Full- and part-time students, teachers, school employees and parents purchasing on behalf of students get to enjoy a 10% discount when they shop at Microsoft. It's super easy to get your discount! All you have to do is verify your student status on the website and your discount will automatically apply to any eligible products that you add to. Microsoft Office 2010 support ends October 13, 2020. This means no more technical support, no more patches, and no more security updates. Here are your options, some of which are free.
Being a college student can be awful at times … between homework and rising tuition costs, it seems like you never get a break. But guess what? There are still some great advantages to being a student, and one of the biggest is the discounts you can get on software. Microsoft gives very generous discounts to students on their most popular products, and even gives away their developer tools with the Dreamspark program. College bookstores usually carry discounted software, but they may take months to get the latest programs in stock. Now, the need to wait is over … students can download steeply discounted software directly from Microsoft today!
- How to get Office 2010 at a rock-bottom price. If you're considering an Office 2010 upgrade, be sure you learn the lesson of Windows 7. Microsoft offers its best prices to early adopters.
- Shop Microsoft Office Home and Student 2010 Windows at Best Buy. Find low everyday prices and buy online for delivery or in-store pick-up. Price Match Guarantee.
The Ultimate Steal (that's still legal and available)
Yeah, I know, you're not supposed to steal. Actually, Microsoft spends millions every year trying to keep people from stealing (pirating) their software. But this is the other kind of steal … an amazing deal! Microsoft has ran the Ultimate Steal special at ultimatesteal.com for the past several years, but now the program has been merged into their standard student discount page. But don't worry … even though the Ultimate Steal has disappeared, the specials are still there for you to take advantage of. The old address still works, and the discounts are still great.
If you're a current college student, you can get amazing discounts on both Office 2010 and Windows 7 Professional. Here's more details:
Office Professional Academic 2010
Microsoft has simplified the Office suite lineup with Office 2010, and today there are far fewer versions of Office to choose from. Office 2010 is available in 3 main retail editions: Home and Student, Home and Business, and Professional. For students, there's an extra edition … Office Professional Academic 2010. This edition contains everything in Office Professional 2010, but is specially licensed for academic use. It includes:- Word 2010
- Excel 2010
- PowerPoint 2010
- OneNote 2010
- Outlook 2010
- Publisher 2010
- Access 2010
Windows 7 Professional Upgrade
Last fall, Microsoft ran the Win741.com promotion around the time of Windows 7's launch. It let students upgrade to Windows 7 for just $29.99. The promotion ended after a couple months, and was replaced by an Ultimate Steal discount which let students purchase Windows 7 for $64.95.Now, with the new Microsoft Store Student Discounts page, the Win741 price is back!!! Students can now upgrade to Windows 7 Professional for just $29.99Purchasing Software from the Microsoft Student Discount site
If you've purchased software with the Ultimate Steal discount before, such as Office 2007, you'll be used to the process as the website works the exact same as before. First, enter your college email address, and click Submit.
Please note that you must be enrolled in a valid US educational institution for at least 0.5 course credits currently to purchase with this discount.
Once you've entered the info, you will see this message. Check your college email, and if you're eligible you'll receive an email with a link to purchase Office with the Ultimate Steal discount.
Now click the link in the email, and complete the purchase as you do for any other online purchase. When you're done, you'll receive a download link and a product key. Download the software you've purchased, install as normal, and activate it with the product key you've received.
Conclusion
Windows 7 and Office 2010 are some of the best products Microsoft has ever released, and getting them cheaper than ever just makes them better. Hey, there are still some advantages to being a student!!!
And don't forget … if you purchased Office 2007 since March 5th, 2010, you're eligible for a free upgrade to Office 2010. Head over to www.office.com/techg to claim your upgrade, or check back here for more detailed information on how to get your free Office 2010 upgrade.
Student Microsoft Office Discount
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By Jay Garmon
Microsoft Office 2010 hits retail stores this month and as usual Microsoft is offering a byzantine selection of Office 2010 Editions to choose from. Which version of Office 2010 is right for you, and which Editions are you even eligible to buy? We break it down in this buyers guide.
The Editions
There are seven Microsoft Office 2010 Editions to choose from, though only three of them are available through traditional retail channels. The Editions are listed below in ascending order of complexity and (with the exception of Office 2010 Professional Academic) ascending order of cost.
- Microsoft Office 2010 Home and Student
- Microsoft Office 2010 Home and Business
- Microsoft Office 2010 Standard
- Microsoft Office 2010 Professional
- Microsoft Office 2010 Professional Academic
- Microsoft Office 2010 Professional Plus
Each more expensive Edition includes more applications. The latter six Editions all come with a version of Word or Excel you're probably familiar with, but Starter Edition includes Word Starter and Excel Starter, which have reduced functionality and can't run macros or add-ins. Office 2010 Starter also includes advertisements, which is how Microsoft underwrites the fact that Office 2010 Starter is free.
As you ascend the cost ladder, extra applications are added to the mix, but none are excluded. In this respect, Microsoft has kept your Office 2010 buying decision rather simple. Need a particular Office 2010 app? Simply find the cheapest Office 2010 Edition that includes it.
