{"id":2895,"date":"2008-02-20T23:55:17","date_gmt":"2008-02-20T18:25:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/02\/microsoft-dreamspark-student-program-free-developer-and-designer-software\/"},"modified":"2026-10-12T13:08:05","modified_gmt":"2026-10-12T07:38:05","slug":"microsoft-dreamspark-student-program-free-developer-and-designer-software","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/02\/microsoft-dreamspark-student-program-free-developer-and-designer-software\/","title":{"rendered":"Microsoft DreamSpark Is Now Azure for Students: Free Software for Students (2026)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Back in 2008 Microsoft launched <strong>DreamSpark<\/strong>, giving students free copies of Visual Studio 2008, Expression Studio, SQL Server and XNA Game Studio. DreamSpark later became Microsoft Imagine, and today it&#8217;s Azure Dev Tools for Teaching and <strong>Azure for Students<\/strong>. Students now get even more free software and cloud credits than DreamSpark ever offered. Here&#8217;s what&#8217;s available in 2026 and how to claim it.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-64428\" src=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/dreamspark-azure-for-students-1024x538.webp\" alt=\"Microsoft DreamSpark now Azure for Students\" width=\"1024\" height=\"538\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/dreamspark-azure-for-students-1024x538.webp 1024w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/dreamspark-azure-for-students-300x158.webp 300w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/dreamspark-azure-for-students-150x79.webp 150w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/dreamspark-azure-for-students-768x403.webp 768w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/dreamspark-azure-for-students.webp 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Quick answer:<\/strong> Microsoft DreamSpark no longer exists; its replacement is Azure for Students, which gives full-time university students a $100 Azure credit (no credit card needed), free cloud services and developer tools, renewable each year. Pair it with the GitHub Student Developer Pack (free GitHub Pro, Copilot Student and many partner offers) and the free Visual Studio Community and VS Code.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_89 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6aea4b53aa7ec\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"ez-toc-cssicon\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6aea4b53aa7ec\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/02\/microsoft-dreamspark-student-program-free-developer-and-designer-software\/#What_replaced_Microsoft_DreamSpark\" >What replaced Microsoft DreamSpark?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/02\/microsoft-dreamspark-student-program-free-developer-and-designer-software\/#What_students_get_free_in_2026\" >What students get free in 2026<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/02\/microsoft-dreamspark-student-program-free-developer-and-designer-software\/#Azure_for_Students\" >Azure for Students<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/02\/microsoft-dreamspark-student-program-free-developer-and-designer-software\/#GitHub_Student_Developer_Pack\" >GitHub Student Developer Pack<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/02\/microsoft-dreamspark-student-program-free-developer-and-designer-software\/#Free_Microsoft_developer_tools_for_everyone\" >Free Microsoft developer tools for everyone<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/02\/microsoft-dreamspark-student-program-free-developer-and-designer-software\/#More_free_software_for_students\" >More free software for students<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/02\/microsoft-dreamspark-student-program-free-developer-and-designer-software\/#How_to_sign_up\" >How to sign up<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/02\/microsoft-dreamspark-student-program-free-developer-and-designer-software\/#What_happened_to_DreamSparks_designer_tools\" >What happened to DreamSpark&#8217;s designer tools?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/02\/microsoft-dreamspark-student-program-free-developer-and-designer-software\/#FAQ\" >FAQ<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-10\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/02\/microsoft-dreamspark-student-program-free-developer-and-designer-software\/#Is_Microsoft_DreamSpark_still_available\" >Is Microsoft DreamSpark still available?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-11\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/02\/microsoft-dreamspark-student-program-free-developer-and-designer-software\/#Do_I_need_a_credit_card_for_Azure_for_Students\" >Do I need a credit card for Azure for Students?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-12\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2008\/02\/microsoft-dreamspark-student-program-free-developer-and-designer-software\/#Can_high_school_students_get_free_tools\" >Can high school students get free tools?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_replaced_Microsoft_DreamSpark\"><\/span>What replaced Microsoft DreamSpark?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>2008:<\/strong> DreamSpark launched with free Visual Studio, Expression and SQL Server for verified students.<\/li>\n<li><strong>2015:<\/strong> renamed Microsoft Imagine.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Today:<\/strong> Azure Dev Tools for Teaching (for schools) and <a href=\"https:\/\/azure.microsoft.com\/en-us\/free\/students\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Azure for Students<\/a> (for individual students), accessed through the Azure Education Hub.