From public transit and music streaming to CAD software, many companies offer free or hugely discounted services or software to university students that could help you save hundreds of dollars. It’s usually super easy to get these discounts – all you need is your University of Toronto email or TCard. Regardless of what you’re buying, always check for any discounts for (U of T) students.
Free Software
For a complete list, check out this U of T Libraries site.
AutoDesk is a company that provides various computer software for engineering, such as AutoCAD. To access these products for free, go to this AutoDesk page, select your desired software, and follow the instructions given.
U of T provides Microsoft 365 for free. This gives you access to programs like Microsoft Teams, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, and more, along with 1 TB of OneDrive storage. Once you have installed Microsoft 365 with your U of T account, you’ll be able to access all these programs both online and offline. To install it, check out the Microsoft support page.
MATLAB is a programming language for numerical computation and mathematical visualization. You will learn MATLAB in ESC103, and will most likely use it in CIV102 and many upper-year courses. By creating an account with your U of T email account, you can download the newest version of the software for free. You will also have access to the online version of MATLAB and MATLAB Drive.
Mathematica is like MATLAB for computer algebra instead of linear algebra; you can use it for numeric methods, symbolic computation, and more! By creating an account with your U of T email account, you get access to both Mathematica Desktop and Mathematica Online.
In programming, an integrated development environment (IDE) is a digital environment where you can code, with various features. JetBrains makes IDEs for different programming languages, including Python and C which you’ll use in first year. To access their products for free, all you need to do is register your account with your U of T email.
Certain classes will provide you with licenses to obtain specific software for free. You will first encounter this in Praxis II; in the second half of the course, the teaching team will provide you with a license for Onshape (a cloud-based CAD software). Some upper-year courses with specific software requirements will give you licenses.
Engineering design teams often provide various software licenses for their members to use for free. Examples include Altium, Ansys, Fusion 360, SOLIDWORKS, and much more! For more information, reach out to your (sub)team leads.
ECF computers have extra software for student use. All engineering undergraduate students can access these computer labs 24/7 (in-person labs may be affected by closures, but remote access is always available). This will be very useful in classes such as ESC190, where you might need to use certain software such as Valgrind (which can be very tricky to configure on your own computer). To access the free software hosted on ECF computers, go to the U of T Engineering remote access information page. Sign in with your UTORID and password, just like when you sign in to computers on campus. From there, you can see all the applications hosted on the computer and can use them freely.
General Student Discounts
These products/services relate to daily expenses and recreation.
Public transit services often offer discounts for students. For example, the TTC Post-Secondary Monthly Pass offers unlimited travel on the TTC for $128.15 per month. Here’s how you can apply for a GO Student ID. Check your transit provider’s website for more details.
Some subscription-based services, such as streaming services, offer significant student discounts. Examples Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube Premium, and Amazon Prime. To find more platforms which offer student discounts, read this article by Rolling Stone.
In addition to regular back-to-school sales, tons of technology companies offer huge student deals on personal technology such as laptops, tablets, and more. For example, here are Apple’s student deals. Furthermore, check with your cellular provider to see if you can get a student discount on your phone plan.
Various restaurants/grocery stores will have student discounts; you just need to ask! They’ll probably ask to see your student ID, so make sure to always carry your TCard.
Theatres, concerts, sporting events, and museums might offer student discounts; make sure to check before you book!