Student and Teacher Discounts on News Subscriptions

Restaurant deals and concert tickets are simple: most offer a distinct student price there and then. But newspaper subscriptions are a different challenge. It also depends on what you need. Then you can check institutional access.

If your college already pays for institutional subscriptions, getting access can be as simple as signing in with your campus credentials. But this is limited to on-campus use, and that license can expire at any time. Time-limited student deals, on the other hand, let you craft your own access — you pay for the subscription, your status is verified, and you can use it anywhere, although the annual deal typically includes auto-renewal at the standard rate.

Two Different Ways Students Get Access

Newspapers typically offer discounted subscriptions directly to students, whether verified by a student ID, school email, or a third-party service, separate from their institution-subscription deals. Some major papers, such as The Wall Street Journal, are available starting as low as $4 per month. Others are offered through student-deals firms, like The Guardian and The Times on Student Beans.

But many institutions also pay for campus access options, which may include subscriptions to one or more major papers. Students can often get access to these news subscriptions on campus by logging in with their school credentials. Since this service is centrally paid for by the institution, not you, you don't get billed.

How Verification Works

• You start the subscription process, enter your details to subscribe, and provide billing information
• Sometimes, the student subscription is billed up front at regular rates, sometimes it's billed at the student rate up front
• After your subscription status is verified, their system updates your subscription and charges or credits the difference

The verification itself, when the publisher isn't doing it directly, usually means using 3rd party. Student Beans and UniDays are widely used for these deals, as is SheerID. If you'd like to know more about the process, you could look up The Wall Street Journal's page for checking your student rate, or check out this article about The Economist's student pages.

How Long the Deal Lasts

Student deals for newspapers typically last at least a year, and often renew after that. Exactly how that works depends on the title.

Some student subscriptions, such as the ones through Student Beans, seem to come up once a year, you just resubscribe.

Who Qualifies

As you'd expect, student deals are usually limited strictly to students. If a page or offer says "student deals", you should verify your student rate.

Some deals have their own eligible student groups. Student Beans, for example, says its discount is for "students over 16". The Economist's student subscription also states "16" and up, although The source does not mention a photo ID requirement.

Inside Higher Ed is specifically for those affiliated with higher education, so again, it's not meant for all students. It can also be used by an institution, which is nice as a bonus as it's not tied up in a single institution's subscription.

Finally, when it comes to the publisher's own site, terms can vary. Some are for students only, as with The Economist's, while others, like The Times on Student Beans, may also be available to teachers.

Where to Look First

While we couldn't verify a publisher directly telling their readers to check campus access first, before you go out and opt into one of those offers. If your IT department has a solution, use it. It gives you free stuff, it's good

Many publishers have a dedicated page for their newspaper's deal for students, with guidance on getting that discounted subscription. If your school facilitated that, your publisher should explain to use that route.

Examples of Major Papers

The Wall Street Journal student offer is a digital subscription that provides unlimited access to WSJ.com and the WSJ app. It's priced at $4/month, but students must first sign up, enter their email and billing information, and then verify their student status after the subscription is confirmed. for students over 16 is available for an annual fee of $74.75. The subscription includes auto-renewal and can be canceled at any time by the student.

Through campus IT systems, Students who have access to their campus IT systems can also access multiple newspapers as part of a Student Beans subscription. The Guardian, for example, is available for £9/year annually, while The Times offers a three-year student subscription at £9.99 per year, with price changes communicated 30 days in advance.

If your institution takes advantage of its deals, those deals are usually free of charge for students. Students are able to access these newspapers on campus simply by logging in with their school credentials. However, it's important to note that this access is typically limited to on-campus use and the duration of the institutional subscription.

These are verifiable ways to get newspaper subscriptions for students. Some institutions grant student subscriptions by purchasing institutional subscriptions, which are free for students but limited to on-campus. Other publishers offer direct discounted subscriptions that students can take out with verification, often involving a third party.