What Are the Limitations of the Adobe Student & Teacher Editions?
February 11th, 2013 Leave a comment
The Adobe Student and Teacher Editions look like a great deal. They offer big discounts, as much as 75% off normal prices. They’re available for most of Adobe’s most popular products, including Creative Suite 6, Lightroom 4, Acrobat XI, Elements 11, and the Creative Cloud. They can be purchased by anyone who qualifies – primary and secondary school students, homeschoolers, college or university students, faculty, teachers, and administrators. Even part-time students or teachers can be eligible, and there is no age limitation. They’re available pretty much worldwide in many languages on both Windows and Mac, and you don’t need any kind of coupon or promotion code to get the deep discounts.
So what’s the catch? Is the Academic software different or limited somehow? Is there any sort of time restriction, time limit, or time out – do Adobe Student Editions expire? Or are they unusable for commercial purposes?
The answer to all of these questions is fortunately no: the perpetual Education products are identical in features and functionality in every respect to the current standard versions – the only differences are the prices and some of the licensing terms… The prices, as mentioned, are a real bargain – for example, instead of US$999 for Adobe Photoshop CS6 Extended, you pay only $349; instead of $1,899 for CS6 Design & Web Premium (Adobe’s most popular suite which contains seven major products including Photoshop Extended), you get it for $599.
And for the Creative Cloud – Adobe’s new all-inclusive offering which contains the entire CS6 Master Collection plus much more, essentially every major industry-leading tool that they make – there is also now a Student & Teacher Edition available that costs only $19 a month (instead of $49) which means you’re getting it for 60%-70% off the regular price, depending on the country. So this new Creative Cloud option is even more affordable for students than the traditional educational versions, but differs in that you get and use everything based on an annual membership.
[ Which option is right for you? See: Creative Suite 6 vs. Creative Cloud ]
Since Creative Suite 5, all Student and Teacher Editions can be utilized for personal as well as commercial use, for all academic customers worldwide. So yes, you can sell your services or anything you create, or use these products in developing a side business or online venture. And after graduation or completion of coursework, you can continue to use the perpetual software on your personal systems; there is no usage expiration and those tools will continue to work.
But it’s true there are some limitations as compared to the regular versions… though happily they are all fairly minor. Here are the differences between the education editions vs. the normal (professional/commercial) versions:
- Each eligible person may purchase only one copy of each academic product per platform per year. Fortunately, each tool and suite and release are considered different products. So Photoshop and Dreamweaver (for example) are different titles, as are CS5.5 and CS6, and each suite is a different title, so you could buy these all within one year if you wanted.
- Student & Teacher Edition software may be used on your privately-owned computer only.
- This software is not transferrable, meaning it may not be resold or given to others.
- You validate eligibility after placing your order to receive your unique serial number key.
- The traditional student editions cannot be upgraded to other education editions – but do receive Adobe’s discounted upgrade pricing to all regular commercial versions (say for a future release like CS7), -or- you can purchase another student edition if you still qualify. But the student price on a new release can be lower than the commercial upgrade price anyway, so you can just choose which is less expensive for you… Bottom line, this is another substantial savings and advantage of owning these editions – basically you will be getting your future releases discounted as well.
So why take your chances on the risks and malware in a pirated or bootleg version of CS6 when you can get the real deal – legitimate, supported, and completely safe – for up to 75% off, direct via instant download from Adobe?
Here’s a very helpful Student & Teacher Eligibility Guide & FAQ that should answer other questions you may have, including documentation requirements… Documents dated within the last six months are considered current.
See also:
- Learn free! Download CS6 e-books (1,022 pages)
- The 10 most common myths about Creative Cloud
- What are the differences between CS6 vs. CS5, 4, 3?
- How many computers can you install & run CS6 on?
- Free Adobe CS6 Tutorials – 30 hours of video training
- Photoshop Image Deblurring: Coming to the Cloud?
Do you have any questions about Adobe’s Student & Teacher Editions? Just ask them below and we’ll get you answers fast!
Keep up with the latest on Adobe software — subscribe to our RSS feed or follow us on Twitter or Facebook… You can also just enter your email and have new articles sent directly to your inbox.
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Does the student version CS6 expire after one year?
Hi Kimberly, there are two answers to your question depending on which option you’re talking about:
The traditional (perpetual) Adobe CS6 Student Editions as described above do not expire, and will continue to work on your private computer after graduation etc.
The affordable new $19 Creative Cloud Student Edition (which includes all major Adobe tools, the CS6 Master Suite and more) is term-based and renews annually at the lower price based on revalidation of education status.
I am a Web Design student and am trying to decide which would be best for me: CS6 Design & Web Premium Pkg or Creative Cloud. My goaI is to be a Web Designer and edit images. I will obtain an Associate’s Degree by October 2013, what will be the price per month to renew the Cloud if I am not a student next year?
Also, if I buy CS6 Design & Web Premium Pkg, what is your estimated price of upgrading later down the road, and me not being a student? Thank you for your help!
