16 Companies Offering Free or Discounted Services to College Students During COVID-19
There’s no doubt that 2020 is one of the most challenging years to be a college student in recent history: Classes have switched to online, graduations are now virtual, some internship programs have been canceled, and unemployment is at an all-time high. Luckily, some companies are stepping in to offer free or discounted services—from coding classes to WiFi—to current college students or recent grads struggling with remote learning and a tumultuous job market. Here’s a sampling of what’s out there.
Many digital media students are only able to use editing tools like Photoshop and Premiere Pro through their school’s computer labs. But now, they can get free, at-home access to Adobe’s full suite of Creative Cloud products up to July 6 or until in-person classes return, whichever comes first.
Students hoping to not lose their language skills over the summer or use their free time to learn a new one can get a month of the language-learning app for free. You can even try to use that time to become a polyglot—participants aren’t limited to one language.
While the job market for most industries looks bleak, tech is expected to continue its exponential growth. To help those struggling with employment due to COVID-19, including recent graduates looking for a more stable career, CodeUp will be offering scholarships for its 20-week data and web-development bootcamp. The best part? If you don’t get a job in your field afterward, the company will refund any money you did pay.
Through June 1, the internet company is offering all eligible college students who sign up for Xfinity WiFi a $150 Visa gift card. In addition, it will provide free access to its 1.5 million Xfinity hotspots around the country, as well as free internet for 60 days to low-income households through its Internet Essentials program. While the latter two are not specific to college students, the promotions can help those struggling to complete remote learning or online internships at a time when libraries and other public spaces remain closed. The company has also vowed to not disconnect internet services due to late payments for those affected by COVID-19.
The online-learning giant is offering free access to its 3,800 courses, specializations, and professional certificates from top institutions to any university impacted by COVID-19 through July 31. Students can ask a professor, department head, or university administrator to enroll their school through the company’s email form, or take advantage of one of its 115 free certificate courses in topics such as psychology, public health, and preparing for interviews.
The digital academic journal is allowing free, expanded access to its archive—including 35,000 books and unlicensed collections—to students from its associated institutions so they can continue their scientific pursuits from home. Even students whose schools don’t provide them with a JSTOR account will see their online article limit expanded from six to 100 per month, as well as the ability to read 26 journal archives in public health and more than 6,000 papers related to COVID-19 for free.
The video-conferencing app is now offering their Pro version, which allows for features like HD recording and use of a drawing tool, for free to teachers and students at any university to help with remote learning.
To help students stay connected with peers, network, and continue involvement in campus clubs, Meetup is offering college students a free 6-month subscription so they can organize an online Meetup group for free. Students can start a group based on their interests, and Meetup finds passionate people to show up online.
The nonprofit has now expanded its eligibility criteria to allow college students whose schools are closed due to the pandemic to receive free or low-cost computers and other technology.
Higher education students cut off from their print textbooks can now access Perlego’s library of over 300,000 e-textbooks for six weeks, free of charge.
Skillshare is offering a free, two-month premium trial for classes from professionals in fields such as illustration, business, design, and photography, so students whose summer classes or internships were cancelled can develop a side-hustle or even a new career.
Until July 31, the online-learning platform will provide its courses—many of which can be applied for college credit—to students whose schools have closed because of COVID-19 for free. Offerings range from accounting to statistics to art history.
Through June 30, the internet provider is offering free access to WiFi for any qualifying college student households. It will also waive any installation or pre-payment fees.
In addition to increasing data allowances for students using its EmpoweredED online learning platform, the mobile carrier will provide free unlimited high-speed smartphone data to all existing customers as well as an extra 10 gigabytes of wireless hotspot data through June 30.
For recent grads looking to diversify their resumé with employable skills, Udacity is offering one month of access to its nanodegree programs in subjects such as artificial intelligence, data management, and programming.
Until June 20, the video game software development company is providing its Unity Learn Premium program—which includes interaction lessons and tutorials for learning game development—for free.
With these resources, time off from school doesn’t have to be time out from learning. Whether it’s gaining highly employable skills, taking remote classes, or diving deep into a passion, these companies are providing students with the tools they need to succeed, even in the midst of a global crisis.
