Azure is Microsoft’s cloud computing platform, a global network of datacenters and infrastructure maintained by the company which allows businesses a place to optimize technology operations as well as utilize offered tools, services, and frameworks to deliver powerful applications. Billing for deployment and use of Azure resources is accomplished in part through different types of Azure subscriptions, many of which charge associated Azure accounts based on what is consumed on the platform (also known as the “Pay-As-You-Go" model).
As a student at DePaul University, you have access to an Azure for Students subscription, a free offering from Microsoft for DePaul students that allows you to test or work with many different Azure services that businesses utilize in real-world applicable scenarios.
DePaul students using the service will also receive an annually renewable $100 credit to help you along with your Azure learning journey. Students using the service can renew access to the subscription’s services annually for as long as you are a student at DePaul University. No credit card is required, though you can choose to upgrade your subscription if you wish to a Pay-As-You-Go account if one is required.
Before getting started, please note the following:
- You must have registered for Multi-Factor Authentication on your Bluekey account before attempting to register for an Azure for Students subscription.
- You may only renew your $100 credit annually, on or after the date you register for an Azure for Students subscription. If you use your $100 credit before this date, you will be unable to refill this credit prior to your signup date. As such, be mindful of your credit usage when deploying and using Azure resources.
- Some services have specific conditions under which they are free, and others may require you to enable free offers on deployment (one example is Azure SQL Database). This Azure for Students Supplementary Notes document has more detail for you to review.
- Leaving DePaul University means you will not be able to renew your $100 credit or utilize the subscription.
For any issues encountered while following this process, please file an incident at the Help Desk page and indicate assignment to the INF-AcadTechServices team in the description.
To access and activate your free Azure for Students subscription, do the following:
1. Open a web browser and go to the Azure for Education Institutions page (https://azureforeducation.microsoft.com/en-us/Institutions), then click on the “Activate Azure for Students” link. You will be taken to the Azure for Students homepage.
2. Click on the “Start Free” button at the top of the page. You will be directed to a Microsoft account sign-in page.
3. Sign-in with your BlueKey (username@depaul.edu and password) credentials. You will be re-directed to a DePaul sign-in page where you will have to enter them again and authenticate using your Multi-Factor Authentication method.
4. You will be directed to the Academic Verification page, where you will need to fill out your information as it appears in your school records, then click the button to submit. For School Name, you can type DePaul University (Chicago, IL) and it will autocomplete for you to select. School email address will be filled in automatically.
5. After a short delay confirming your academic association with DePaul, you will be automatically re-directed to the Education section of the Azure Portal. In the upper left corner under “Student offer details”, you should see that you have $100 in Azure credit, expiring (and renewable on or after, provided you remain associated with DePaul) a year from the date of your registration.
- If you need to manually navigate to the portal, go to https://portal.azure.com, sign in with your Bluekey DePaul credentials if needed, then at the top search bar, type “Education” and select it from the list.
6. To see what is available for use for free, click the Explore All link under the Free Services section of the portal. This will take you to a screen of services that you can utilize. You’re now ready to deploy resources and explore Azure with your Azure for Students subscription.
Please note the following for deployment of resources:
- Deployment of resources may sometimes be restricted due to dynamically adjusted limitations (you may see a deployment failure if this occurs). In this case, try deploying in another region that is selectable.
- Some services are only free with specific requirements for 12 months.
- Some services are permanently free with monthly allocations
- Any of these may still use your $100 credit once deployed under certain conditions. Read the notes under the Free Services carefully.
- Regardless of your usage, you may receive monthly invoice emails highlight what you have used. As stated previously, you will be charged any costs against your $100 credit, and you are not required to put in a payment method.
For more detail, see the Azure for Students Supplementary Notes page, and be sure to keep an eye on your Available Credits and costs in the Student offer details box, removing resources you are no longer using.
For more information on the Azure for Students offering and any specifics on requirements, limitations, and other helpful information, feel free to browse the below links:
- Azure Documentation Hub
- Azure for Students Main Page
- About Azure for Students page
- FAQ for Azure for Students and other associated academic offerings
- Azure for Students offer page (limitations, terms of use, requirements, etc.)
- Azure for Students Supplementary Notes, which detail specifics on free services, the conditions under which your $100 credit may be used, and other items of interest.