Education FAQ

To qualify for a student discount, you must be at least 13 years of age and enrolled in one of the following:

• University or college — accredited public or private university or college (including community, junior, or vocational college) that grants degrees requiring not less than the equivalent of two years of full-time study*
• Primary or secondary school — accredited public or private primary or secondary school providing full-time instruction*
• Home school — defined by state home schooling regulations

To qualify for a teacher discount, you must be one of the following:

• Faculty or staff — employed by an accredited primary or secondary school, public or private university or college, school district, or board of education (including emeritus status professors)*
• Teacher of a homeschooled student — defined by state homeschooling regulations
  

If you're unclear about whether you qualify, contact us at your country's Adobe sales phone number.

* Accredited schools are approved by an association recognized by the U.S. Department of Education/State Board of Education or the Canadian/Provincial Ministries of Education and that teach students as their primary focus. In the U.S., such associations include: Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Northwest Association of Accredited Schools.

To see if you can purchase software for your school at education discounts, check the following list of eligible types of institutions. Accredited schools can also purchase products through special Adobe Volume Licensing programs.
View education licensing programs.

Qualified institutions:

• Accredited public or private primary or secondary schools providing full-time instruction for grades K–12, or school districts for such schools*
• Accredited public or private universities or colleges (including community, junior, or vocational colleges) that grant degrees requiring not less than the equivalent of two years of full-time study*
• School administrative offices or boards of education
• Homeschools approved by Adobe
• Government schools in U.S. or Canadian territories
• Named educational entities approved in writing by Adobe
• Hospitals in the U.S. that are wholly owned and operated by an educational institution. That is, the institution is the sole owner of the hospital and the only entity exercising control over day-to-day operations.
• Higher-education research laboratories that are public institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education or the Canadian/Provincial Ministries of Education, teach students, and can provide a copy of bylaws that state the relationship with the controlling university
• Other qualified examples as listed from time to time on Adobe.com

Unqualified institutions:

• Nonaccredited schools and religious organizations
• Museums
• Churches
• Libraries
• Hospitals in Canada
• Training centers or schools granting certificates for courses such as computer software training, including, without limitation: Ziff Davis University, Learning Tree University, New Horizon Computer Learning Center, Teacher Training Centers
• Military schools that do not grant academic degrees
• Research laboratories not recognized by the U.S. Department of Education or the Canadian/Provincial Ministries of Education. For example, institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Defense or Energy or the National Research Council Canada. In addition, laboratories in the U.S. defined as Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) and University Affiliated Research Centers (UARCs) are not eligible. Examples include: Los Alamos National Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratory, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.
• Other unqualified examples as listed from time to time on Adobe.com
  

* Accredited schools are approved by an association recognized by the U.S. Department of Education/State Board of Education or the Canadian/Provincial Ministries of Education and that teach students as their primary focus. In the U.S., such associations include: Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Northwest Association of Accredited Schools.

Use a school-issued email address

If you provide a school-issued email address during purchase, you are instantly verified. (A school email address may include .edu, .k12, or other email domains sponsored by educational institutions.) If you do not have a school-issued email address or your email address cannot be verified, additional proof of eligibility may be requested after purchase.

Students and educators at accredited schools

Proof of eligibility must be a document issued by the institution with your name, institution name, and current date. Types of proof of enrollment include:

• School ID card
• Report card
• Transcript
• Tuition bill or statement

Homeschooled students†

Proof of eligibility may include:

• Dated copy of a letter of intent to homeschool
• Current membership ID to a homeschool association (for example, the Home School Legal Defense Association)
• Dated proof of purchase of curriculum for the current academic school year

* Accredited schools are those that are approved by an association recognized by the U.S. Department of Education/State Board of Education or the Canadian/Provincial Ministries of Education and that teach students as their primary focus. In the U.S., such associations include: Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Northwest Association of Accredited Schools.

† Documents dated within the last six months are considered current.

After you complete your order, you receive an email that includes your serial number. You can also view your serial number at any time in the Download Manager, next to your product download link. After registration, you can view your products under the My Products section of My Adobe.

For more information, see Serial number, redemption, and product codes | Student and Teacher Editions.

If you purchased directly from Adobe via Adobe.com or phone in North America, you have 14 days to submit your proof of eligibility. If you purchased on Adobe.com in other regions, or if you purchased from a reseller, you have six days to submit your proof of eligibility.

If an order expires, you receive email notification and it's necessary to place the order again.

Subscription products

When you seek an education discount for an Adobe subscription app, see Renewal of student discount to know how Adobe confirms your education status.

Perpetual products

If you have purchased a perpetual Adobe product with a product code in North America, use the product code to begin the verification process on the Eligibility Verification Service website. After you enter your product code, you will be asked to provide some information about yourself and your purchase. You will then be asked to provide your proof of academic eligibility. Your eligibility is verified through one of the following methods:

• Validation of the academic email address that you provide.
• Verification of academic documents that you upload. Find a list of acceptable documents in the Eligibility Guide.

Once your eligibility has been approved, Eligibility Verification Service will send a confirmation email that contains your product’s serial number and instructions to activate the software.

If you do not match the eligibility criteria, you will receive an email notifying that your eligibility has been declined.

If you purchased an Adobe product outside North America, see Adobe Student and Teacher edition order fulfillment for information around serial numbers, redemption codes, and eligibility verification.

If you purchased on Adobe.com:

• In North America: You can expect a response within two business days after receipt of your proof of eligibility. 
• In other regions: You can expect a response within one business day after receipt of your proof of eligibility. 

If you purchased from Adobe by phone: You can expect a response within one business day after receipt of your proof of eligibility.

If you purchased from a reseller in North America: You can expect a response within one business day after receipt of your proof of eligibility.

TIP: To use your software before you receive the serial number, select the installation option to install the product as a trial. You can use the serial number to convert the product to a non-trial version later.

In North America, Adobe retains verification information for one year for eligible teachers and six months for eligible students. In all other regions, Adobe retains the information for 90 days. During these periods, it's unnecessary to provide proof of eligibility again for subsequent orders.

However, after student graduates from school, students receive a grace year on the education price. After this year is over, the subscription is upgraded to a higher non-education price. The student discount expires and upgrade takes place on contract renewal date after the EDU grace period is over.

Graduated students will receive an email notification about the upcoming price increase 30 (thirty) days before the contract renewal date. For more information, see Graduation education discount expiry.

(Before November 2011, Adobe did not retain verification information.)

Student and Teacher Licensing product codes are on the insert on the left of the DVD sleeve. Examples: