I'm a student now - how about some discounts?
October 23, 2021 8:47 PM   Subscribe

For the first time in more than a decade I am a part-time college student again, with a student ID and a college email. I remember getting some nice disounts on software packages last time I was enrolled. What are your suggestions for the best discounts available only to students?
posted by hworth to Work & Money (18 answers total) 16 users marked this as a favorite
 
I believe Adobe still offers students a discount on the monthly tithe for their Creative Suite.
posted by Thorzdad at 8:55 PM on October 23, 2021 [1 favorite]


Not software, but in the US: Spotify! Up to 4 years at $4.99/ month - includes Hulu and Showtime.
posted by maya at 9:22 PM on October 23, 2021 [4 favorites]


Definitely do a search on your college's website for "student discounts" as there may be local businesses that offer deals. Other that that, a web search for "best student discounts" will yield some great lists - bestbuy, apple, amazon prime, as well as clothing, etc.
posted by jenquat at 9:27 PM on October 23, 2021 [2 favorites]


Some schools offer free software access to their students. I got the entire Adobe suite and I've retained access to it by storing my student email and password. Same for all Office apps.
posted by erattacorrige at 9:42 PM on October 23, 2021 [2 favorites]


So, as a former university employee, I know a few of these.

Apple has an educational discount program. Also Lenovo, Dell, HP, and Razer. Microsoft also has a program. Basically google '${laptop manufacturer} student discount' and the internet shall provide.

Github runs a Student Developer Pack program a lot of companies participate in.

Amazon Prime used to be half off for students, but with a 4 year limit. It seems they've redone the program and maybe I should investigate further.

Moving beyond tech, AMC and Cinemark offer movie theater discounts, though obviously a bit problematic in COVID era.

There's a decent number of deal aggregators in this space. As a big tech employee, I use Corporate Passport, and our intranet. I doubt you'll find deals on BMWs and Mercedes, but there's similar affinity apps. I can't vouch for any specifics, but here's a few: studentbeans seems to have a broad list and high app store ratings. brokescholar also maintains a list of student discounts, including an unusual one from 23andme.

And a few community participation ones: /r/studentdiscounts and this git repo which lists a number of student discount / freebies programs, inspired by the free for dev list.
posted by pwnguin at 10:05 PM on October 23, 2021 [6 favorites]


Are there any sorts of specialised software you'd be interested in - whether for the field you're studying, or other interests you have?

Lots of extremely expensive scientific, engineering and CAD software has free or cheap versions for students, because it helps them get sales when those people later make their employers pay to buy the software they already know.
posted by automatronic at 3:47 AM on October 24, 2021 [5 favorites]


Software and hardware deals can often be had in the campus store, or at least they can tell you about it.
posted by kschang at 6:12 AM on October 24, 2021 [1 favorite]


SPSS had a student version that was $ vs. $$$. but was a limited version. Still helpful.
posted by citygirl at 7:01 AM on October 24, 2021 [1 favorite]


A commercial license for Rhinoceros3d is like $200 for students compared to $1000, if you have use for a 3d design program!
posted by euphoria066 at 8:23 AM on October 24, 2021 [1 favorite]


50% discount on subscriptions to The Atlantic.
posted by metasarah at 9:20 AM on October 24, 2021 [1 favorite]


Not sure if this is of interest to you, but J Crew gives a 15% discount to students and teachers with a valid ID.
posted by MadamM at 9:37 AM on October 24, 2021 [1 favorite]


Timberland gives like a 20% discount too if I recall.
posted by erattacorrige at 9:39 AM on October 24, 2021


Of course this depends on the COVID situation in your area, but my most-appreciated discount the last time I was a grad student was to our local (live) theater. $12 tickets for performances that were typically $60 or more at their cheapest? Yes please.
posted by DingoMutt at 10:31 AM on October 24, 2021


It's a good idea to ask a librarian what sort of subcriptions the university has for all students. That is likely to include at least some newspapers and magazines in addition to scholarly journals, and may include stuff like audiobooks. You may also have institutional access to tools like the Oxford English Dictionary.
posted by sindark at 3:36 PM on October 24, 2021


Microsoft has excellent discounts for students on Office and related products.
posted by yclipse at 4:18 PM on October 24, 2021


Ableton has a 40% student discount
posted by Faff at 10:53 PM on October 24, 2021


following on from automatronic's suggestion, the student version of Dassault Systemes' SolidWorks gives you access to roughly $20K/seat/year modelling systems. Dassault can be exceptionally litigious if they suspect companies trying to game this system: imagine Adobe, but also making missiles ...
posted by scruss at 8:57 AM on October 25, 2021


Lots of museums offer student membership rates. Check out any local arts organizations you'd enjoy visiting regularly.

Also, look for signs advertising student discounts in any restaurants near campus.
posted by kristi at 9:28 PM on October 26, 2021


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