Which Version of Microsoft Office 2010 is the Best Deal for Students?

We located Three Great Deals for Office 2010, available only to college and university students:

1.    JourneyEd: Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2010 for $79.95 (digital download)
2.    JourneyEd: Office Professional Academic 2010 for $99.95 (physical media)
3.    Buy Office Professional Academic 2010 at the Microsoft Store for only $99.95. Students Only! Click Here

If you’re a college student interested in purchasing Microsoft office 2010, you might be bewildered by the different options available to you.

The Many Versions Of Office 2010

Get an academic discount on Office 2010

With Microsoft’s latest release of their flagship application suite—Office 2010—Microsoft has tried to simplify their office product line; currently they list several editions of Office on their website.

In this article, we’ll tell you which versions of Office students should avoid …and which version of Office to buy— if you want the best value for your money.

Versions of Office 2010 College Students Should Avoid

Office 2010 Home and Student
Includes 4 programs: Word 2010, Excel 2010, PowerPoint 2010, OneNote 2010
Suggested Price $149.99

 

Office 2010 Home and BusinessOffice 2010 Home and Business
Includes 5 programs: Word 2010, Excel 2010, PowerPoint 2010, OneNote 2010, Outlook 2010
Suggested Price: $279.99

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Office 2010 ProfessionalOffice 2010 Professional
Includes 7 programs: Word 2010, Excel 2010, PowerPoint 2010, OneNote 2010, Outlook 2010, Access 2010, Publisher 2010
Suggested Price: $499.99

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There is nothing wrong with the editions of Office 2010 listed above, except the price. All three of these versions of office are available to the general public, and can be purchased at retail locations or online. For example, here’s a recent snapshot of the most popular Office 2010 products Amazon.com:

The Office 2010 Store at Amazon

The Office 2010 Store at Amazon

As you can see, the prices on Amazon have been discounted… But you can do better!

College Students Get Special Discounts

College students are able to buy through special academic channels, and get all seven components of Office 2010 Professional, for a much lower price than the minimalHome and Student” version sold in stores.

More Choices. Lower Prices.

Here are three offers, with prices prices ranging from $79.95 – $99.95. Any of these should meet the needs of most students; all of them include Word 2010, Excel 2010, PowerPoint 2010, OneNote 2010, Outlook 2010, Access 2010, Publisher 2010.

Students attending colleges and universities which participate in a special licensing program with Microsoft can purchase Microsoft Office Professional Plus 2010 for $79.95 – this offer is available through select academic retailers, such as JourneyEd. Visit JourneyEd to see if your school qualifies.

Office 2010 Professional AcademicStudents attending college or university in the United States can qualify to purchase Microsoft Office Professional Academic 2010 for $79.95 (purchasing online from Microsoft and obtaining their software through immediate digital download). View this offer to see if you qualify

Students who wish to have their software on physical media, rather than rely on digital download, may be interested in purchasing Office Professional Academic 2010 for $99.95 from JourneyEd. JourneyEd special pricing: Office Professional Academic 2010 for $99.95

Buying from either Microsoft or JourneyEd will ensure that you are obtaining legitimate, licensed versions of Microsoft Office 2010. Both of these sellers are affiliate sponsors of this site. JourneyEd is one of the oldest and most trusted academic retailers on the Internet.

Sources:
Microsoft.com: “Microsoft Software License Terms for Microsoft Office 2010
Microsoft.com: “Which suite is right for you?
Microsoft.com: “Office 2010 Frequently Asked Questions

The Lowest Academic Price on Microsoft Office 2010

US - Microsoft - 180x150College students save money on popular software by taking advantage of big academic discounts. In this post, we’ll explain how to get the best deal on Office Professional Academic 2010, for only $79.95.

Microsoft Office 2010 is the leading suite of productivity applications, and the favored choice among students and businesses.