Welcome Courtney, thanks for those questions. For the Creative Cloud, it sounds like you would definitely qualify for the Creative Cloud Student Edition this year (which is currently on special for $19), and then next year you would renew at the regular rate, which is currently $49 in the US.
Don’t worry too much about prices going higher from there – folks who say that are largely perpetuating one the Creative Cloud Myths, and we think it’s likely Adobe’s cloud and subscription rates will continue to fall.
If you were to get a traditional CS6 suite instead then you could upgrade when CS7 comes out but we can’t say what the upgrade pricing will be at that time, Adobe does not pre-announce those sorts of things. Your best bet would be to see what it costs to upgrade to CS6 from older versions now, and then go with that as an approximate estimate.
All product upgrades and early access to new features are included in the Creative Cloud, as you probably already know… It sounds like on the whole, this guide may be useful to you:
Compare Creative Cloud vs. Adobe CS6: Which Is Right for You?
Anyway, hope this helps! If you have any further (or follow-up) questions, just post back.
Thank you for the great information!
Sure Courtney, glad to help – and thanks for your comment.
I have a desktop and a laptop, can I install the cs6 student edition on both… my laptop is for me traveling my desktop is my work area?
Hey there Curtis, you should be able to do that – see:
How Many Machines Can You Install and Use Adobe Products On?
Hi there,
I’m a teacher and just signed up for Adobe’s Creative Cloud subscription, but heck…a lot of questions.
Now, I did tons of search and posts on the Cloud Forum for a question, contacted their online support with effort in a week and yet no real tech solution. I came across your site, and realized you also cover Creative Cloud. So here’s what my real concern is:
If I cancel the Creative Cloud Membership in time, will Adobe’s system remember my computer’s IP and won’t even let me install the CS6 trial anymore? Because I tried to download the CS5.5 trial from your posted link and it denied my access, so no download could be done.
**** Then if I opt to just buy the Adobe educational version of the entire CS6 Master Collection instead, will that be any installation problem later on OR it will be good to go since I’ll have a legitimate serial number? (I signed up with Adobe with my CS4 version, and it simply won’t install on my new MacBook pro, so then I decided to give the Creative Cloud a try, now it’s giving me a headache and wasting lots of time for downloading, installation & not working smoothly – some apps just won’t launch. Thank you very much.)
Hello Georgie, just follow the instructions and list of suggestions on those trial download pages and you should be fine – any problems you were having there are nothing at all to do with the Creative Cloud.
You should definitely be able to install and run the Creative Cloud together on the same computer with earlier CS versions.
If you uninstall the Cloud, then any CS6 applications you have on your machine will revert to trial mode. You get 30 days of free trial mode in total.
Lastly, for the standard CS6 tools, you should be able to later reactivate them with the serial number from a traditional license purchase (like the Master Collection as you said), if you so choose. That’s because you’re just changing the licensing, really.
Hi,
It would be impractical for me to download Adobe products. Is there a disk kit still available and at what cost?
Thanks
John
Yes, absolutely John… Complete boxes and discs are still available for all Adobe products – just see their online store and select “Ship the box to me” instead of “Download.” Prices are the same, although shipping may cost extra.
For those that prefer to download their software instantly (and the majority do), Adobe keeps the programs available in your online account for three years. Still, it’s a good idea to burn or back up the installation files somewhere so you always have them available should you need to reinstall or move the products to a different computer.
@ ProDesignTools
Thank you for clearing things up.
Now just a dumb question…… how do I clear all Adobe cookies on my browser, clear the browser cache too??
Because I followed the suggested steps and still my access is denied for any download at all. Something strange here is happening.
I’m not a guru in the computer system area, a lot of times it’s a simple route to get rid of hidden junk or changing internet settings…but I guess it’s something else this time. I was at 95% of the big download and the internet froze again, and dropped the master collection download and it just denied my access when I start all over again. This happened several times now. What’s your guess?
Thanks.
Georgie, see this list of download tips if you’re still having an issue with downloading your trials… And for how to clear cache/cookies – it depends on which browser and version you have, so just google it for whatever you’ve got.
I am still using Photoshop 6 which worked fine on Windows XP but when I switched over to Windows 7 Home Edition, Photoshop 6 failed to install and I received an error message saying that I need a 64-bit version of Photoshop. How do I go about getting a 64-bit version of Photoshop 6 ?
Thanks, Jon
Hi Jon, do you mean Photoshop 6 (very old) or Photoshop CS6 (new and latest)?
If the former, that would be a 13-year-old program – which was before the advent of modern 64-bit personal computers… Sorry, no such thing exists.
If the latter, then Photoshop CS6 comes in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions – and both should be installed your computer automatically.
If you need to upgrade, students can now get the entire CS6 collection (including Photoshop CS6) for just $19/month if you want.
Hello,
I want to purchase the CS6 Design & Web Premium student edition. My question is, years later when I’m no longer a student, how would I go about upgrading this?