Setting aside Starter Edition, every version of Microsoft Office 2010 includes full versions of Word 2010, Excel 2010, PowerPoint 2010 and OneNote 2010. Microsoft Office 2010 Home and Business adds Outlook 2010 to the roster of applications. Microsoft Office 2010 Standard includes Publisher 2010, Microsoft's full desktop publishing and layout application. Microsoft Office 2010 Professional and Professional Academic are identical except for pricing, and include the Microsoft Access 2010 database application. Microsoft Office 2010 Professional Plus throws in Microsoft Communicator 2010, InfoPath 2010, and SharePoint Workspace 2010.
What Can I Buy?
Microsoft Office 2010 Starter Edition is available only as a preloaded application on retail PCs. If your computer manufacturer didn't include Office Starter, you can't request it after the fact. That said, almost every PC that comes with Windows 7 preinstalled is likely to include Office 2010 Starter (assuming a paid version of Office 2010 isn't installed).
For versions of Office 2010 that are actually for sale, you have two methods of purchase: Boxed Full Versions, and Product Key Cards. The Boxed versions include full CD copies of the applications (handy for reinstalls), printed manuals, and licenses for two PCs. The Product Key Cards are simply credit-card like plastic slips with product activation codes printed on them. Key Cards can be used to download a single installation of Office 2010 onto a PC, or to upgrade Office Starter Edition to a full version of Office 2010. As such, Key Card licenses are cheaper than Boxed Full Version licenses.
Microsoft Office 2010 Home and Student, Home and Business, and Professional are all available via retail channels at the following prices:
- Microsoft Office 2010 Home and Student – $119 Key Card / $149 Boxed Full Version
- Microsoft Office 2010 Home and Business – $199 Key Card / $279 Boxed Full Version
- Microsoft Office 2010 Professional – $349 Key Card / $499 Boxed Full Version
Microsoft Office 2010 Professional Academic is available only from authorized Microsoft Educational resellers as a Boxed Full Version, but for the discount price of $99. That's $400 below standard retail for Office 2010 Professional, provided you can qualify for the mark-down.
Microsoft Office 2010 Standard and Microsoft Office 2010 Professional Plus are only available through Microsoft Volume Licensing agreements, or to members of the MSDN or Microsoft TechNet buying services. Prices vary based on the number of licenses purchased, and Microsoft hasn't published anything like a suggested retail prices for these Office 2010 Editions. Suffice it say the more licenses you buy, the cheaper your per-license cost.
Microsoft Discounts For Students
The chart below illustrates which apps are included in each Edition of Office 2010.
Application | Starter | Home and Student | Home and Business | Standard | Professional / | Professional Plus |
Word 2010 | Starter | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
Excel 2010 | Starter | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
PowerPoint 2010 | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
OneNote 2010 | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Outlook 2010 | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Publisher 2010 | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Access 2010 | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes |
Communicator 2010 | No | No | No | No | Yes | |
InfoPath 2010 | No | No | No | No | No | Yes |
SharePoint Workspace 2010 | No | No | No | No | No | Yes |
Microsoft Laptop Student Discount
What About the Office Web Apps?
The Office 2010 Web Apps are browser-based versions of Word 2010, Excel 2010, and PowerPoint 2010, and are similar to Google Docs. They offer limited functionality much like Word Starter and Excel Starter, but have the added benefit of handling PowerPoint presentations and OneNote notebooks. In general, the Office Web Apps are enhancements and extensions of existing desktop-based Office applications; they aren't yet robust enough to replace traditional Word, Excel, OneNote and PowerPoint. If you're on the fence about Office Starter Edition because it doesn't include PowerPoint or OneNote capability, the Office Web Apps can probably fill the gap. If you have serious publishing, presentation, or data-processing needs beyond an occasional letter, resume, or household budget, the Office Web Apps won't make Starter Edition any more sufficient.
Which Office 2010 Edition Is Right For You?
Microsoft Office 2010 Starter Edition replaces MS Works, Microsoft's former introductory-level productivity suite. If you simply need basic word-processing and spreadsheet functions, with little regard for serious desktop publishing or data analysis, then Office 2010 Starter is probably good enough.
Office 2010 Home and Student is going to serve almost everyone Office Starter Edition doesn't. Do you need macros, or pivot tables, or to create PowerPoint presentations? Then you need Office 2010 Home and Student, at the very least.
Do you need Microsoft Outlook 2010? Then you're going to shell out an extra $80 to $130 for Office 2010 Home and Business.
Do you need Microsoft Publisher 2010 or Access 2010? Then you need Office 2010 Professional. Be certain you can't live without those apps, because they'll cost you an extra $230 to $360 over the Home and Student Edition of Office 2010. (Unless you can qualify for the Office 2010 professional Academic discount, which is probably the best possible deal for any version of Office 2010.)
If you need Microsoft InfoPath, Communicator, or SharePoint Workspace, you'll need a TechNet or MSDN membership, or to talk to a Microsoft volume reseller. That said, these are fairly corporate-centric tools, so most households and even small businesses won't need to worry about the bells and whistles of Office 2010 Professional Plus.
Bottom Line: Stick with Office 2010 Starter Edition until you're sure you need more than it will offer. It's free and Microsoft has made upgrades extremely easy — most of the ads in Office 2010 Starter are for full versions of Office 2010, so simply click one to begin the upgrade process. Once you've identified what Office 2010 Starter doesn't have but that you truly need, you'll be able to choose between Office 2010 Home and Student (for PowerPoint), Home and Business (for Outlook), and Professional (for Publisher and Access).