Microsoft announced that starting this Thursday, all college students in the United States can get a free year of Microsoft 365 Personal.

For everyone else, a yearly Microsoft 365 Personal subscription costs $99.99. It provides ransomware protection for photos and files stored on OneDrive, 1 TB of secure cloud storage, and can be used on up to five devices simultaneously.

As Microsoft President Brad Smith also revealed yesterday, students who claim their free subscription can also receive a 50% discount if they keep it after the first year.

“Today, we are making Microsoft 365 Personal free for 12 months to every college student in the United States,” Smith said. “This includes all students attending community colleges. Microsoft 365 Personal includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, and Outlook with Copilot, our AI assistant, built right in.”

The offer will be available until October 31, 2025, for university and college students in accredited institutions who want to upgrade their personal accounts, and it will require them to provide a valid university email address.

“Verify your student status by providing a school email account, enrollment details, school account, International Student Identity Card, verification code, or documentation such…