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_students_get_free_in_2026\"><\/span>What students get free in 2026<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Azure_for_Students\"><\/span>Azure for Students<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>$100 Azure credit to use within 12 months, with no credit card required.<\/li>\n<li>Free monthly amounts of popular services, such as virtual machines, databases and serverless functions.<\/li>\n<li>Developer software through the Azure Education Hub.<\/li>\n<li>Renew every year while you&#8217;re a student.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"GitHub_Student_Developer_Pack\"><\/span>GitHub Student Developer Pack<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/education.github.com\/pack\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">GitHub Student Developer Pack<\/a> bundles free GitHub Pro, GitHub Copilot Student for verified students, Codespaces, a free JetBrains IDE subscription, cloud credits and courses from partners.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Free_Microsoft_developer_tools_for_everyone\"><\/span>Free Microsoft developer tools for everyone<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Visual Studio Community:<\/strong> the free, full-featured edition for students, open source and individual developers.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Visual Studio Code:<\/strong> free code editor for every language; see our list of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2006\/01\/first-page-2006-professional-html-editor-free\/\">free HTML editors<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>.NET SDK<\/strong> and many Microsoft Learn courses, all free.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"More_free_software_for_students\"><\/span>More free software for students<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Microsoft 365 Education:<\/strong> Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote online free for students at eligible schools; sign up with your school email.<\/li>\n<li><strong>JetBrains IDEs:<\/strong> free educational licences for IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm and others.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Autodesk Education:<\/strong> free access to tools like AutoCAD and Fusion for eligible students and educators.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Figma Education:<\/strong> free professional features for verified students and teachers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Always use official sign-up pages and your school email; avoid &#8220;free licence key&#8221; sites, which often bundle malware.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_sign_up\"><\/span>How to sign up<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>Go to the Azure for Students page and click <strong>Start free<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<li>Sign in with a Microsoft account.<\/li>\n<li>Verify your student status with your school email address.<\/li>\n<li>Explore the Azure Education Hub for credits, software and learning paths.<\/li>\n<li>Apply separately for the GitHub Student Developer Pack with proof of enrolment.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What_happened_to_DreamSparks_designer_tools\"><\/span>What happened to DreamSpark&#8217;s designer tools?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Expression Studio was discontinued in 2012. Designers today use free tools like Figma&#8217;s education plan, Inkscape or Canva, and developers use the tools above.<\/p>\n<p>Starting to code? Read our guide to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2009\/07\/web-application-development\/\">web application development for beginners<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"FAQ\"><\/span>FAQ<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Is_Microsoft_DreamSpark_still_available\"><\/span>Is Microsoft DreamSpark still available?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>No. It became Microsoft Imagine and then Azure for Students and Azure Dev Tools for Teaching.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Do_I_need_a_credit_card_for_Azure_for_Students\"><\/span>Do I need a credit card for Azure for Students?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>No. You only need to verify that you&#8217;re a student.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_high_school_students_get_free_tools\"><\/span>Can high school students get free tools?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Yes, some offers, including Azure options for ages 13 to 17 in the GitHub pack, are available to younger students.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Back in 2008 Microsoft launched DreamSpark, giving students free copies of Visual Studio 2008, Expression Studio, SQL Server and XNA&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":64428,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2895","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-computers"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2895","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2895"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2895\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":64430,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2895\/revisions\/64430"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/64428"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2895"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2895"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2895"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}