Autodesk is a provider of 3D design, engineering, and entertainment software.

“Autodesk for Education” is Autodesk’s educational licensing program for students and instructors at accredited secondary and post-secondary schools in North America and many countries across the world. This program offers nearly all of Autodesk’s software products for free when used for purposes directly related to learning, teaching, training, or research and development as part of instructional functions. Free educational licensing for qualified uses can be obtained directly from Autodesk.

Any other use of Autodesk software, including work related to university facilities, requires a paid license.

Eligibility

Students and Instructors

Students and instructors can go to the Autodesk website to register as educational users, and may then use authorized Autodesk products at no cost. Under educational licensing, Autodesk products may ONLY be used for educational/instructional purposes or for noncommercial academic research. IT professionals who directly support instruction may also register as educational users and can install educational-use software onto Cornell-owned computers on behalf of instructors. For more information about the Autodesk for Education program, 

• Instructors: Educators' Guide to the Autodesk for Education Plan
• Students: Students' Guide to the Autodesk for Education Plan

Non-Educational Use (Nonacademic Employees)

Any use other than instruction, education, or noncommercial academic use requires a paid commercial-use license. Please contact CU Software to inquire about commercial licensing.

If you are not sure whether your use counts as educational, please see Autodesk's definitions. Be advised that authorized use of educational-licensed software will be held to Autodesk's standards and that unauthorized use of educational licensing may expose the University to civil liability.

Get a License

Students and Instructors

Cornell faculty, instructors, and currently registered students can register with the vendor to obtain free educational licensing for nearly any Autodesk product:

Autodesk Free Educational Software (link goes to Autodesk)

Non-Instructional Staff

To obtain a paid license for Autodesk software, please contact CIT.

Download & Installation

Products licensed through the Autodesk for Education program are available for direct download from the manufacturer’s website. For step-by-step download and installation instructions, please see How To Install Autodesk Software.

For paid licenses, download instructions will be provided as part of the purchasing process.