How to get Microsoft Office for free as a student?

It was during a major education conference in the USA that tech giant Microsoft made the announcement: Office is now free for students worldwide, provided their educational institution has subscribed to a volume licensing agreement. In fact, this free offer had already been in place in the USA for several months. The conference was organized by Educause, a nonprofit association whose mission is to improve education through the use of information technology.

However, this offer is only available to students and teachers at institutions that have acquired a volume licensing subscription. Without this license, the educational institution cannot offer the program for free to its faculty members and students. If you're not enrolled in a Microsoft partner institution, there's an option to get a discount on Office 2024 through Instasoft (89.99€ instead of 159.99€). Note: Instasoft is not an official Microsoft platform.

What does this mean in practice?

The program offered to students and professors is Office 365 Education. It's a set of Office applications available both online and offline. Programs include Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, etc. Each recipient of this offer can install the program on 5 computers, tablets, or other devices. Updates are automatic, and security is optimized according to Microsoft's website.

Why is Microsoft being so generous towards students?

The reason for this sudden goodwill from Microsoft is simple: someone who uses a program during their studies is highly likely to continue using it once they enter the workforce. They will then be able to pay for the program through their salary. Apple, for its part, offers up to 10% discounts to students on its products.

Check here to see if your institution holds a license.