Student Freebies: Everything You Can Get Free with a .edu Email

Your .edu email address is one of the most valuable freebies you'll ever receive. Companies offer massive discounts and free products to students because they want to build brand loyalty early. Here's everything you can get for free or nearly free with your student credentials.

Free Software and Cloud Services

GitHub Student Developer Pack is the crown jewel. It includes free access to GitHub Pro, domain names from Namecheap, cloud credits from DigitalOcean and Azure, JetBrains IDE suite, and dozens of other developer tools worth over two hundred thousand dollars combined. Every student in any tech-adjacent field should sign up immediately.

Microsoft Office 365 is free for students with a .edu email, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and one terabyte of OneDrive storage. Google Workspace for Education provides similar tools. Adobe Creative Cloud offers a sixty percent student discount, bringing the full suite down to around twenty dollars per month. Autodesk provides free access to AutoCAD, Maya, and their entire product line for students.

Free Streaming and Entertainment

Amazon Prime Student costs half the regular price and includes a six-month free trial. You get free two-day shipping, Prime Video, Prime Music, and Prime Reading. Apple Music offers a student plan at roughly five dollars per month, and it includes Apple TV Plus for free. Spotify Premium student plan bundles Spotify, Hulu, and Showtime together for about six dollars per month.

YouTube Premium offers a student discount, and many students don't realize that their university may provide free access to LinkedIn Learning, which contains thousands of professional courses. Check with your school's IT department for additional free subscriptions they've negotiated.

Free Food and Restaurant Deals

Chipotle offers student-specific promotions through their app, often including buy-one-get-one deals. Chick-fil-A provides free food during college welcome weeks. Domino's and Papa John's both offer student discount codes that rotate regularly. Buffalo Wild Wings has student discount nights at many locations.

Many local restaurants near college campuses offer student discounts that aren't widely advertised — always ask and show your student ID. GrubHub and DoorDash both run student-specific promotions with free delivery and discounted orders.

Transportation and Travel

Amtrak offers a fifteen percent student discount on most routes. Greyhound provides similar student pricing. Many cities offer discounted or free public transit passes through university partnerships. Zipcar has a student membership that's significantly cheaper than the standard rate.

For travel, StudentUniverse and STA Travel negotiate exclusive flight deals for students that can save hundreds on international flights. ISIC (International Student Identity Card) provides discounts at attractions, museums, and transportation services in over 130 countries.

Financial Services

Many banks offer student checking accounts with no fees, no minimum balance, and signup bonuses. Discover offers a student credit card with cashback and no annual fee, designed for building credit. Scholarships and financial aid platforms like Fastweb and Scholly help you find money you might be leaving on the table. Your .edu email unlocks all of these opportunities, so take full advantage while you can.