Microsoft Software Assurance for education

Microsoft Software Assurance is a comprehensive maintenance program that can help you gain control of your technology strategy, improve information technology (IT) staff skills, decrease support spending, and effectively plan for new software deployments. It isn't just about acquiring software. It's about getting the most from your investment. Learn more about Software Assurance.
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Benefit eligibility
How to get Software Assurance
How to activate your benefits
Benefit eligibility
Refer to the table below to see which Software Assurance benefits are available though Microsoft Volume licensing for Academic. Note: Benefits are subject to change. Please refer to the Microsoft Volume Licensing Product List to verify current benefit availability.
Lifecycle StageBenefitOpen License for AcademicSelect License for AcademicSelect License for Academic with Software Assurance Membership (SAM)Campus and School Agreement
PlanNew Version Rights Every License covered under Software Assurance may be upgraded to the newest version.
Spread Payments Not Available Payments for License and Software Assurance can be spread into equal annual payments.
UseHome Use Program (HUP) Not Available For each Microsoft Office Application License covered by Software Assurance, the user of the licensed software is entitled to one copy of the corresponding program for use at home.
Windows Vista Enterprise For every Windows client license covered under Software Assurance, you are entitled to one Windows Vista Enterprise upgrade license.
E-Learning For every Office System application license covered under Software Assurance you are entitled to one license for Software Assurance Applications E-Learning.

For every Windows Client licenses covered under Software Assurance you are entitled to one license for Software Assurance Systems E-Learning.

For every Server License covered with Software Assurance you are entitled to one license for Software Assurance Servers E-Learning.
MaintainCorporate Error Reporting Not Available You are entitled to one media kit per enrollment.
Cold Back Up for Disaster Recovery For every Server License covered with Software Assurance, you are entitled to run one instance of the software on a "cold" server for disaster recovery purposes.
TechNet Software Assurance Subscription Services Not Available You are entitled to one User ID per enrollment. 1
TechNet Plus Direct Not Available You are entitled to one subscription per enrollment. 1
TransitionWindows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs Not Available For every Windows client license covered under Software Assurance, you are entitled to install one copy of Windows Fundamentals for Legacy PCs as the Windows Client license.
Extended Hotfix Support SERVER: 90-day enrollment not required. Annual contract fee for Exchange, MOM, SMS, SQL and Windows Server is included as part of the Software Assurance program.
DESKTOP: Not Available DESKTOP: 90 day enrollment not required. Annual contract fees for Windows Client and Office Pro are included as part of Software Assurance.
1Minimum of five server licenses must be acquired to qualify.
How to get Software Assurance
You can get Software Assurance by including it with licenses acquired through the Open License for Academic and Select License for Academic licensing programs. For Campus Agreement and School Agreement licensing programs, all products covered by your subscription enrollment are automatically enrolled in Software Assurance for the designated term.
If you acquire software licenses through retail full-package product (FPP)* or from an original equipment manufacturer (OEM), you have 90 days to enroll these licenses in Software Assurance through the the Open License for Academic or Select License for Academic licensing programs.
*Licenses for desktop applications acquired through retail FPP may not be enrolled in Software Assurance. You may acquire upgrade licenses through the retail channel when you want to upgrade to a newer version of the software. Please see the Microsoft Volume Licensing Product List for more information.
How to activate your benefits
Your designated Software Assurance benefits administrator can activate and manage all of your benefits on the Microsoft Volume License Services (MVLS) Web site. Also, learn more about how to take advantage of the benefits Software Assurance provides across your organization.
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