How do I get a teacher discount for office 365 desktop apps?

Question

How do I get a teacher discount for office 365 desktop apps?

Lisa Nickerson 5

The desktop versions of office is being taken away since it is no longer free. As a teacher can I purchase my own license and is there a discount for teachers?

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3 answers

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Answer 1

To get a teacher discount for Office 365 desktop apps, you can check if your school qualifies for Microsoft 365 Education, which may provide free access to these tools. If your school is part of the program, you can sign up using your school-provided email address. However, if you are looking to purchase your own license, Microsoft typically offers various licensing options, but specific discounts for teachers may vary by region and program. It's best to contact your Microsoft License Service Provider or check with your school's IT department for more details on available discounts and purchasing options.

References:

Answer 2

Vivian-HT 17,895 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Dear @Lisa Nickerson,

Thank you for your follow-up and for explaining your situation in more detail. I completely understand how important the desktop apps are for your daily teaching work.

In this case, based on your situation, I recommend you check Microsoft’s “Get 12 free months of Microsoft 365” offer, which is available to eligible educators in some regions. This promotion applies to a personal Microsoft 365 subscription, not a school-managed account, and it can provide access to the full desktop apps for personal use.

After 12 months, you will continue to be charged the applicable monthly subscription fees unless you cancel through both your Microsoft and LinkedIn accounts.

Note: You can review the offer details and eligibility requirements on Microsoft’s official website to see if you qualify. For reference: Get 12 free months of Microsoft 365 Premium and LinkedIn Premium Career

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Here are step by step I recommend you try:

Step 1: Go to this link: Get 12 free months of Microsoft 365 Premium and LinkedIn Premium Career > Then, click the sign-up button and use your personal account.

Note: If you don't have a personal account, I recommend you create one. You can access to this Microsoft official article and create a new account: How to create a new Microsoft account

Step 2: Confirm the subscription > Click Next

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Step 3: Choose your payment method and add your payment information > Click Next

Step 4: This will get you to the Academic verification page > Fill the form to verify your education account by adding your education email address > Then follow the process and provide required information.

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I hope the information shared helps point you in the right direction. Please try the steps above and let me know if they work. If not, we can continue working together to narrow this down.

Thank you for your patience and understanding. If you have any further question or stuck on any steps, please feel free to reach out.

I'm looking forward for your reply.

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Lisa Nickerson 5 Reputation points

2026-02-06T14:26:55.75+00:00

Thank you! I will try that however the instructions say it is for college students. Is it good for educators as well?
Vivian-HT 17,895 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-02-09T02:44:35.73+00:00

Dear @Lisa Nickerson,

I understand your concern. In this case, even though the main promotional page highlights college students, Microsoft’s own academic verification guidance and FAQs states that:

This means that educators can qualify, depending on the specific offer and your academic email domain. For reference: https://verify.microsoft.com/faq

Since the “Get 12 free months of Microsoft 365 Premium” offer relies on the same academic‑verification system, you are absolutely welcome to try registering with your school‑provided email address. If your institution’s domain is recognized as eligible for Microsoft’s academic offers, the system will verify you as an educator.

If verification succeeds, you can redeem the 12‑month subscription just like students.

I hope the information is helpful. Please try the steps above and let me know if they work. If you have any further question or stuck on any steps, please feel free to reach out, we can continue working together to narrow this down.

Thank you for your patience and understanding. I'm looking forward for your reply.
Vivian-HT 17,895 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-02-10T07:00:50.0766667+00:00

Dear @Lisa Nickerson,

Good day and I hope you're doing well. I just wanted to check in and see if there is any update from you.

If you have any further concerns or need additional assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact us directly. Looking forward to your update.
Vivian-HT 17,895 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-02-12T05:39:39.6433333+00:00

Dear @Lisa Nickerson,

I hope this message reached you.

This is my second time reaching out to check if there is any update from you. I really want to make sure your experience is as smooth as possible. If your issue persists or if you encounter any new difficulties, please share more details about the current steps you are taking. I am always happy to assist you whenever you need.

While waiting for your response, I will also be monitoring other customer questions on the forum to assist them. If you have any further questions or updates, please tag (@Vivian-HT) in the reply so I can assist you more promptly and thoroughly.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Answer 3

Vivian-HT 17,895 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Dear @Lisa Nickerson,

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum.

If your school or institution participates in Microsoft 365 Education, teachers are typically eligible for Microsoft 365 A3 or A1. To clarify, Microsoft 365 Education offers different license tiers:

Office 365 A1: This is free and includes web‑based versions only of Office apps such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote.
Office 365 A3: This is a paid education license and includes everything in A1 plus the full Office desktop apps that can be installed on PCs or Macs.

Therefore, you can absolutely purchase your own personal Microsoft 365 license. Microsoft does offer education discounts for teachers, which are available through the Microsoft Education Store after verifying your school email address. Pricing and availability can vary by region, but this is the best way to ensure you receive any educator discount that applies.

For reference:

In this case, here are some recommended steps you should try:

Step 1: Go to the Microsoft Education Store > Sign in using your edu email address.

Step 2: Complete the education verification process.

Step 3: Check again a Microsoft 365 plan that includes the desktop apps.

I hope the information shared helps point you in the right direction. Please try the steps above and let me know if they work. If not, we can continue working together to narrow this down.

The first response may not always resolve the issue right away, but with your help and more details, we can work toward a solution.

Thank you for your patience and understanding. I'm looking forward for your reply.

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

Vivian-HT 17,895 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-02-05T07:14:39.3366667+00:00

Dear @Lisa Nickerson,

Good day and I hope you're doing well. I just wanted to check in and see if there is any update from you.

If you have any further concerns or need additional assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact us directly. Looking forward to your update.
Lisa Nickerson 5 Reputation points

2026-02-05T14:03:29.8133333+00:00

Thank you for your help. When I followed the links provided I did not see where I could complete the education verification process. Can you guide me through that?

Also I am only a teacher so I do not know what level of status we have with Microsoft. I am not in the tech department so can you find that out for me?

I know our whole district is devastated that it is no longer free so we will no longer be able the use the desktop apps which has the most important features we need (unlike the online version). That is why I am looking into purchasing it for myself using my own hard-earned money just to keep me from quitting my teaching position and retiring early from losing my sanity.
Alisha Bhimji 0 Reputation points

2026-08-18T01:57:39.55+00:00

Lisa, I hear your frustration. I'm not sure whether you are a math teacher, but MS Word is essential to us for creating high-quality materials for our students. Google Docs just does not cut it! Remember when Microsoft apps were available to teachers for free? It feels like everything is a subscription nowadays to make more money for the company. These companies have little to no regard or empathy for teachers in our situation anymore. I wonder what Bill Gates thinks.