Mexico City. — More and more apps are giving benefits to students who have an institutional or university email address. From free licenses to premium plans with huge discounts, hundreds of tech companies are rewarding students who can verify their academic status with a simple .edu or .edu.mx email. What used to be just a school address has become a digital key to access professional software, creative tools, and entertainment services at a fraction of the cost — or even for free.
Leading this global trend are Adobe, Autodesk, Microsoft, Canva, Notion, Spotify, and Apple Music, offering everything from student-only discounts to completely free access. For instance, Adobe Creative Cloud provides up to 60% off its suite, including Photoshop, Illustrator, and Premiere Pro, while Autodesk grants full educational licenses for specialized software like AutoCAD, Maya, and Revit — essential for engineering, architecture, and design students.
Microsoft 365 gives free access to its full Office suite — Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and 1 TB of OneDrive storage — after verifying a school email. Meanwhile, Canva and Notion offer their Pro versions free of charge to students around the world, unlocking advanced design and project management features. These once-premium tools have become essential allies for academic and creative productivity.
Recently, Google joined this growing educational trend by including Gemini, its advanced artificial intelligence platform, among the student benefit programs. Students who verify their academic status with a school email can now enjoy one free year of the Gemini Advanced (Pro) plan, which offers unlimited access to generative AI tools, writing assistance, data analysis, presentation creation, and premium features within Google Workspace. This initiative aims to promote responsible use of artificial intelligence in education and help students prepare for an increasingly digital academic and professional environment.
Entertainment platforms have joined this movement as well. Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube Music all offer reduced subscription rates for verified students, transforming a school email into a kind of “digital membership” that goes far beyond the classroom. Even productivity tools like ONLYOFFICE and Slack provide educational plans or discounts to encourage teamwork and academic collaboration.
The process to access these benefits is simple: register on the platform, select the student plan, and verify your academic email. Most companies send a confirmation link or verify through third-party services like SheerID or UNiDAYS. Once approved, access is granted instantly — though some services may require annual revalidation to confirm ongoing student status.
These programs not only save students money but also help them gain early experience with professional tools used in the real world. For tech companies, this is a long-term loyalty strategy: building user relationships that extend well beyond graduation. In short, institutional emails have evolved into digital passports — unlocking an ecosystem of opportunities that make education more accessible, connected, and future-ready.