Hey Mags, good question. You can upgrade the student/teacher editions to a newer commercial release just like you can the regular editions – there is absolutely no difference in the procedure or pricing… That’s true whether you’re still a student or not when that happens.
See here for the current pricing of what you might expect to pay.
Do you have a download link for PSE7 Educational version? I tried downloading the regular PSE7 and it did not work…:(
Actually Jessica, we do still have the direct links for Elements 7…
As with all Adobe software, there is no difference in the actual download itself for education – the difference is coded in the serial number and licensing.
@ ProDesignTools
So when I’m no longer a student, I would still be eligible for student upgrades?
As described in the article, there is no such thing as “student upgrades.” There are simply “upgrades,” which are available to everyone – and the price is the same no matter what type of customer you are.
But yes, you would be eligible to upgrade from your student edition after you graduated (or at any time).
Hope that’s clear!
Okay, much clear.
Thanks!
I have 3 children in school. 2 in high school and 1 in middle school. We have 4 Macs in the household and want to get CS6 Master Collection or Cloud.
What would you recommend as the most cost effective way to purchase?
Thanks…
Greetings Tyler, thanks for your question. Each copy of either CS6 or the Creative Cloud can be activated on up to two machines, so long as they are not used at the same time.
The Cloud can also run on both Windows and Mac OS, whereas with CS6 customers can only use a single operating system platform.
As for which one to get, there are different aspects to consider in making a choice… This guide should help you in deciding which path to take:
Compare Adobe CS6 vs. Creative Cloud: Which Is Right for You?
Also note that right now (and into April), Adobe is offering 60%-70% off the regular price of the Creative Cloud Student Edition, which could make a big difference.
Hope this helps!
Hi, I no longer use, or intend to use, my student edition of Dreamweaver CS4. Can I sell on to someone else if I give them the serial number. I have uninstalled it from my machine.
Sorry Michelle – as detailed in the article above, the Adobe student editions are non-transferable.
I tried downloading the CS5 with the link you provided (I had a Student/Teacher version but lost the disc and had to replace my computer’s hard drive). When I put in my Serial Number I get an error message that it’s not valid for this product. Is there a different download link for the Student/Teacher edition?
Is there anything else I can do? I’m hoping you can help!
Hi Kerry, the Adobe software direct download links we post are for all editions of the software, including the education versions… As mentioned in the article above, the only difference is in the licensing determined by the serial number, rather than in the functionality of the program itself.
You didn’t specify the exact product or version number so if you’re getting that error message, it’s possible it may not be the identical version as what you own – perhaps you downloaded CS5.1 or CS5.5 instead of CS5.0 (or vice versa).
@ ProDesignTools
Thank you so much. It was precisely that I needed to download the correct version, which I was able to suss out after contacting Adobe directly to query the version. I might have had to spend a fortune trying to purchase a new one if it weren’t for your informative site. Thank you!
Glad to help Satya, and thanks for your comment letting us know!
Hi, I have just started a 6 weeks course at a big university that offers degrees etc, and from what I have read here and elsewhere this entitles me to the student discount if I was to buy Creative Suite, which is great.
What I am wondering though is whether this is also the case with Creative Cloud, I would like to subscribe to Creative Cloud using the 60%-off student educational pricing. I’ve checked in the signup process and it asks you fill out some details including when your course ends (graduation date). It also says that Adobe may at any time check your eligibility and suspend your account if you don’t meet the criteria (blocking the apps presumably).
The contract is 1 year, so surely you simply need to be a student at the time of sign up but it doesn’t make this clear.
I would be very grateful if anybody knows if I would need to be a student for the whole 1 year or just when I sign up to the annual contract.
Thanks,
Paul
Welcome Paul, and thanks for your question – we’d be happy to definitively clear that up for you. Based on Adobe’s plan requirements, you will receive a 12-month contract and as long as your academic status was valid at the time of initial purchase, you qualify and you’re good.
When Adobe says, “We may verify your academic status at any time and if we find that you don’t qualify, we may suspend your account,” what they mean is that if your student/teacher eligibility was not legitimate when you signed up, then you wouldn’t qualify – and they would reserve the right to not grant you the deep education discounts.
But as long as your school is on the list and you are enrolled there for your class or course, then you’ll be fine with your reduced-price plan no matter what happens from here.
Thanks a lot for your quick answer! …really helpful.
@ ProDesignTools
What if it is unregistered? Is there a way it can be sold if you never activated the original serial number? For example I had the CS5.5 version for 64-bit PC and never opened it or even used it. Could I sell it in that condition and expect the buyer to have use of it?
Hello, the educations products are heavily discounted and for that reason Adobe is quite clear that they cannot be transferred…
For recent purchases, an exchange or refund might be possible.
@squintz
I would suggest you call Adobe on that one. I do know that you can upgrade from that version to an non-student version. Maybe Adobe might, MIGHT. allow you to return it to them. But your best bet would be to contact them directly for the answer to that. Sometimes they do make exceptions but is it VERY VERY Rare and you’d have to be communicating directly to them.