With countless headphone choices on the market, selecting the right pair can feel overwhelming. Taking into account a student’s financial constraints, requirements, and the reality that the majority of “best of” lists (including ours) highlight options priced over $400 as top recommendations, discovering the ideal pair can be even more daunting. Given that school life is already filled with pressures, let us make this aspect easier.

Initially, the finest headphones for students aren’t always the top-rated ones out there. While the active noise cancellation in the Sony WH-1000XM6s or the Bose QuietComfort Ultra headphones would be fantastic for studying, more affordable alternatives can provide quality where it truly counts. Just as most students don’t require an iPad Pro for taking notes and conducting research, they also don’t need the most feature-laden headphones for studying or unwinding.

Consider the standard Bose QuietComfort headphones, our pick for the best over-ear headphones suited for students. They are an investment at $359 but frequently see discounts under $300, even dipping as low as $229 during their best sales. They provide significant benefits like all-day comfort, impressive sound quality, and superior noise cancellation, although they miss out on advanced spatial audio features, which probably isn’t a crucial factor for most students.

What headphones are ideal for students?

Below, we have outlined four choices for back-to-school headphone shopping: two over-ear models and two pairs of earbuds, each representing both budget and premium selections, emphasizing more affordable prices. These recommendations come from thorough evaluations by multiple Mashable staff members and contributors. As one of Mashable’s leading reporters on headphones, I’ve identified the four top headphone options for college or high school students.