Microsoft Imagine

Not to be confused with the Imagine Cup competition.

Microsoft Imagine, formerly known as DreamSpark, is a Microsoft program to provide students with software design and development tools at no charge. The program was originally available for university/college students in Belarus, Belgium, Canada, China, Finland, France, Germany, India, Italy, Morocco, the Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia, the U.K. and the U.S., but has now been expanded to more than 80 countries and is offered to many high school students.[1] To register, students must visit the Imagine website and verify their identity. If an institution is not listed on the available list, the user may manually verify their student status by uploading a proof such as an ID card.

The Imagine program was announced by Bill Gates as DreamSpark on February 20, 2008 during a speech at Stanford University.[1][2] It is estimated that up to 35 million students will be able to access these software titles free of charge through this program.[3] The service was renamed to Imagine on September 7, 2016, to go with the annual Imagine Cup competition hosted by Microsoft.[4]

Verification

Proof of student status is required to download software and obtain product keys. On the Imagine website, students can verify their identity using ISIC cards, access codes ordered by school administrators, or .edu email addresses. Students remain verified for 12 months afterwards. If students can't find their school, they can manually submit a response with a proof of student status.

Products offered

Several development software titles are available for download through the program. They include:[5]

Commercial products available for free through Imagine

Only through Imagine Premium:

The basic three Microsoft Office applications of Word, Excel and PowerPoint are not available through Imagine: Office Home & Student 2013 or Office 365 University offers those at a discounted price for students. Unlike the programs listed above, there is no way to access similar older and compatible versions (2010, 2007) of Office for Word, Excel or PowerPoint under Imagine.

Free products also downloadable from Imagine


Offers

Past products offered

See also

References

  1. 1 2 PC World - Microsoft Gives Software to Nurture Future Coders
  2. ↑ Video - Microsoft Gives Students Access to Technical Software at No Charge to Inspire Success and Make a Difference
  3. ↑ Microsoft DreamSpark Ignites Interest | WebProNews
  4. ↑ Tarui, Hideto. "マイクロソフト、学生支援プログラム"DreamSpark"を"Microsoft Imagine"へ改名". Windows Forest. Retrieved 9 September 2016.
  5. ↑ Software and Development Tools Downloads | Imagine

External links

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