Academic Versions of Software?

[olds]

Where can you get them? How do you prove that you are either a student or a teacher?
(I am taking classes at the local JC and I am certified by the State of CA, Office of Emergency Services to teach Hazardous Materials classes.)

 

[Zenmervolt]

Usually you just go into the computer labs and ask the attendants. You have to show a student ID to get student software usually. Not sure about the educator discounts.

ZV

 

[olds]

Can the software only be used while a student? Or is it OK to use after you graduate?

 

[olds]

Jeez, I went to the bookstore at the college and their "Academic" prices are almost retail prices. They told me it was cheaper to buy it at Sam's Club.

 

[Basilisk6]

I don't know if the prices are better than retail(they claim to be, at least), but www.edu.com has software at "academic prices"

They believe they check your eligibility by contacting your school to see if you're a student. You give them the info about your school when you check out.

 

[kgraeme]

A lot of it depends on what software you are looking at. Some brands, like Adobe and Macromedia, offer really great discounts. It's also important to compare full-version to full-version. Many retail stores only stock the upgrade. So while Photoshop looks cheap at CompUSA for $180, that's the upgrade version. The full retail version costs $700. Compare that to the educational price of $290 for the full version.

Another price comparison:
Dreamweaver/Fireworks 4 Studio
Retail: $370
Edu: $150

Microsoft products aren't as good for the packaged versions, usually only saving you about $50. That's because MS really pushes schools to have a site-license contract that gives them a boat-load of money and the school gets basically free copies of Office and Windows for everyone.

If your school bookstore doesn't have good prices, check out online vendors like Creation Engine.

 

[DanFungus]

Academic prices are awesome! It's the same software, just it says: "not for commercial use"
I got Adobe Web Collection (PS6, GoLive5, Illustrator 10, and LiveMotion 1) retail $999, i got it for $200. And I got Flash 5 for $89, retail a couple hundred. It's strange that your bookstore doesn't have these prices, cuz I think that they have a price range to be set around...

 

[Nocturnal]

some schools have huge discounts. i know a few people who bought winxp pro for like $5.00. youre limited to one copy per student though.

 

[olds]

The school says that they don't have the buying power to get volume prices. In fact, they don't carry any software, they have to order it for you.
Thanks for the links, I'll check them out.

 

[Tripleshot]

>>>The school says that they don't have the buying power to get volume prices. In fact, they don't carry any software, they have to order it for you. <<<


The school is ripping you off then. there is no volume discount to consider if you are an academic institution. If you have a student ID, go to a different school with a bookstore and see if they will honor your purchase. Your school needs a better IT manager. I would complain loudly. You pay tuition and that intitles you to these kind of perks.

 

[olds]

<< there is no volume discount to consider if you are an academic institution. >>


I asked that question and was told that a private company runs the bookstore, not the school. I wonder if all schools do this or if it evens makes a difference?

 

[kgraeme]

<<
I asked that question and was told that a private company runs the bookstore, not the school. I wonder if all schools do this or if it evens makes a difference? >>



It differs from school to school. I used to work at the store for the University of Wisconsin-Madison. It's a big school and they have an entire organization devoted to IT matters, including software and hardware sales. There is also a privately run bookstore on the campus which also sells academically priced software. Their prices are just as competitive as the university-run organization.

Academic vendors all get their inventory from the major distributors like Douglas-Stewart. I'm certain that the online vendors like the one I linked above also get their inventory from the same distributors. It sounds like your school just doesn't have the sales turnover to warrant keeping an inventory, so they have to buy individual copies from Douglas-Stewart and that is where the price penalty comes in. Big distributors don't want to sell ones and twos. Just bypass your local bookstore and go to online vendors that maintain an inventory.

 

[ScottyB]

I got the full acedemic versions of Adobe Photoshop 6, Illistrator 9, GoLive 5, and Live Motion for $400 total at my school.

 

[HomeBrewerDude]

The difference in price between academic and non-academic versions depend on the agreement between the software company and the school. Some companies will offer a 'standard' 10% discount. however, here in Wisconsin, the UW system negotiated some killer discounts with MS.



<< Can the software only be used while a student? Or is it OK to use after you graduate?
>>



However, you can only install them on one Desktop and one Laptop, assuming you don't use them both at the same time and you can not sell the software. It is okay to use the MS product after graduation. Of course these terms may vary depending on which school you are at.

 

[JohnnyReb]

One good source is http://www.academic-softwares.com/. I recentely ordered Adobe Illustrator 10 for $99. All you need to do is to send them a copy of your student ID. This is one reason I am always a student somewhere.

John

Edit: Another example is Office XP Professional $185 (full version)