Qualified students can get SOLIDWORKS Design Standard for Students free for one year on a Windows PC, then sign up again while still eligible. I'd ask the school about home access first: it may already provide Premium at no extra cost. Without that access, free Standard covers the core work of making parts and assemblies. You can create drawings with it too. Paid Premium adds tools such as Simulation, CAM and rendering, plus CSWA and CSWP certification attempts.
Ask the school before buying a student license
A school or university with a SOLIDWORKS institution license may give eligible students a fuller desktop license for their own computer. The student offers page directs you to check with the institution; the free Standard FAQ specifically recommends using school-provided Premium when you already have it.
Ask your course leader or IT desk which package and desktop release the course uses, whether home access is included, and how to obtain it. If the school supplies a serial number or download ID, follow its instructions. The Community Download form has a route for a serial beginning with 9020 and a field for an SDK-ID, SEK-ID or trial code. That form is a download route for an entitlement you already have; it doesn't make a commercial license free.
| Route | When to choose it | Cost and access | Computer |
|---|---|---|---|
| School-provided home access | Your institution includes it and supplies the package your course needs | No extra cost to eligible students; confirm the school's terms | Desktop SOLIDWORKS needs Windows |
| Design Standard for Students | Individual learning with parts, assemblies, drawings, sheet metal and weldments | Free for one year; eligible students can sign up again | One Windows PC |
| Design Premium for Students | You need additional desktop tools or the included CSWA/CSWP attempts | US$60 a year, excluding local taxes | One Windows PC |
| xDesign for Students | Your course accepts a separate browser CAD workflow | US$60 a year, excluding local taxes | Browser on a Mac, Chromebook, tablet or Windows PC |
The official student offers list those US single-user prices; the cart supplies local pricing. xDesign is a separate product with cloud storage. Before paying for it, ask the instructor whether its file workflow meets the assignment, especially when classmates must continue editing native desktop parts or assemblies.
Check eligibility and the work you are allowed to do
The free-license form defines a qualified student as someone currently enrolled in a formal educational institution at secondary or post-secondary level. Use your current school details. A former student or an unenrolled hobbyist shouldn't claim student status to obtain this offer.
Age needs a separate check. The form allows applicants aged 13 to 17 with a parent or legal guardian involved, while the linked Free SOLIDWORKS Student License Agreement defines its customer as at least 18. If you're under 18, involve your parent or guardian and confirm the applicable arrangement with SOLIDWORKS before accepting the agreement. The two statements shouldn't be treated as interchangeable.
This is a license for personal learning under an educational institution's supervision. The agreement excludes commercial work, consulting, work for hire and corporate or government internships; it also excludes using this individual offering to deliver instruction. Schools should use the EDU Edition for classrooms and labs. Any educational watermark applied to the output must stay in place.
The form's educational-use confirmation also excludes commercial or research applications. Don't assume that being enrolled makes a paid client part, a product for sale or a research project eligible. For an internship, the SkillForce program is a separate route: accepted interns and co-op students can receive access for the internship's duration.
Choose Standard or Premium by what the assignment requires
Free Standard's desktop workflow lets you model parts and assemblies. It also covers 2D drawings, sheet metal and weldments. For a bracket assignment that ends with a part and its drawing, that's the work that matters. Its feature and offer FAQ excludes the separate Simulation and CAM products. Visualize and certification vouchers are excluded too; the installation guide also explicitly excludes add-ins such as Toolbox.
Premium's offer lists structural, flow and plastics simulation. Photorealistic rendering is included, and CAM covers 2.5- and 3-axis work. The free-offer comparison describes routing for pipes and tubes; it covers cables too. It also lists advanced surface flattening. The desktop suite includes Electrical and Visualize; Composer is listed too. If a course grades a Simulation study or CAM toolpath, confirm the precise product it requires before choosing a package.
I'd consider Premium for certification alone when the school provides no exam access. The student certification details put a separate exam attempt at US$99 and include two attempts, CSWA and CSWP, with Premium. At the listed US$60 annual student price, Premium costs less than one separate attempt. Check what your school supplies before paying twice.
Check the Windows computer and desktop release
Standard and Premium for Students are installed desktop products with a machine-locked license for a single device. Their supported platform is Windows PC. For SOLIDWORKS 2026, the system requirements list Windows 11 64-bit on an x86_64 Intel or AMD processor, 16 GB of RAM with 32 GB recommended, and certified graphics and drivers. Windows Home editions and Windows To Go are excluded. SSD storage is recommended.
Use the requirements column for the release your school supplies. Windows 10 support ends with SOLIDWORKS 2025 SP5; that doesn't make it a supported operating system for 2026. A Mac has no native SOLIDWORKS Design application. Browser-based xDesign can fit a Mac, but only when the course accepts that different product and file workflow.
Get the free license through the student form
Use the official free student sign-up form. Have an email address you can receive mail at and the name of the school where you're enrolled.
- Enter Email and School/University Name, then choose Country, Education Level and Field of Study.
- Read the linked license agreement and other required terms. Complete the eligibility, educational-use and age confirmations only when they apply to you, then select Next.
- Keep the download link, unique serial number and installation instructions supplied after sign-up. The form says the installation information and serial will also be emailed to the address you provide.
Follow the Standard for Students installation guide for the local installation. In Installation Manager, choose Install on this computer.
Enter the supplied serial in SOLIDWORKS Design under 3D Design and leave the other serial fields blank.
After the system check, review the Summary, accept the terms and select Install Now; activation follows on first launch.
The download doesn't grant every product shown by Installation Manager. Install the products covered by the serial you received. Direct support for the free offer covers installation and licensing issues; the student help resources handle technical questions about using the program.
Keep the serial and plan the next year
The free offer gives one year of access. If you're still a qualified student at the end, complete the same sign-up form again; proof of student status may be requested. Keep the license email and record the expiry shown by your activation, so you can arrange renewed access before a course deadline.
