[blackwasp]

Imagine (formerly known as DreamSpark), was announced by Bill Gates on February 20, 2008 during a speech at Stanford University. It is a Microsoft program to provide students with software design and development tools at no charge.


I have benefited immensely from it and thought of sharing it here for other students on the forum. Such student programs have existed in many countries like USA and UK, but very few were available in India.

When I tried to make a student account on the site, it wanted a college email to send the verification link. However, the site refused to recognize my college email as a valid one and I couldn't make an account there. 3-4 months later, I saw that they also verified using the ISIC card.

In late 2011, I was unsure if it would work, but I sent an email to ISIC regarding an ID card. They didn't have an online option like now, so sent my identity proof and college ID to them via email and sent them the fees via online transfer. Got my card home in 15 days.

Today, it is very easy to get the card- visit here.

The fees have gone up to Rs. 590, but the advantages are many. The card is also accepted internationally and the discounts can be found here.

Here is the type of cards you can get:


Once your ISIC card is with you, making a student account is very easy. Just visit this Image page and choose to verify using ISIC card.

Some of the Operating systems that are available:


Other software/tools (Link to catalog):




There are many other development tools and discount schemes available as well. It significantly helped me reduce my expenses during my college days. Hope this is helpful to others. In case of any query, please let me know and I will try my best to resolve it.

[GTO]

Originally Posted by blackwasp

There are many other development tools and discount schemes available as well. It significantly helped me reduce my expenses during my college days. Hope this is helpful to others. In case of any query, please let me know and I will try my best to resolve it.

Very nice, thanks for sharing!

A win-win situation if I ever saw one. From Microsoft's point-of-view, get them hooked while they are young. Once they graduate and start making money, charge them .

[sdp1975]

Thanks for the useful information. I see that the ISIC card holder must be aged 12 or above.

The ISIC card is available to full time students at school, college or university, aged 12 years and above. There is no upper age limit.

Whereas as per the wiki page for Imagine , K-12 students ( ie both primary and secondary students ) are eligible for the program.

So is the Imagine program available only for 12+ aged students ? Or is the ISIC card available for 12+ aged students but Imagine still availble for primary school students who are less than 12 years ?

[blackwasp]

Originally Posted by sdp1975

So is the Imagine program available only for 12+ aged students ? Or is the ISIC card available for 12+ aged students but Imagine still availble for primary school students who are less than 12 years ?

The ISIC card is for students above 12 yrs. But younger students can enroll in the Imagine program using other ways as mentioned in the FAQ.

From the Imagine FAQ :

If you’re a student at a university, community college, vocational or trade school, or a high school, you are eligible to participate in Microsoft Imagine. All students at accredited schools around the world are eligible.