Why You Can Trust CNET Best Streaming Deals for Students on Hulu, Spotify and More
Here are some deals students should know about.
Streaming service price hikes are happening all around, but there's good news for students. Entertainment-seeking pupils may be able to take advantage of deals that keep the cost of streaming low.
Services like Peacock and Amazon Music Unlimited provide discounts for students who qualify, and students may be eligible for bundles of multiple services, such as the combo Spotify and Hulu or Apple Music and Apple TV Plus. While offers for eligible high schoolers are out there, post-high school students appear to have the most opportunities to score.
If you plan to stream during the school year, see if you qualify for one of these deals.
You can add two popular streaming choices to your roster for just $6 a month with Spotify's Premium Student offer. The deal combines Spotify Premium and Hulu's ad-supported plan, which normally cost $11 and $8 a month, respectively. You need to be a student above the age of 18 who is "enrolled at a US Title IV accredited college or university" to qualify, and Spotify works with a third party called SheerID to verify that you're eligible.
You will need to verify eligibility every 12 months, with the offer available for a total of four years. In addition, new Spotify Premium subscribers may qualify for a free month. Full details can be found at Spotify's site.
Only have your eye on Hulu? Eligible students can get the ad-supported plan for $2 per month. To qualify, you must be enrolled in a graduate or advanced degree program at a Title IV accredited college or university in the US. Hulu uses Sheer ID to verify academic eligibility. More details can be found here.
Get access to Peacock's ad-supported tier for just $2 per month for 12 months with a student discount. Peacock Premium typically costs $6 per month. The offer is available to students 18 years or older enrolled in an undergraduate or advanced degree program at a Title IV-accredited school in the US.
Eligibility is verified through Sheer ID, and the deal can be renewed annually if students meet the criteria. New or existing Peacock subscribers can redeem the offer.
Amazon's Prime Student membership is a route for higher education students wanting to get Prime Video, Prime Music and free, two-day shipping on eligible purchases, among other perks. It's $7.50 per month, half the monthly cost of an ordinary Prime membership. Prime Video on its own is typically $9 per month. Students may qualify for a six-month free trial.
Regular Prime members can become student members, but Prime Student members are unable to share their benefits. See more details on how to join at the link below.
Paramount Plus provides a 25% student discount on its $6 per month ad-supported Essential plan that is good for four years, regardless of whether you graduate early. You must be enrolled in an accredited, Title IV higher education institution. To sign up, Paramount Plus will verify your student credentials through Sheer ID.
The offer cannot be applied to the Paramount Plus' plan with Showtime. Those with existing Paramount Plus subscriptions must cancel and resubscribe to get the deal.
Two streamers for the price of one student subscription? That's the deal Apple currently has on the table. An Apple Music student subscription costs $6 per month (in comparison, an individual subscription is $11 per month), and Apple currently throws in Apple TV Plus as well.
Student verification is done through UNiDAYS. Apple explains more about who's eligible for the subscription on its website.
College and high school students may be eligible get a discounted subscription to Tidal. For students who qualify, a HiFi subscription costs $5 per month instead of the typical $11 per month, and a HiFi Plus subscription costs $10 per month rather than $20.
High school students must be at least 16 years old and in the US to qualify. Tidal uses SheerID to verify elibility, and students are required to reverify every 12 months. Find out more at Tidal's website.
Amazon Music Prime (or Prime Music), which comes with a Prime membership, doesn't offer the same experience as the Amazon Music Unlimited tier of Amazon's music service. For example, Prime Music lets you "shuffle play any artist, album or playlist" and choose songs from "All-Access Playlists," but the latter tier is needed to pick and play any song you want. An Individual Music Unlimited plan usually costs $9 per month if you're a Prime member and $11 per month if you're not.
Amazon says you "must be enrolled at an accredited college or university to qualify" for the Music Unlimited student plan, which costs $6 per month outside of a 30-day free trial.