Azure for Students 2026: What You Get and How to Claim It

Microsoft gives full-time university students $100 of Azure credit a year with no credit card, plus a set of services that stay free for 12 months. Here is exactly what is included, how to claim it, and how to trade up to Microsoft for Startups the day you incorporate.

Credit $100/yr Valid 12 months, renewable while enrolled

Credit card None School email only

Free services 65+ Plus 20+ monthly-free quotas for a year

When you incorporate $150K Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub

What Azure for Students includes

From azure.microsoft.com/free/students. The offer is for new Azure customers only; if you already have a paid Azure account on the same identity, it will not apply.

Benefit	What you get	How long	Notes
Azure credit	$100 USD	12 months	Renewable each year while you can verify student status. Unused credit does not roll over.
Always-free services	65+ services	Always	Free within monthly limits regardless of the credit. Includes services like App Service (F1), Cosmos DB free tier, and Static Web Apps.
Monthly free amounts	20+ popular services	First 12 months	Free quotas that reset monthly for the first year, separate from the $100.
Virtual Machines	750 hours each (B1s Linux and Windows)	12 months	Enough to run one small VM continuously for the year.
Azure SQL Database	100,000 vCore-seconds per month	12 months	Covers a serverless database for a class project.
Azure Functions	1 million requests per month	12 months	Serverless compute for APIs and background jobs.
Azure DevOps	5 users, unlimited private repos	Always	Pipelines, boards and repos. Most students use GitHub instead, which is also free.
Credit card	Not required	—	Sign up and renew without a card. Nothing bills automatically when the credit runs out; services simply stop.

The $100 is spent first on anything not covered by a free quota. Because there is no card on file, running out of credit disables paid services rather than charging you. That makes it safe to experiment with, and the reason you should not host anything you rely on there without watching the balance.

Who qualifies for Azure for Students

Microsoft's page states the offer is "available only to full-time university students" and requires your school email to sign up and renew yearly while you are a student. In practice the verification accepts most accredited universities and colleges worldwide, and the credit is for students aged 18 and over. Students aged 13 to 17 can get limited access through the GitHub Student Developer Pack route instead of the full credit.

You need a school email that Microsoft's verification recognizes, or documents proving enrollment if it does not.
You need to be a new Azure customer. If you have used a paid Azure subscription on the same Microsoft account, the student offer may be rejected. Use a fresh Microsoft account tied to your school email.
You renew annually. Each renewal repeats the verification. When you graduate and can no longer verify, the credit stops renewing but your account stays open.

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Azure for Students vs Starter vs the standard free account

If you are a student, always take the student offer. If the full offer rejects you, Microsoft lists a separate Azure for Students Starter tier; its details are thin on Microsoft's page, so check the live terms. If you have already used a standard free account, the student offer is usually still available on a different Microsoft account.

	Azure for Students	Azure for Students Starter	Standard free account
Who	Verified full-time university students	Students who cannot verify for the full offer	Anyone
Credit	$100	None	A credit for 30 days
Credit card	Not required	Not required	Required
Duration	12 months, renewable	Check the live terms	30-day credit
Free services	65+ always-free plus 20+ monthly quotas	A set of free services	Free tiers

How to claim Azure for Students

The whole flow takes about ten minutes if your school email verifies automatically.

1

Create a Microsoft account with your school email

Go to account.microsoft.com and sign up using your university address. If your school already runs on Microsoft 365, you may already have one; sign in with it.
2

Open the Azure for Students page and click Start free

At azure.microsoft.com/free/students. You will be asked to sign in with the account from step one.
3

Verify your academic status

Microsoft checks your school email domain first. If it is not recognized, you can upload proof of enrollment: a dated student ID, enrollment letter or transcript. Rejections are almost always undated or unreadable documents.
4

Skip the card, land in the portal

There is no payment step. Once verified, portal.azure.com shows a subscription named Azure for Students with the $100 credit and a 12-month clock.
5

Set a budget alert

In Cost Management, create a budget at $80 with an email alert. When the credit is gone, services stop rather than bill you, but you want warning before a running project goes dark.
6

Renew before the anniversary

Microsoft emails you before the 12 months end. Renewing repeats the verification and issues a fresh $100. Set your own reminder; if you miss it, you can still renew afterward as long as you are enrolled.

How to spend $100 of Azure well

$100 sounds small next to the startup programs, but combined with the free quotas it covers more than most students need. The trick is to lean on the free tiers and spend the credit only where nothing free exists.

