Best College Student Discounts: Your .edu Email Can Unlock Big Savings

Margaret Attridge
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Updated on April 10, 2023
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A university email address can provide access to college student discounts at Amazon, Apple, Spotify, and other top retailers and streaming services. Here’s a guide to the best college student discounts and how to get them.
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  • Many companies offer exclusive discounts to college students.
  • A university email address is one way to unlock hundreds of discounts.
  • Many discounts last up to four years.

College can be expensive. Luckily, an .edu email address from an accredited college or university can unlock deals for students. Here are some of the best student email address discounts.

Online Services

Amazon

Amazon Prime student is probably one of the least-kept secrets for college students. A .edu email address will unlock Amazon Prime for six months free, and then it’s $7.49 per month. Included with Prime Student is a year of free Grubhub+ and discounted use of the meditative Calm app, among other savings.

Prime Student members are also eligible for Twitch Prime at no extra cost, which includes free games and in-game loot every month, as well as Prime status on Twitch.

How to Save

Use a university email address when signing up. The discount lasts for four years or until graduation, whichever comes first.


Adobe Creative Cloud

Students can get access to Adobe Creative Cloud for $19.99 a month, or $239.88 a year. Apps include Photoshop, Lightroom, InDesign, Premiere Pro, and many other editing and design services.

How to Save

Use a university email address when signing up as proof of academic eligibility. After graduation, users will receive a grace year on the education pricing before they have to pay the full value.

Technology

Samsung

Samsung offers college students discounts on laptops, smartphones, and tablets if they are verified users of their Education Offers Program.

How to Save

Complete the verification process with a university email address after signing up for a Samsung account to get access to discounts. Only students who are currently enrolled in classes and have a valid .edu email address will be able to use the student discount.


Zipcar

Zipcar has over 500+ university partners that offer discounted car rental rates for college students who sign up with their .edu email addresses. Membership and hourly pricing vary depending on what area their university is located in.

How to Save

Students who are 18 and older and have a valid driver’s license are allowed to rent a Zipcar. Users will have to search to see if their university is a Zipcar partner and verify their student status through a .edu email address.


Microsoft

Students can get up to 10% off laptops and PC accessories from the Microsoft Store, as well as 5% off the Surface Go when they verify their .edu email. Students can also get Office 365 Education for free with a valid school email address and Office 365 Personal for $2.99/month.

How to Save

Use a university email address when signing up to verify enrollment at an accredited college or university. Student status must be reverified every year to continue receiving the discounted price.


HP

HP offers college students up to 40% off and free shipping on PCs, tablets, printers, and accessories.

How to Save

Use a .edu email address to register for the HP Education store. Users will have access to educational discounts as long as they are eligible students.

Streaming

Spotify (+ Hulu and Showtime)

The Spotify student bundle may be the most sought-after .edu email discount! College students can get Spotify Premium with Hulu (with Ads) and Showtime streaming service for $4.99/month after a two-month free trial period.

How to Save

Spotify uses a third-party service to verify that users are eligible. Enter your .edu email address to qualify for the discounted price. Students will have to reverify their eligibility every 12 months, for a maximum of four years.


Apple Music

College students can get Apple Music and Apple TV+ for a discounted monthly rate for up to 48 months.

How to Save

Users must verify their eligibility through the third-party app UNiDAYS. Reverification will occur every year and will expire after four years.


YouTube

YouTube Premium’s student plan for YouTube and YouTube Music ad-free is $4.99 per month after a one-month free trial period. Subscribers will be able to use YouTube when the screen is locked, download videos to be used without service, and have access to YouTube music.

How to Save

Users must verify their eligibility through the third-party app SheerID. Reverification will occur every year and will expire after four years.


Paramount+

Paramount+ offers students 25% off their essential monthly plan for $3.75 per month. Plans include TV shows, movies, and live sports, including the NFL.

How to Save

Students must verify their credentials through the Paramount+ website. The discount will last for four years, even if the user graduates before then. After the four-year limit, the standard rate will be billed.