Laptops aren't free; they're considered luxuries. There are student discounts in some occasions, but the closest thing to a giveaway pc is the rasberry pi, and you would still need a screen, keyboard, and mouse, which ends up totaling about $100 including the pi. Either that, or use the pc's supplied at your school or local library. If you're really in need of a laptop specifically, people will sometimes drop perfectly functional equipment in the "electronics recycling" area of dumps, but I'm not sure of the legality of just walking away with it (I'd think that it's fair game, since the owners actually pay the dump to take it off of their hands, but you never know). Please note, I'm not trolling or being mean, this is supposed to be helpful advice, but unfortunately laptops aren't exactly clean water or shoes; they're the culmination of years of technological advancement, and that comes at a price.