Host static sites for free

Free tier

Azure Static Web Apps has a free tier with custom domains and SSL. Do not spend credit on a VM to serve a portfolio.

Use the 750 VM hours

Free quota

For the one thing that genuinely needs a server: a Discord bot, a scraper, a game server for a class project.

Serverless first

Free quota

A million Functions requests and the SQL serverless quota cover an API and database for a semester at zero credit.

Spend credit on AI and GPU

Use the $100

Azure OpenAI and Azure AI Foundry calls are not covered by free quotas. This is where the $100 is worth the most, and where student projects usually run up cost.

Shut things down

Save credit

A forgotten VM burns through $100 in a few weeks. Deallocate, do not just stop.

Stack it with other free tiers

More runway

Pair it with the GitHub Student Developer Pack, which is how most students discover Azure for Students, and the other providers in our student cloud credits roundup. Running the same project on two clouds' free tiers is a legitimate way to double your runway.

For founders

When you incorporate: Azure for Students to Microsoft for Startups

The student credit is designed for coursework and personal projects, and it renews only while you are enrolled. If your project turns into a company, the $100 a year stops mattering quickly, and the credit goes away at graduation regardless.

See eligibility & how to apply Apply

The fine print

Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub is the replacement. It is Microsoft's program for early-stage companies and, unlike most big-cloud programs, its entry tier needs no VC backing. Our Microsoft for Startups listing puts the total at up to $150,000 in Azure credits, unlocked in stages as you verify traction, along with Microsoft 365, GitHub Enterprise and partner offers. The investor tier adds more for VC-backed companies.

How to stack them: keep Azure for Students on your personal Microsoft account for your own experiments, and apply to Founders Hub with a company email on a separate tenant. Do not try to attach startup credits to the student subscription. Our Azure startup credits guide covers the Founders Hub application in detail, and the cloud credits calculator shows what the full stack across Azure, AWS Activate and Google Cloud adds up to.

Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub

Up to $150,000

Up to $150,000 in Azure credits
Free access to developer tools including GitHub Enterprise
Microsoft 365 Business Premium licenses

Azure for Students vs Microsoft for Startups

	Azure for Students	Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub
Who	Full-time university students, 18+	Incorporated early-stage startups
Credit	$100 per year	Up to $150,000, released in tiers
Credit card	Not required	Required for the Azure subscription
VC required	No	No for the entry tier; investor tier adds more
Duration	12 months, renewable while enrolled	Program term with tiered unlocks; check the listing
Extras	65+ free services, 20+ monthly quotas	Microsoft 365, GitHub Enterprise, partner credits, technical support
Best for	Coursework, personal projects, learning Azure	Running a real product on Azure

Both are free to apply for and you can hold both at the same time on different accounts.

Questions founders ask

How much credit does Azure for Students give?

$100 USD, valid for 12 months. You can renew each year while you remain a verified full-time student, and each renewal issues a fresh $100. Unused credit does not carry over.

Does Azure for Students require a credit card?

No. You sign up and renew with your school email only. Because there is no card on file, services stop when the credit is used up instead of charging you.

Who is eligible for Azure for Students?

Full-time university students who can verify with a school email or proof of enrollment, aged 18 and over for the $100 credit. Students aged 13 to 17 can get limited access through the GitHub Student Developer Pack. You must be a new Azure customer on that account.

What is Azure for Students Starter?

A separate tier Microsoft lists for students who cannot verify for the full offer. It provides free services without the $100 credit and without a card. Microsoft publishes few details, so check the current terms on the Azure site if the full offer rejects you.

Can I renew Azure for Students after a year?

Yes. Microsoft prompts you before the 12 months end. Renewing repeats the student verification and issues another $100 credit. Once you can no longer verify as a student, renewal stops but your account and any free-tier services remain.

Can I use Azure for Students for a startup?

You can prototype on it, but it is a personal, renewable-while-enrolled credit and $100 does not go far in production. Once you incorporate, apply to Microsoft for Startups Founders Hub on a company account. It offers up to $150,000 in Azure credits and does not require VC backing for the entry tier.

Is Azure for Students the same as the Azure free account?

No. The standard free account is open to anyone, requires a card, and its credit lasts 30 days. Azure for Students gives $100 for 12 months, requires no card, and renews yearly for verified students.