Universities Provide Creative Cloud For Students: Access And Benefits

Adobe Creative Cloud is a set of applications used for digital content creation and communication. It is a comprehensive platform that offers innovative ways of learning and enables students to showcase their knowledge, skills, and passion in engaging ways. It is used by universities to prepare graduates for a digital-first world. Students and teachers at accredited schools can avail of a discounted rate for the software.

How to get a student discount on Creative Cloud

Adobe Creative Cloud is not free for students, but there are a few ways to get a student discount.

Via Adobe

Adobe offers a student discount of around 65-70% on the Creative Cloud "All Apps" subscription plan. This includes access to all CC tools and services for one reduced price. The discount is available to students and teachers at accredited institutions, from primary school through university levels. To qualify, you must be at least 13 years old and enrolled in a university, college, primary school, secondary school, or home school.

The easiest way to get the discount is to visit the Creative Cloud Plans and Pricing page and provide a school-issued email address during the purchase so you can be instantly verified. If you do not have a school-issued email address or your email address cannot be verified, additional proof of eligibility may be requested after purchase. This can include a tuition bill, statement, report card, transcript, or school ID card.

The Adobe Creative Cloud student membership is valid for one year, with the option to pay upfront or be billed monthly. At the end of each year, your subscription will auto-renew.

Via CollegeBuys.org

CollegeBuys.org offers Adobe Creative Cloud for students at $39.99 per semester or $79.99 per year. To purchase, select your college name and state, and use your college-issued email address to complete the verification and purchase process.

How to prove your academic status

To prove your academic status for Adobe Creative Cloud, you must be at least 13 years old and enrolled in a university, college, primary school, secondary school, or home school.

Adobe verifies student status through the school-issued email address provided during purchase. A school email address may include .edu, .k12, or other email domains sponsored by educational institutions. If you do not have a school-issued email address or your email address cannot be verified, additional proof of eligibility may be requested after purchase.

Students and educators at accredited schools must provide a document issued by the institution with their name, institution name, and current date. Types of proof of enrollment include:

Tuition bill or statement

Homeschooled students must provide proof of eligibility, which may include:

• Dated copy of a letter of intent to homeschool
• Current membership ID to a homeschool association (e.g., the Home School Legal Defense Association)
• Dated proof of purchase of curriculum for the current academic school year

Accredited schools are those approved by an association recognized by the U.S. Department of Education/State Board of Education or the Canadian/Provincial Ministries of Education, with a primary focus on teaching students. Examples of such associations include the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Documents provided as proof of eligibility must be dated within the last six months to be considered current.

How to validate your student status

To validate your student status for Adobe Creative Cloud, you will need to provide proof of eligibility. This can be done by providing a school-issued email address during purchase, which will instantly verify your status. If you do not have a school-issued email address or your email address cannot be verified, you will need to provide additional proof of eligibility. This can include a tuition bill or statement, a dated copy of a letter of intent to homeschool, or a current membership ID to a homeschool association.

• Sign in with your Adobe ID and password on the Adobe website.
• Navigate to the "Account" section and select "Account and Security".
• In the "Education Information" section, select "Edit Information" to update your education details.
• If you have received a graduation notification email before the account expiry date, select "Verify your education status" in the notification email.
• In the Verification screen (automated verification), update your education information and select "Submit".
• If the automated verification fails, you will be directed to the Upload screen. Here, you will need to manually upload your education document. Drag and drop the file, then select "Submit".
• An agent from SheerID, Adobe's education status verification partner, will review your document and confirm your education status. This process typically takes less than 20 minutes.

By following these steps, you can validate your student status and continue to access the discounted plan offered by Adobe Creative Cloud for students and educators.

How to get Creative Cloud for free

Adobe Creative Cloud is not free for students, but there are several ways to get it for free or at a discount. Here are some options:

University Provided

Some universities provide free access to Adobe Creative Cloud for their students. For example, the University of Alabama offers no-cost access to Adobe Creative Cloud for its current students, faculty, and staff. Similarly, during the pandemic, some schools offered free Creative Cloud access to students who applied. Check with your university to see if they offer free access.

Free Trial

Adobe offers a seven-day free trial of Creative Cloud. The trial provides access to over 20 apps, including Adobe Photoshop, Acrobat, Illustrator, Lightroom, and Premiere Pro, plus 100GB of cloud storage.

Student Discount

Adobe offers a student discount on Creative Cloud. To qualify for the discount, you must be at least 13 years old and enrolled in a university, college, primary school, secondary school, or homeschool. The easiest way to get the discount is to visit the Creative Cloud Plans and Pricing page and provide a school-issued email address during the purchase so you can be instantly verified.

How to get a refund on Creative Cloud

Adobe offers a full money-back guarantee on all current software products, including subscription and non-subscription products. However, this only applies to purchases made directly from Adobe.com and not from resellers or retailers.

Subscription plans

For subscription plans, you can get a full refund if you cancel within 14 days of your initial purchase. You can change or cancel your plan online yourself, and refunds are typically processed within a week. After the 14-day window, a fee may apply for early termination of annual plans.

Non-subscription products

For non-subscription products, you need to contact Adobe within 30 days of your order to request a refund. You will need to register the product serial number, deactivate the product, and uninstall it from your computer before the refund can be processed.

Third-party sellers

If you bought an Adobe product from a third-party seller, you will need to contact them directly to discuss a refund as you will not be eligible to receive one from Adobe.

Frequently asked questions