Fact: According to Forrester Research, 80% of enterprise customers use Microsoft Office, and only 8 percent use alternatives (like StarOffice, Google Apps, etc.) Source: PCWorld.com

Student Save Money with Academic Discounts

Student Save up to 85% with Academic Discounts

Many students know that Microsoft Office skills can help them in their job search after graduation. And buying software before graduation saves money. So, students often ask, “Where is the best place to get the lowest academic price on Microsoft Office 2010?”

According to Microsoft, the suggested retail price for Office Professional Academic is $99 —  an amazing price for such a powerful software suite. But a lower price is available. For those who just want the link, here it is…

Students Only – Microsoft Office Professional Academic 2010 for $79.95 Buy Now!

$79.95 is  best price we have seen is for Professional Grade Office …a price available to any student with an email address from a US college or university. This is a legitimate deal from Microsoft itself (hosted on microsoft.com servers).

Now, if want more facts before you buy, we’ll give you some information about the what you get, the purchase process and your options.

What Office applications are included?

There are a number of versions of Microsoft Office 2010 on the market. Typically, the preferred version is Microsoft Office Professional, which includes:

  • Word 2010
  • Excel® 2010
  • PowerPoint® 2010
  • Access® 2010
  • OneNote® 2010
  • Outlook® 2010
  • Publisher 2010

The full retail version of this product has a suggested retail price of $499. However, the academic version contains all the same programs, and has a suggested retail price of $99.

However, the best deal available, just for college students, is only $79.95 (for qualifying students who choose instant delivery by digital download).

Office2010 Academic Best Price

Will your computer support Office 2010?

Before you buy, you’ll want to make sure that you have a computer capable of supporting the latest version of Microsoft Office. According to Microsoft, Office 2010 requires one of the following operating systems:

  • Windows XP (must have SP3) (32-bit)
  • Windows 7
  • Windows Vista with Service Pack (SP) 1
  • Windows Server 2003 R2 with MSXML 6.0 (32-bit Office only)
  • Windows Server 2008

If your computer is relatively new, and you have one of the operating systems listed above, you should have no problem. If your not sure, be sure to check Microsoft’s website for the official Microsoft Office 2010 system requirements

Which students are eligible for the special price?

This offer is available only to college students who attend an educational institution geographically located in the United States.

The easiest way to qualify for the offer is to use a student e-mail account ending in EDU – although students without an official college e-mail account may be eligible if they attend a pre-qualified institution. In addition, students must be actively enrolled in at least 0.5 course credit and be able to provide proof of enrollment upon request. For complete details, please see the official terms and conditions.

When will you get your new Office 2010 software?

How about today! After purchase, the software is available immediately through digital download. You should have a fast Internet connection for the download… DSL or Cable Modem internet are fine, but downloading through a modem connection is not a good idea. You can also obtain the software on optical media for an additional $13.00 — as protection against future hard drive failure.

To activate your new software you will need your personal product key, which you will receive by email at the EDU email address used to verify your eligibility. Be sure to make backups of both the product key and the downloaded setup file, in case you ever need to re-install your software.

Worth a look…

Students who don’t qualify for the offer described above should check out our sponsor JourneyEd, the leading vendor of academic discount software on the Internet, offering Microsoft Office Pro 2010 as low as 79.98.

FYI: JourneyEd’s lowest price may only be available to students who participate in a special licensing program with Microsoft: Student Select and Student Select Plus. Students from schools that don’t participate in that program can buy Office Professional Academic 2010 for a slightly higher price. Benefits of shopping with JourneyEd include a wide selection of software and discounts, the ability to qualify without an official school email address, and customer support by telephone or Internet.

Sources and Notes

PCWorld: “Forrester: Microsoft Office in No Danger From Competitors”
Microsoft: Microsoft Office 2010 system requirements
Wikipedia: Microsoft Office 2010

The special student discount described in this article is made available as an official Microsoft promotion through Digital River. All prices are in US dollars. The terms and conditions of this offer may change at any time. Digital River is an affiliate sponsor of this site.