Heading back to school or college? Here's how to get free and discounted apps to level-up your studies

It’s back-to-school season , which means there are plenty of great deals to be had on everything tech related.

But you don’t have to be going to school or college to get in on the action — in fact, there all sorts of ways to score a discount, whatever your situation.

Here, we’ve put together some of the best ways you can get free or heavily discounted software, whether or not you’re a student.

Read on and you’ll see there are many ways to score a brilliant bargain that might take you by surprise.

Education discounts (Image credit: Apple) Many companies know that students tend to be strapped for cash, and they therefore try to tempt educational customers to make a purchase by steeply discounting the price — or waiving it altogether.

For example, you can snag free access to Microsoft 365 apps if you’re a student, while educational institutions get the same deal.

This is limited to web-based versions of the apps, but it’s a good way to net yourself a solid set of free office apps with absolutely no cost involved.

If you’d rather have the desktop apps, students can get a 50% discount on Microsoft 365 with a valid education email address.

You can also get one year of Microsoft 365 for free when you buy a qualifying PC desktop or laptop .

Microsoft also throws in a year of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and an Xbox Wireless Controller for free.

Looking further afield, Amazon Prime offers discounted rates and sometimes markets extended free trials to students and young adults, while other apps and services with student discounts include Adobe Creative Cloud, Apple Music, Evernote, Headspace, Spotify and more.

So many companies run student discounts that if there’s an app you’re interested in, it’s always worth investigating whether your student status will get you money off.

Check your employer or job description (Image credit: Unsplash / Jason Goodman) Deals don’t end the moment you enter the workforce.

In fact, some of the best money-off opportunities are reserved for those in full-time employment.