I am not a CPA but if you buy a computer for work I am fairly certain you can write it off as a business expense. All the captains I talk to with the high priced accountants say they write off items such as their phone and monthly cell bill, so I don't see how this is different. That said, if money is tight just buddy up with somebody in class and borrow their computer, or do it at home over the weekend (assuming you have a pc). I personally already had a laptop so it wasn't an issue, but I think you could work around it.