, all approved for the national market. Check with your procurement office whether your institution is eligible to use them.
Can K12 collect from multiple campus buildings?
Yes. K12 schedules pickups across buildings and reports each device by serial number and location.
Can colleges use K12's cooperative contracts?
K12 holds TIPS 250802, TIPS 250801 and Choice Partners 25/048MF-03. Eligibility depends on your institution, so check with your procurement office.
References
Standards and guidance cited on this page.
Primary sources from regulators, standards bodies and platform vendors. Links checked November 2026.
- U.S. Department of Education, Student Privacy Policy OfficeFamily Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
- NISTSP 800-88 Rev. 2, Guidelines for Media Sanitization (September 2025)
- SERI, Sustainable Electronics Recycling InternationalThe R2 Standard (R2v3)
Verify K12 Computers independently
SERI R2 DirectoryInc.Winston-Salem JournalTIPSChoice PartnersNC TECH AssociationLinkedIn
Keep exploring
Programs for this sector.
- 01Laptop & computer buybackWindows laptops, desktops and servers, tracked by serial number.
- 02Mac & iPad buybackBuyback for MacBooks and iPads, with release-from-MDM guidance.
- 03Secure ITAD & data destructionR2v3 ITAD and NIST 800-88 erasure that still returns value.
- 04Large-scale device refreshMulti-site pickup and on-site audit for district-wide refreshes.
Tell us what you have.
Get an instant estimate by model, or request a pickup and our team takes it from there.