Buying Guides·2 marzo 2026·7 min di lettura·534 visualizzazioni
Microsoft Office Student Discount Guide: How to Get Office Cheap as a Student
Students can get Microsoft Office at huge discounts or even free. Learn about Microsoft 365 Education, student deals, and the cheapest ways to get Office.
## Microsoft Office Student Discount: Every Option Explained
As a student, you likely need Microsoft Office for essays, presentations, data analysis, and collaboration. The good news: you have several options to get it cheaply or even free. Here is every student discount path available.
## Option 1: Microsoft 365 Education (Free)
Microsoft offers **free Microsoft 365** to students and educators at qualifying institutions.
### What You Get (Free Tier)
- Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote — **web versions only**
- 1 TB OneDrive storage
- Microsoft Teams
- Class Notebook
### What You Get (A3/A5 Tier — Depends on School)
Some institutions license the full desktop apps:
- Full Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook desktop apps
- OneDrive 1 TB
- Teams, SharePoint, Exchange
### How to Check Eligibility
1. Go to [office.com/getoffice365](https://office.com/getoffice365)
2. Enter your school email address (.edu or institutional domain)
3. If eligible, create an account and access Office immediately
**Limitation**: Access ends when you graduate or leave the institution. Your files in OneDrive remain accessible, but desktop apps stop working.
## Option 2: Microsoft 365 Personal Student Discount
Microsoft occasionally offers student pricing on Microsoft 365 Personal:
- Typically €4–5/month instead of €7/month
- Requires student verification through UNiDAYS or SheerID
- Includes full desktop apps + 1 TB OneDrive
## Option 3: One-Time Purchase (Best Long-Term Value)
For a license that **never expires** — even after graduation:
### Office 2024 Home & Student (Retail)
- Microsoft retail price: ~€149
- Includes: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote
- Does NOT include Outlook, Access, or Publisher
### Office 2024 Professional Plus (Wholesale)
- [Distivo price](/en/products/microsoft-office-2024-professional-plus-1): Starting from €89
- Includes: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, **Outlook, Access, Publisher**
- **More apps for less money** than the retail student edition
This is the smartest option for students: you get more applications at a lower price, and the license never expires.
## Option 4: Older Office Versions
If you are on an extremely tight budget:
- [Office 2021 Professional Plus](/en/products/microsoft-office-2021-professional-plus) — Even cheaper, still fully functional
- [Office 2019 Home & Student](/en/products/microsoft-office-2019-home-student) — Budget option
All versions work perfectly for writing papers, creating presentations, and building spreadsheets.
## Option 5: Free Alternatives
If you truly cannot afford any Office license:
### Office Online (Free)
- Go to [office.com](https://office.com) and sign in with any Microsoft account
- Use Word, Excel, PowerPoint in your browser
- Limited features compared to desktop apps
- Files saved to OneDrive (5 GB free)
### Google Docs/Sheets/Slides (Free)
- Full-featured web-based productivity suite
- 15 GB free Google Drive storage
- Excellent collaboration features
- Can export to .docx, .xlsx, .pptx formats
### LibreOffice (Free)
- Full offline office suite
- Writer, Calc, Impress match Word, Excel, PowerPoint
- Open source, no account required
- Good .docx compatibility (not perfect)
## Comparison: Student Options Side by Side
| Option | Price | Desktop Apps | Expires? | Outlook |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| M365 Education Free | Free | Web only | After graduation | Web only |
| M365 Personal Student | ~€5/month | Yes | If you stop paying | Yes |
| Office 2024 Student (retail) | €149 | Yes | Never | No |
| **Office 2024 Pro Plus (Distivo)** | **~€89** | **Yes** | **Never** | **Yes** |
| Office 2021 Pro Plus (Distivo) | ~€59 | Yes | Never | Yes |
| Google Workspace | Free | Web only | Never | No |
## What Most Students Actually Need
Based on typical coursework:
1. **Word** — Essays, reports, thesis (essential)
2. **PowerPoint** — Class presentations (essential)
3. **Excel** — Data analysis, statistics courses (important)
4. **Outlook** — Not critical for students (school email works)
5. **Access** — Only for database/CS courses (niche)
The web versions of Word, Excel, and PowerPoint handle 90% of student needs. But for a thesis, complex formatting, offline access, and advanced Excel features (pivot tables, macros), the desktop apps are worth it.
## Our Recommendation for Students
1. **First**: Check if your school offers free Microsoft 365 Education
2. **If not (or if you want permanent access)**: Buy [Office 2024 Professional Plus](/en/products/microsoft-office-2024-professional-plus-1) from Distivo
3. **On extreme budget**: Use Office Online (free) + Google Docs for collaboration
The Distivo option gives you the **most apps** (including Outlook for your post-graduation career), **permanent access**, and a **lower price** than Microsoft's own student edition. It is the smartest investment in your academic toolkit.