Microsoft Office 365 Education gives schools, colleges, universities, educators, and students a cloud-based foundation for teaching, learning, collaboration, and administration. It combines familiar Office applications with services such as Teams, Exchange Online, SharePoint, OneDrive, Forms, and OneNote.
The right licence depends on who needs access, whether desktop applications are required, how much security and compliance the institution needs, and whether devices or users are being licensed. This guide summarises the main education licence families currently documented by Microsoft.
What Office 365 Education includes
- Office applications and Microsoft 365 for the web, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote.
- Collaboration through Microsoft Teams, class notebooks, Forms, Planner, and shared files.
- Cloud services such as Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business, and Microsoft Stream.
- Education-focused capabilities including School Data Sync, learning tools, and classroom experiences in Teams.
- Higher-tier plans with additional desktop applications, management, security, compliance, analytics, and communications features.
Education licences available to purchase
The table below is a practical starting point for procurement. Microsoft eligibility, licensing terms, country availability, and pricing can vary, so a school or institution should confirm the current offer with Microsoft or an authorised licensing partner before ordering.
| Licence family | Typical fit | What it adds | Purchase status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Office 365 Education A1 | Eligible students, educators, and institutions needing core web-based services. | Web and mobile Office apps, Teams, OneDrive, Exchange Online, SharePoint, OneNote Class Notebook, Forms, and other core education services. | Microsoft donates A1 to eligible institutions at no cost. It is generally an eligibility-based benefit rather than a paid upgrade. |
| Office 365 Education A3 | Institutions that need a paid user subscription with desktop Office and broader service capabilities. | Everything in the A1 baseline plus Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise, richer Exchange and SharePoint capabilities, and additional meeting, compliance, and management features. | Paid user subscription available through Microsoft or a licensing partner, subject to education eligibility. |
| Office 365 Education A5 | Institutions with advanced security, compliance, analytics, communications, or governance requirements. | A3 capabilities plus selected advanced security, compliance, analytics, voice, and communications features. | Paid user subscription available through Microsoft or a licensing partner, subject to education eligibility. |
| Microsoft 365 Education A3 | Institutions seeking a broader user subscription that combines Office 365 with Windows and management capabilities. | Office 365 services plus Windows 11 Education or Enterprise rights, Microsoft Intune for Education, and additional security and compliance capabilities. | Paid user subscription available through Microsoft or a licensing partner, subject to education eligibility. |
| Microsoft 365 Education A5 | Institutions seeking the most comprehensive Microsoft education subscription. | A3 capabilities plus advanced security, compliance, analytics, identity, endpoint, and communications capabilities. | Paid user subscription available through Microsoft or a licensing partner, subject to education eligibility. |
| Microsoft 365 A1 for devices | Schools that want to license shared or institution-managed devices rather than individual users. | A device-based education solution with Microsoft 365 services, desktop application rights, and cloud management through Intune for Education, subject to the product terms. | Available as a one-time payment per device according to Microsoft’s licensing resource. |
Important: Student Use Benefits are not a separate licence family to purchase independently. They can provide eligible students with corresponding benefits when an institution licenses qualifying faculty or staff subscriptions. Microsoft also offers separate add-ons, including selected A5 security and compliance components, where the base subscription qualifies.
How to choose the right plan
- Start with eligibility. Confirm that the organisation qualifies as an educational institution and complete Microsoft’s verification process.
- Decide whether desktop apps are required. A1 is primarily web and mobile focused, while A3 and A5 provide broader desktop application rights.
- Separate user and device requirements. Shared computer labs and managed devices may need a device-based approach rather than a user-only subscription.
- Map security and compliance needs. Institutions handling sensitive student or research data may need the additional controls in Microsoft 365 A3 or A5.
- Check regional terms before purchase. Pricing, taxes, availability, terms, and calling features can vary by country and licensing channel.
Official Microsoft resources
- Office 365 Education overview, benefits, eligibility, and pricing guidance
- Compare Microsoft 365 Education plans
- Microsoft 365 Education service description and feature matrix
- Microsoft 365 Education licensing resource
Need help selecting an education licence?
Guava can help you assess eligibility, compare user and device licensing, and plan a secure Microsoft 365 education rollout.