YouTube Premium provides a Student Discount at 6.99 USD per month. And the best part? It offers a one-month free trial prior to that.
So, if you’re curious about the benefits that the platform provides, then you have come to the right place. But first…
YouTube Premium is a subscription-based service that adds several features to the basic YouTube experience. It debuted as “Music Key” in 2014 and, as with many Google services, was eventually rebranded to YouTube Red before arriving at its current name.
Unlike Spotify or Apple Music, YouTube Premium is not a dedicated music streaming platform. Rather, it is a multifaceted offering that boasts a number of small benefits to improve your YouTube experience. This includes ad-free YouTube video and YouTube Music streaming, offline playback, and access to exclusive, paywalled content.
Benefits of YouTube Premium
YouTube Premium comes with a slew of benefits, which include:
Ad-free viewing
As mentioned above, a YouTube Premium subscription removes all advertisements from YouTube. This includes both banner ads and video ads (whether you’re in a desktop browser or on mobile) and extends to the YouTube Music app. For many, the default ad load isn’t too heavy, but YouTube brass has let on that those who “use YouTube like a paid music service” might encounter increased ad density.
Ad-free viewing extends to any platform on which you use YouTube Premium, including the web, smartphones, Roku, or any other streaming device.
YouTube Originals
YouTube Originals is technically obsolete insofar as you shouldn’t expect to see any new content under that branding. The YouTube Originals channel still remains, however, with more than 6.7 million subscribers and a host of shows and various other videos.
YouTube Music Premium
Originally, a YouTube Premium subscription got you access to Google Play Music, but Google has streamlined its music offerings down to just YouTube Music. With YouTube Premium, you’ll also get access to YouTube Music Premium (normally $10 per month). Like YouTube Premium, YouTube Music Premium offers ad-free playback, offline viewing, and background play on mobile.
Offline viewing
You can download videos (and whole playlists) for offline viewing with YouTube Premium, a very useful feature for plane flights (or, really, any time you want to save mobile data or expect to have poor service). You will need to have a fair bit of free space on your phone, but downloading songs via YouTube Music instead of the default YouTube app mitigates this to a degree.
Background play on mobile
With a YouTube Premium subscription, you can lock your phone (or switch to a different app), and videos will continue to play in the background. This is a nice feature for listening to podcasts and the like or if you just want to listen to a song but can’t find it on any other platform. It works in the YouTube app and the YouTube Music app.
How much does YouTube Premium cost?
An individual plan is $14 per month after a one-month trial, after seeing a $2 increase in July 2023. Previously, in October 2022, YouTube informed subscribers that the price of a family plan would increase from $18 per month to $23 per month.
Family plans allow up to six accounts total, so it’s still a budget-friendly offering if you’re sharing it with friends or actual family members. Students can also subscribe to YouTube Premium for $7, although they’ll need to verify their student status once a year.
If you are interested in YouTube’s original programming, YouTube Originals are free to watch and are also ad-free for Premium subscribers. However, non-premium subscribers can still watch YouTube Originals free with ads.
What Is YouTube Premium Student Discount?
Budget is always an issue in a student’s life. This is why YouTube introduced a student discount for students enrolled in eligible universities to gain more student users to use YouTube Premium. With YouTube Premium Student, you get all the perks of YouTube Premium but at discounted rates.
You can get the YouTube premium student discount if you are a student at $6.99 per month. However, it would help to verify first that you are an eligible student. The verification has to be done once a year.
Students get a 1-month free trial and pay about half of the monthly subscription amount. The membership includes the same benefits as a non-discounted membership. Members get access to both YouTube and YouTube Music Premium, ad-free videos and music, video, and music downloads for offline viewing and listening.
They can also play videos in the background while using other apps or when the screen is locked.
YouTube uses a service called SheerID to confirm eligibility. You can check if your school is included by going to the student membership landing page for YouTube Premium or YouTube Music Premium.
- On the landing page, click TRY IT FREE.
- A message will pop up warning that you’ll be redirected to SheerID for verification. Click CONTINUE.
- Fill in your country, university (options will populate as you type), first and last name, date of birth, and email address. Check the box to agree to the verification process.
- Click NEXT.
