Want a complimentary copy of Microsoft Office?

It’s an essential for practically every degree.

Being able to create word documents, spreadsheets, or presentations on your own computer saves you from the dreaded alternative: braving the library and hoping you find a space.

Now, there are no excuses not to have Microsoft Office on your laptop. Many UK universities have a Microsoft licence which allows them to give their students complimentary access to the “Pro Plus” version of Microsoft Office (which contains Word, Excel, Powerpoint and a whole lot more): all you need to do is ask your IT department how to download it.

While most unis have made the availability of a complimentary copy of Office known to their students, there’s a chance you’re reading this completely clueless that you have the right to software normally worth £60 a year.

If you haven’t been told how to get your hands on it, either they haven’t got round to telling you or you missed the initial announcement. Get in touch with your IT department and they should be able to help. If necessary, point them to the Microsoft website.

Microsoft Office 365 ProPlus Benefit for Students contains a full version of Office and can be downloaded on up to five Windows PCs or Macs and five tablets. That’s more than enough to cover both uni and home twice over. You can also get the mobile app on five different smartphones too.

You’ll also be able to use OneDrive, which allows you to store your files in the cloud and access them wherever you are. Gone are the days of rushing round campus with a USB stick trying to find a printer for your essay!

What do I get with the free subscription?

The full professional stack of Microsoft technologies, all in their latest versions.

Word

We don’t need to tell you what Word is, or how to use it. This is where your greatest essay breakthroughs and lowest moments of writer’s block will happen.

Excel

Few people properly understand it, but everyone uses it. Even if you’re one of the many who never bothered to learn how formulas and macros work, you’ll need to use Excel at some point.

Powerpoint

Animations! Sure there’s more to this presentation software than that, but we know all you’re really interested in is making your text spin, dissolve, and rotate. Once you’ve got past that stage though, you’ll do neat, punchy presentations that grab attention.

Lync

IM your friends and have video conferences wherever you are, making sure those group projects get done even if one of you can’t get out of bed.

Yammer

All the perks of using social media, but specifically geared towards enterprise. If you’re an aspiring entrepreneur or part of a society, you’ll wonder how you ever managed without this software.

OneNote

OneNote is a hidden gem. Start using it regularly and you’ll soon wonder how you ever did without it. You can use it for everything – note taking, collecting pictures and audio together, assembling a virtual ring binder. Use this when you’re planning a dissertation, and instead of ending up with a hopeless stack of notes, photocopies and references, you’ll know where everything is.

Outlook

Efficient, business-like and free email with lots of storage space.

OneDrive for Business

Never lose any of your work again. Forget memory sticks and excessive printing. Put everything, including your pictures and video, into OneDrive. If you like you can share anything with whoever you want, and then work on stuff together.

Publisher

Perfect for that society newsletter, political pamphlet, or nightclub flyer you’re planning on handing out round campus.

Access

Databases. We won’t pretend to know all the ins and outs of this stuff, but we remember covering it in IT lessons at school and having our minds blown. And there are lots of courses out there where Access will come into its own.