- Sometimes SheerID needs more information like a scan of your student ID, transcript, or other documentation from your university. Upload the files and click SUBMIT. YouTube says you’ll get an email notification about your status within 20 minutes if you live in the U.S., and within 48 hours if you live elsewhere.
- If the verification is successful, SheerID will redirect you back to the YouTube Premium sign-up page. You might need to log into your YouTube account.
- Click your profile picture.
- Select Paid memberships and follow the on-screen prompts.
- Click LEARN MORE.
- Choose a payment method or add a new one. Click START 1-MONTH TRIAL. After the first month, YouTube will start billing you.
YouTube offers two payment plans for students, so you can choose the payment plan that works best for you.
The first is the Student Plan, which costs only $6.99 a month. It offers all the features of YouTube Premium, such as ad-free videos, background play, offline downloads, and YouTube Music.
The second option is the Student Plan with Spotify Premium, which costs $9.99 a month. This plan offers all the features of the Student Plan plus access to Spotify Premium. This means you get unlimited skips, ad-free listening, and high-quality streaming.
Students can sign up for a YouTube Music Premium or YouTube Premium membership at a discount. Students must be enrolled full-time at an eligible higher education institution in the U.S. and 60-plus other countries to qualify. The discounted subscriptions are valid for up to four years, and students must re-verify their eligibility each year.
A company called SheerID does the verification. Sometimes, SheerID will ask you for additional verification documents to confirm your student status, like an email address from your educational institute, scans of your student ID, and possibly the confirmation of the enrolment letter.
The YouTube Premium Student discount is only available if you attend an eligible school and is limited to four years total. Whichever comes first—graduation or four years in school—is when your discount expires.
YouTube requires that you verify your student status once a year by repeating the process above. When you no longer qualify, you can opt to pay the full price for a premium account or cancel your subscription. If you don’t verify your account again every year (up to a maximum of four years), your YouTube Premium account will revert to the basic plan.
Students indeed get discounts on YouTube Premium. However, they need to study at a reputed firm. Moreover, it should be Sheer ID approved and needs to be located in an area where YouTube Premium offers Student Discounts.
YouTube Premium costs $6.99 for Students.
There are a few benefits with a YouTube Premium Student plan, such as the aforementioned removal of all adverts. You can also download videos to watch offline, have YouTube play in the background even when you open other apps, plus the package includes a subscription to YouTube Music Premium so you can download songs and albums from a selection of millions of tracks.
The only way to get a discount is by using a VPN. And that’s because some regions offer discounts whereas some don’t. So by using VPN, you will be able to verify which region is offering a discount and hence, subscribe to that plan.
You can get a free year of YouTube Premium by using the Unlimited Premium Plus Plan.
- No Ads: Using YouTube Premium, you would not face advertisements on any video. And not only on your Android, but you will also not get any ads on any device where you have logged into your Google account.
- Download Videos: Videos can be downloaded, and either individual videos or entire playlists can be saved for offline viewing on a mobile device.
- Youtube Music: Access to YouTube Music Premium and all of its features is included in your subscription.
- Background Play: If you’re using a mobile device, the video’s audio will keep playing in the background, even when you’ve exited the app or your screen is off. That will allow you to use other apps while listening to YouTube videos.
- Access to YouTube Originals: You may watch movies, TV episodes, documentaries, and more created exclusively on YouTube, known as ”YouTube Originals.”
Is YouTube Premium worth it?
All streaming services have different values for different people. If you’re not a big YouTube consumer, you don’t need YouTube Premium — especially if you’re already happily subscribed to Spotify or Apple Music and don’t need the YouTube Music bonus.
But if you use YouTube religiously, have specific creators you love, and want to consume as much original content as you can, the $12-per-month price tag might be worth it. It’s about the same as most traditional streaming services, after all. Plus, you can cut down on the price by splitting a $23-per-month family plan with just one other person.
In conclusion
Getting a YouTube Premium student discount is relatively easy. Follow the steps outlined above, and you’ll be able to enjoy all of the features of the paid subscription but at a reduced cost. So, if you’re a student and spend a lot of time on YouTube, sign up for a student account today and start enjoying premium features.
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